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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crillon
We are fortunate to live in Colorado where we have great docs & hospitals. Even the Medicare Advantage network has excellent docs and hospitals & easy access to specialists.
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Front range CO I presume? (i.e. brown 'Kansas -west', vs. Colorful Colorado).
IIRC, Western Slope of CO has some of the highest ACA premiums in the nation, with least available care options.
When I was in CO, our HMO went broke, and a friend / co-worker and spouse that were in intensive care due to an accident... were, SOL. (millions in bills were now THEIR responsibility) Hopefully those escape hatches have been closed.
While I had Kaiser for 47 yrs, they don't offer a 'non-Advantage(?) Plan', nor do they service the locations I find myself in 280+ days / yrs, so... They had to go.
I figure that our best bet is to retire in an area with lots to do so that we'll stay active, enjoy some entertainment and have the opportunity to meet other active retirees. Better to eat right, stay active and avoid needing doctors as much as possible.
There are no formulas to avoid a chronic illness or sudden medical event. Something will get us all in the end and no one ever knows at what age. The older we get, the higher the risk, regardless of what you eat or how much you workout.
Front range CO I presume? (i.e. brown 'Kansas -west', vs. Colorful Colorado).
IIRC, Western Slope of CO has some of the highest ACA premiums in the nation, with least available care options.
When I was in CO, our HMO went broke, and a friend / co-worker and spouse that were in intensive care due to an accident... were, SOL. (millions in bills were now THEIR responsibility) Hopefully those escape hatches have been closed.
While I had Kaiser for 47 yrs, they don't offer a 'non-Advantage(?) Plan', nor do they service the locations I find myself in 280+ days / yrs, so... They had to go.
Horrible. Our healthcare system in the US is broken, for sure. I remember the days when our family plan with United Healthcare cost us $1200/month with a $12K deductible! I don't know how we managed that financially. During that time, my husband needed surgery and we had to pay that deductible against an $80k bill. It's outrageous. Now that we have Medicare, it is such a relief, even with the MA plan. I do regret not getting Medigap instead, but so far, MA has been excellent here in the Denver Metro area.
Horrible. Our healthcare system in the US is broken, for sure. I remember the days when our family plan with United Healthcare cost us $1200/month with a $12K deductible! I don't know how we managed that financially. During that time, my husband needed surgery and we had to pay that deductible against an $80k bill. It's outrageous. Now that we have Medicare, it is such a relief, even with the MA plan. I do regret not getting Medigap instead, but so far, MA has been excellent here in the Denver Metro area.
Just curious but did you ever ask them for a cash discount? This was about 15 yrs ago but we were bogged down by two ER Bills. We only had catastrophic insurance so the remaining they cut by 30% if memory serves me correctly
Someone just posted this link in the New Jersey forum, and it seemed apropos: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/husb...092001903.html The article probably won't change anyone's mind, but it reflected my concerns about moving away from excellent healthcare in retirement. I admit to being spoiled by the great healthcare choices available where I live.
Zero impact since I retired where I lived already. It was unplanned due to a lay off and I decided it was okay to pack it in. Remains to be seen if i will change my mind.
Just curious but did you ever ask them for a cash discount? This was about 15 yrs ago but we were bogged down by two ER Bills. We only had catastrophic insurance so the remaining they cut by 30% if memory serves me correctly
We didn't ask that time around. But, there was a previous ER visit when my husband was between jobs for over a year, and we had no insurance and dwindling savings. Of course, that's always when something happens. I had an ER visit due to chest pains brought on, as it turns out, from the anxiety/stress of my husband's unemployment. The hospital bill for 12 hours in the ER for a heart workup was $32,000 (20 years ago) with no insurance coverage. Doctor fees were only around $700 and I paid those bills right away. I spent months hounded by bill collectors for the hospital portion and then worked with the hospital directly negotiating that hospital bill down. Finally, when I was able to reach the right person with the authority to reduce it, I paid 25% of the total bill.
Someone just posted this link in the New Jersey forum, and it seemed apropos: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/husb...092001903.html The article probably won't change anyone's mind, but it reflected my concerns about moving away from excellent healthcare in retirement. I admit to being spoiled by the great healthcare choices available where I live.
You have world class docs and hospitals in the NJ/NY area. Hard to beat that!
There are no formulas to avoid a chronic illness or sudden medical event. Something will get us all in the end and no one ever knows at what age. The older we get, the higher the risk, regardless of what you eat or how much you workout.
But you don’t want to have that stroke and be a medflight away from a hospital, and even then, it seems like that, in many rural areas, treatment is less than competent these days.
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