I will never retire (community, housing, payment, salary)
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I have a friend who would love to retire if she could. She's 65 or 66 now, but she has enough chronic health problems she can't afford to quit and go on social security. COBRA wouldn't do her any more good than the health insurance she has, which actually is a good plan, but she's had to have so many tests and procedures of one kind or another the past 5 years that weren't covered she ended up having to pay them herself. If she had to wait 2 years for Medicare to kick in, she wouldn't need it, she'd be dead. As it is, she structures her life around maintaining the energy she needs to go to work every day, and she is a good employee. And she's great at budgeting, considering how many extra expenses she has. But it's a crying shame that people can't get what they need when they need it. It really sucks that a person should have to structure their life around having to work in order to maintain their health insurance, because if they don't work and keep that insurance, they die.
I am pretty much in that boat as well with a chronic illness that is only getting worse and needs constant medical supervision. But that's the way things are. Some are fortunate enough not to have these problems and some are not. Even with employer-paid insurance co-pays can be killers.
Ironically, the very job I have to have in order to maintain my insurance is extremely stressful and doesn't help my condition.
People in other countries with whom I correspond can't even imagine this situation since their medical treatment does not depend upon whether of not they are working.
Being able to semi-retire (still needing to work part time) and having Medicare will be a blessing for me.
I had to retire early because of chronic health problems. My employer paid for my insurance until I reached 65 years of age. Then I went on Medicare. I have had numerous chronic medical problems and have to go to the doctor often. My co-pay is $10.00! Everything else is paid by Medicare. The Medicare drug program has co-pays and also has the dreaded "donut hole" that you have probably heard about. I have to take a lot of medications so it costs me about $3,000.00 out of pocket for the year. I really have no complaints about Medicare. The Medicare program takes $96.40 per month from SS to pay for the insurance. That is a bargain as far as I am concerned! A hospital stay costs me a $300.00 co-pay. All other charges were paid out of Medicare. Everyone would like to have totally FREE health insurance, but that it not going to happen. I believe there will always be co-pays just as private insurance plans have. This is FIRST HAND information. Don't be mislead by people who are not on Medicare as I am.
I had to retire early because of chronic health problems. My employer paid for my insurance until I reached 65 years of age. Then I went on Medicare. I have had numerous chronic medical problems and have to go to the doctor often. My co-pay is $10.00! Everything else is paid by Medicare. The Medicare drug program has co-pays and also has the dreaded "donut hole" that you have probably heard about. I have to take a lot of medications so it costs me about $3,000.00 out of pocket for the year. I really have no complaints about Medicare. The Medicare program takes $96.40 per month from SS to pay for the insurance. That is a bargain as far as I am concerned! A hospital stay costs me a $300.00 co-pay. All other charges were paid out of Medicare. Everyone would like to have totally FREE health insurance, but that it not going to happen. I believe there will always be co-pays just as private insurance plans have. This is FIRST HAND information. Don't be mislead by people who are not on Medicare as I am.
Thank you for sharing.
My wife has a few chronic problems, nothing life threatening but they are there, and her meds now run $300 a month.
That plan is wonderful, we're paying nearly $1,000 a month for what we got now and our co-pays are $30 for a GP, $50 for a specialist and $5,000 deductible. Wish I could get in on it right now.
No; we are going to pay for healthcare ;no matter if its thru high taxes or other fees.Byut much of the treatment that cost so much is not going to people that can't work or have no income. Those epople can get medicaid.There are alot of people that could pay for insurnce but spend it on other things. That is why nothing will work unlesss people are required to have insurance and then get supplement payments if needed.Its alos why7 I really doubt the governamnt can run a effective system that doesn't have scammers that hurt verybodies healthcare.
There was an interesting story regarding abuse of the health care system that made it to the national news. I didn't hear the first part of the story which gave the location. Nine people went to the emergency room at different times. Over a period of six months, those people racked up almost 2,700 emergency room visits!
A great deal of Medicare goes to the last month of life, when presumably life-saving/curative treatments are both expensive and pointless.
I see people using hospice WAY too late- like in the last few days or a week of life. It's obviously one important piece of healthcare that is very underutilized, cost-effective and very good for all.
I do think legislators miss one key point when they keep talking about the 40+ million uninsured people. Those of us who are insured through a job are one pink slip, one divorce, or one hurricane away from not being covered.
There was an interesting story regarding abuse of the health care system that made it to the national news. I didn't hear the first part of the story which gave the location. Nine people went to the emergency room at different times. Over a period of six months, those people racked up almost 2,700 emergency room visits!
At our local struggling hospital it is not unusual for someone to walk in complaining of a headache. Asked why they didn't just go to the drug store the answer was the Tylenol at the hospital was free.
Medicaid is in trouble because so many ignorant, stupid people over-abuse the living heck out of it. I have seen people on Medicaid come to the emergency room, stand outside finishing their cigarette before they come in eating a Burger King Whopper while talking on a cell phone. No kidding, this actually happened and I saw it happen. Some silly complaint and when asked for the $3 medicaid co-pay they don't have it.
We need some sort of system where everyone can be covered but if you want to see it trashed out real fast allow the abusers to abuse.
You don't stop the abusers and you will get a woman bringing her baby in for diaper rash because she didn't want to spend $3 at the drug store.
You wouldn't believe the numbers that come in simply attempting to score some drugs.
This is why I am all for some type of national system, where everyone is covered, but am adamant it can not be "free" or it will not last.
We have to retire. There are so many things we want to do and work gets in the way!
Even with 5 weeks vacation, earned credit hours, and sick leave there still isn't enough time for her to do it all. I'm semi-retired and I can't find the time.
Our retirement years are going to filled to the brim with fun, interesting, exciting things. Travel for sure. We already have countless vacations planned. So many I don't think we'll ever get them all taken. She loves bridge and it's very hard to play on a regular basis when working. She loves to sew, same problem. We will both take adult ed classes. I am waiting until we get retired and moved to whenever we will end up (another retirement journey!) and then I'm buying all the woodworking tools I'll need to build all those things that are rattling around in my head. By then I hope to find a computer controlled metal lathe for turning brass and aluminum chess pieces I designed 30 years ago.
My ideal would be to partially retire and have seen quite a few of my peers do that but plan to keep working well beyound when I could pack in to the extent they will allow it. I mostly enjoy what I do and find it interesting and rewarding. Of course they incentivize people leaving by doing things like setting a near term date after which when you retire you will no longer receive a health insurance benefit but that may be a bad bargain after Obama gets through socializing health care.
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