Stat Healthcare update

[Stevewc]

I was searching for info on how health care reform might affect early retiree's and came across this site. It just happened to have a little information on retiree's. It may be a good site to check out as the weeks/months move on with the health care debates. Comments about your interpertation of how this may help or hurt a person planning to retire soon would be great to see.
Hope all still working are having a good weekend. The rest I guess its just another good day . Which I hope to experience soon.
The everyday is Saturday syndrome sounds so good to me,
Steve

http://www.segalco.com/publications-and-resources/stat/

[M Paquette]

On reading the linked page, this sounds like a mechanism to provide reinsurance (effectively, cost reduction or smoothing) to employers providing coverage to retirees in the 55-65 age range, us pre-Medicare retirees. The reinsurance would give an employer-based plan covering retirees an 80% refund of costs over $15,000 up to $90,000.

This might act as an incentive for employers to offer early retiree medical insurance coverage in the future, but I don't see any effect for those not already covered by such insurance. It still looks like COBRA/Individual policies for the rest of us.

[Stevewc]

My employer offers to pay a small amount toward a retirees health insurance for the 18 months of cobra, then continues to pay if (very big If)we go into the high risk pool offered by the State. Which is super expensive. They pay a portion for the individual that works for the company but nothing toward the rest of the family's coverage.

The thing I've been trying to wrap my head around is the possibility that some of these proposed changes might actually lower my cost, if I were to bale out early and gamble? If I were already retired say at the end of this year, I am 55 years old. Kind of risky but if anything passes in the different bills that forces these high risk State pools to lower their prices, I might slip into a better situation.
Self centered I know, but my escape depends a lot on health care cost,
Steve
PS. Do you think the congress critters might accidentally slip up and help the working man/woman?
Or, are they mostly worried about the big insurance companies and the campaign donations?