I am in the process of planning my ER. I have a pretty good idea of what my expenses will be in retirement, except for health insurance premiums. I don't work for Megacorp or a governmental entity, so I'll be on my own once I quit work. How much should I expect to pay for health insurance before I'm eligible for Medicare. I realize the cost could vary greatly based on my circumstances. Fortunately, both DW and I are very healthy with no pre-existing illnesses. I'd be willing to carry a fairly high deductible. Any ideas ??
How much for pre-Medicare health insurance?
- Thread starter caracol7
- Start date
A good place to get a general idea of premium costs for a healthy couple might be ehealthinsurance.com. They will display the insurance companies' best rates for your situation (age, location). What you get there will be the minimum you should expect to pay for premiums.
If you are willing to pay a high deductible (as I presume most ERs should), then you might want to try HSA-eligible policies. You can filter the ehealthinsurance output this way. This will also give you some long term tax savings.
When compiling expenses, remember to include average expected out-of-pocket expenses. This would typically include all dental and eye care and your insurance deductible/co-pays. Also, you should expect your premiums and expenses to rise as you age -- not only because of inflation but because of aging. I think I calculated in my budget about a 7% real increase per year in health costs as I age (due to a combination of aging and health care inflation). Your costs will probably go down significantly after you reach Medicare age and then continue to rise again.
The ideal situation is to get approved for your new health insurance before giving notice on your jobs, but this is not always possible.
Also, it is a good idea to educate yourself on health insurance basics before starting the application process. You will probably need to obtain all of your health records for the last ten years, so better to start doing this early, as it can take a while to pull them together.
You should be able to find some specific health insurance rules for your state at this site:
http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/
Good luck!!
Kramer
If you are willing to pay a high deductible (as I presume most ERs should), then you might want to try HSA-eligible policies. You can filter the ehealthinsurance output this way. This will also give you some long term tax savings.
When compiling expenses, remember to include average expected out-of-pocket expenses. This would typically include all dental and eye care and your insurance deductible/co-pays. Also, you should expect your premiums and expenses to rise as you age -- not only because of inflation but because of aging. I think I calculated in my budget about a 7% real increase per year in health costs as I age (due to a combination of aging and health care inflation). Your costs will probably go down significantly after you reach Medicare age and then continue to rise again.
The ideal situation is to get approved for your new health insurance before giving notice on your jobs, but this is not always possible.
Also, it is a good idea to educate yourself on health insurance basics before starting the application process. You will probably need to obtain all of your health records for the last ten years, so better to start doing this early, as it can take a while to pull them together.
You should be able to find some specific health insurance rules for your state at this site:
http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/
Good luck!!
Kramer
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