Is anyone here still working only for health insurance benefits?

[ImaCheesehead]

I think it used to be common for people to work just for health benefits. Folks might have had enough saved to cover their expenses in retirement but had no way to obtain health coverage. With the ACA in place some people felt comfortable enough with it to retire believing reliable health care would be available as long as they needed it.

We didn’t have enough NW for retirement when the ACA first came out. Now we do, IF we could count on it being available for 8 years. That feels like too big of a risk right now.

So, is anyone else still working ONLY for health insurance? Would you retire and go on ACA if the US House of Representatives turned over to a Democratic majority next month?

 

[dtbach]

Sure

 

[GTFan]

I'm not following why Dems controlling House has anything to do with future of ACA. They couldn't get it replaced with R's in control and have no intent on revisting it.

 

[COZICAN]

"IF we could count on it being available for 8 years"
This is why i'm still working. One heart attack or stroke without insurance can break a person. I'm hoping for some nice mid-term promises.

 

[hesperus]

Or working at a specific job they hate just for the health insurance. They might choose a different job (or company) if not for that.
That may be more common.

 

[HtownRose]

Me! I've downshifted to a part time job so I have more free time, but still get heavily-subsidized health insurance.

I check out the ACA offerings every year & in my zip code there have been no PPOs available for several years. I've heard too many horror stories of HMO restrictions & limited providers to take that risk at this point.

 

[joeea]

I'm not following why Dems controlling House has anything to do with future of ACA. They couldn't get it replaced with R's in control and have no intent on revisting it.

That's pure conjecture on your part. Some have expressed an intent.

 

[38Chevy454]

I worked about a year longer in order to keep health insurance. I was fortunate that I was able to keep all my benefits and switch to part-time.

 

[Fedup]

My sister still works for health insurance. Come to think about it, one of my brothers is in this boat, he’s already qualified for Medicare but his wife isn’t, she is only 61.

 

[Totoro]

Blissful, health insurance is covered here not matter what I do. So it doesn't factor in.

 

[Beldar]

We RE'd and are managing our income for the ACA. So far so good. My PCP of over 20 yrs is not in network so I am a cash payer for him; I view the "insurance" as a cushion for any major expense, to be honest. Medicare is a ways out for us.

If something changed and Health Insurance was no longer available via ACA I certainly would consider part time work in order to obtain an employer's coverage.

But I'm not worrying about it.

_B

 

[ShokWaveRider]

So sad this is even being discussed. You would think America could sort this out once and for all. It is the most important issue for the most amount of people. Good Comprehensive, affordable healthcare coverage, but it is constantly on the back burner and hardly ever mentioned when people discuss quality of life.

 

[kgtest]

My DF did. They denied him an early retirement package, so he stuck around two years getting joints replaced. The day he came back from his second knee replacement, he quit.

 

[joeea]

My DF did. They denied him an early retirement package

Are you saying they wouldn't give him an early retirement package he was entitled to?

Or are you just saying that he wanted to retire early and they wouldn't create a package specifically for him?

 

[kgtest]

Are you saying they wouldn't give him an early retirement package he was entitled to?

Or are you just saying that he wanted to retire early and they wouldn't create a package specifically for him?

My understanding was it was socialized that anyone interested let it be known. So he did. Then when the time came those that were selected received one. He was not selected and manager said he was too valuable. It all seemed fishy to me...but like I said DF just stayed on the payroll and had some joints replaced until he was medicare eligable. He kept gis customers happy but after that dissapointment he was no longer friendly with managment.

 

[USGrant1962]

So sad this is even being discussed. You would think America could sort this out once and for all. It is the most important issue for the most amount of people. Good Comprehensive, affordable healthcare coverage, but it is constantly on the back burner and hardly ever mentioned when people discuss quality of life.

Well, it is not the most important issue for the most amount of people. 90% or so of Americans have coverage through employers, Medicare, and Medicaid. About 3% are on ACA exchanges, and the rest uninsured, though many of those are eligible for Medicaid/subsidized ACA/CHIP insurance.

A pie chart from 2016 here: SHOW YOUR WORK: Healthcare Coverage Breakout for the Entire U.S. Population in 1 Chart | ACA Signups

 

[Dtail]

I am willing to take the chance, so retired last year with the management of ACA income being a decent part of the decision. I could afford more medical expenses if necessary, but it would come as a cost to our travel plans.
Nevertheless, I refuse to work again, so will live with whatever it takes.

