I just joined the forums yesterday and have some healthcare questions. Here are the details:
Hoping to retire next year at age 43. Married w/ 2 kids (6th and 11th grade). Live in Illinois.
Health: My wife & I may be slightly overweight (10-20 pounds). I have high cholesterol (280) and stopped taking Lipitor about a year ago due to muscle aches. I have not followed up w/ a doctor (plan on doing soon). Other than this, we are healthy (never smoked).
Questions:
1. When I retire, should I take COBRA for 18 months or is it smarter to find a new health plan ASAP while still fairly healthy?
2. Will my high cholesterol prevent me from getting private insurance, or will it just increase the premium?
3. Cost -- I am budgeting $1,000 a month for private insurance. I don't care about a high deductible ($5,000 - $10,000). I have done some on-line quotes which show premiums of $300 - $400 for high deductible plans. I assume this would go up due to my cholesterol, but not sure how much.
4. Moving -- if I took a plan like Blue Cross / Blue Shield of IL and moved South in a few years (say North Carolina), does the plan transfer or do you have to re-apply and get a new plan? If this happened 10 years from now, it could be a lot tougher getting new health insurance.
Any other insights into things I should consider would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.
Hoping to retire next year at age 43. Married w/ 2 kids (6th and 11th grade). Live in Illinois.
Health: My wife & I may be slightly overweight (10-20 pounds). I have high cholesterol (280) and stopped taking Lipitor about a year ago due to muscle aches. I have not followed up w/ a doctor (plan on doing soon). Other than this, we are healthy (never smoked).
Questions:
1. When I retire, should I take COBRA for 18 months or is it smarter to find a new health plan ASAP while still fairly healthy?
2. Will my high cholesterol prevent me from getting private insurance, or will it just increase the premium?
3. Cost -- I am budgeting $1,000 a month for private insurance. I don't care about a high deductible ($5,000 - $10,000). I have done some on-line quotes which show premiums of $300 - $400 for high deductible plans. I assume this would go up due to my cholesterol, but not sure how much.
4. Moving -- if I took a plan like Blue Cross / Blue Shield of IL and moved South in a few years (say North Carolina), does the plan transfer or do you have to re-apply and get a new plan? If this happened 10 years from now, it could be a lot tougher getting new health insurance.
Any other insights into things I should consider would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.