Medical Insurance advice appreciated. (Phoenix, Tucson: health insurance, credit, broker)

[The Kaiser]

Been coming to Tucson for over thirty years. Now planning on leaving Upstate N.Y. {no regrets}. Would like to hear from someone who has done the same. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Would like to know how you went from one Insurance to another. My present company says that if I'm [ out of area] for more than six months, six months and one day, the'll drop me. Have you ever heard of such a thing before?
Gary

[pathrunner]

If you are over the age of 55, you can contact the Area Agency on Aging in Arizona. They were extremely helpful to me in choosing the correct health insurance for my situation when I lived in Arizona. If you are not a senior, you could ask an insurance broker who isn't hungry for the commission. That might be difficult to find, but not impossible.

[steiconi]

HMOs do that, as do Medicare Advantage plans.

I have a medigap plan that follows my anywhere in the US.

[pathrunner]

Yes, I do too and I'll never let it go. It follows me everywhere. A California plan which is higher, but that's okay because I now have health issues that require a lot of doctor visits and treatments. It's just easier to leave it alone rather than try to switch.

Your best bet OP is to see a broker because of not yet being full retirement age. When I went on disability at age 59 I chose an HMO because I could not afford the Medigap plans at $350-400/mo. in 2011. A few years later when I turned 65 and converted to regular Medicare I purchased Medigap Plan G. that was only $124/mo. at that time. OP, see the difference?

Talking to a broker will help you to learn about all of your options and choose the best route for you. If you can afford the higher cost of a Medigap plan until you reach 65, that would be the best way to go if you have health issues or realize that there could be a situation where you could have an accident or get really sick in which case en you would be liable for 20% of whatever cost is incurred if you stick with an HMO.

Being on a disability income, I could not afford a medigap plan. I wish I had done it though, because I ended up in the hospital 3 times that first year. It bankrupted me though I did not formally file. (Destroyed my credit.) That means I wish I had gone for the $350-400/mo. policy (the 2011 cost), then somehow managed to have some sort part-time job to pay for it while seriously needing a hip replacement (pain). Hindsight.

Actuaries exist for a reason: to save their employers money. The system works against us. Sometimes people can game it but usually they have to suck it up and just pay.

If I were you, OP, I would go for a Medigap plan. You pay a yearly deductible with no co-pays at all. Extremely easy, streamlined and heads a lot of headaches off at the pass.

It really isn't that complicated though it seems like it. A broker will lay everything out clearly for you.

[The Kaiser]

I probably should have mentioned that we're in our 70's. Thank for the reply's.
Gary

[pathrunner]

When my brother learned, when he was age 72 (he's older now), that I became basically bankrupt because of being on an HMO with 3 hospitalizations and 2 major surgeries in the span of 5 months, he finally surrendered to purchasing a Medigap plan. Before that, he was stubborn. "I'm very healthy." He is. Very much so. That's not a guarantee that nothing will ever happen. It took hearing what happened to me to make him wake up.

For what it's worth, I was very happy with my doctors in Phoenix when I still lived there. I was with Cigna HMO and had a great experience with my PCP and a decent experience with other doctors at Cigna. Now that I'm on Plan G, if I ever went back to Phoenix I'd check around to make sure I should either go back to Cigna or go with Mayo or some other network.

[The Kaiser]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

When my brother learned, when he was age 72 (he's older now), that I became basically bankrupt because of being on an HMO with 3 hospitalizations and 2 major surgeries in the span of 5 months, he finally surrendered to purchasing a Medigap plan. Before that, he was stubborn. "I'm very healthy." He is. Very much so. That's not a guarantee that nothing will ever happen. It took hearing what happened to me to make him wake up.

For what it's worth, I was very happy with my doctors in Phoenix when I still lived there. I was with Cigna HMO and had a great experience with my PCP and a decent experience with other doctors at Cigna. Now that I'm on Plan G, if I ever went back to Phoenix I'd check around to make sure I should either go back to Cigna or go with Mayo or some other network.

Thank you. I'll look into it.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by The Kaiser

Been coming to Tucson for over thirty years. Now planning on leaving Upstate N.Y. {no regrets}. Would like to hear from someone who has done the same. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Would like to know how you went from one Insurance to another. My present company says that if I'm [ out of area] for more than six months, six months and one day, the'll drop me. Have you ever heard of such a thing before?
Gary

Anything is possible with an Insurance Company, The Kaiser . . . Very possibly some type of State or Federal Law involved. However, if you plan to make this your home, I would think you would want to get a local insurance company. Why not?

Personally, I use Cigna and, Thankfully, NOT a heavy insurance user, have not had any negative issues / problems whatsoever.

Good Luck

[wp169]

Originally Posted by The Kaiser

Been coming to Tucson for over thirty years. Now planning on leaving Upstate N.Y. {no regrets}. Would like to hear from someone who has done the same. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Would like to know how you went from one Insurance to another. My present company says that if I'm [ out of area] for more than six months, six months and one day, the'll drop me. Have you ever heard of such a thing before?
Gary

Don't forget, if you leave NY you may not be able to switch from Medicare Advantage back to Traditional Medicare if you ever want to get an Advantage policy down the road (I don't know if you have Advantage now), then change your mind, some states won't let you switch plans so easily like NY does.

[steiconi]

Originally Posted by wp169

Don't forget, if you leave NY you may not be able to switch from Medicare Advantage back to Traditional Medicare if you ever want to get an Advantage policy down the road (I don't know if you have Advantage now), then change your mind, some states won't let you switch plans so easily like NY does.

It's the other way around, if you have an Advantage plan, you can't switch to Traditional or Medigap unless you move or the company cancels your plan.
That reeks of undue influence by the Advantage plan companies.