 

[HFWR]

You would think America could sort this out once and for all.

No, we’ll just keep swerving from the left ditch to the right ditch to the left ditch, ad nauseum...

I was lucky enough to inherit heavily subsidized insurance for my 25 years at Megaconglomocorp, or I’d still be w*rking...

 

[ImaCheesehead]

So, even in this (relatively) small community, there are still quite a few people who are working for health insurance when they have the financial assets to otherwise retire.

My DH doesn’t have the option to go PT. He works remotely but is in a very specialized field. Since we are also full time travelers neither of us could pick up a PT job just for the health care. At 61.5 he has already outlived his parents and sibling and I think he will have fewer years of retirement than most.

This is just so maddening. [mod edit] . . . [W]ithout guaranteed insurability we would be seriously SOL. [mod edit]

 

[Fedup]

My sister has been using ACA on and off for years. The reason she’s still working is because she can use the money she earns to pay for health care, so she wouldn’t be a nest egg user. Next year, if she decides to retire, she will be on Medicare.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Well, it is not the most important issue for the most amount of people. 90% or so of Americans have coverage through employers, Medicare, and Medicaid. About 3% are on ACA exchanges, and the rest uninsured, though many of those are eligible for Medicaid/subsidized ACA/CHIP insurance.

A pie chart from 2016 here: SHOW YOUR WORK: Healthcare Coverage Breakout for the Entire U.S. Population in 1 Chart | ACA Signups

That's an interesting link, but there's a reason health care costs are the #1 concern by Americans.
So that would indeed make it most important issue for the most amount of people, correct?

 

[Fedup]

Yeah, but it’s not the retirees that will be paying if we have free health care. Probably those young millennials who have not get a chance to amass millions from their jobs yet. Here we have a system that people can earn more and save more, then they turn it around and want free healthcare.

 

[Aerides]

Mod Hat On:

Please let's keep this discussion on the generally interesting subject of healthcare options, vs. the impacts of elections and party representation in congress. Partisan political commentary is not permitted per ER site guidelines.

 

[ImaCheesehead]

Yeah, but it’s not the retirees that will be paying if we have free health care. Probably those young millennials who have not get a chance to amass millions from their jobs yet. Here we have a system that people can earn more and save more, then they turn it around and want free healthcare.

I don’t feel that I need free health care. I am willing to pay for freedom but if DH leaves his job, goes on an ACA plan and then loses his coverage because insurers no longer have to cover pre existing conditions, we would be in a very bad place.

If my DH could retire someone under him could move up to his job and a new, very well paid technical job with great benefits would open for a millennial. Sure, employment is currently high, but many of the jobs are low paying and have no benefits. He is gumming up the works by not getting out of the way when he financially is able and has the desire to do so.

 

[samclem]

I don’t feel that I need free health care. I am willing to pay for freedom but if DH leaves his job, goes on an ACA plan and then loses his coverage because insurers no longer have to cover pre existing conditions, we would be in a very bad place.

FWIW, the last time the legislature considered major changes to the US health insurance "system", every major proposal included protections for those with pre-existing conditions. The proposals varied in how they would accomplish this, but the objective was standard across the board.

In the short term, I don't think government action will be the source of any changes in the availability or cost of insurance through the ACA marketplace. IMO, changes will be due to the already-in-place policies and resulting dynamics that are at work. These will influence decisions by insurers (whether to offer ACA marketplace plans) and care providers (whether to participate in those plans).

From recent history, we have seen that the ACA marketplace has produced better results in some regions/types of areas than others, so it wouldn't be possible to give a guess about the future that applies everywhere ("Don't worry, you'll find cheap coverage and it will be great!" or "Worry! This thing is falling apart and no one will be spared!")

As USGrant1962 points out, the ACA marketplace insurance is a small part of the total US health insurance "system." It appears to be the most "fragile" part. If a person presently has insurance through an employer and if maintaining their present healthcare costs and access to care is of high importance, then the course of action with the lowest risk is to stay under that present coverage method. Costs and coverage could still change, so keep an eye open for that.