So this thought occurred to me. If you want to RE but are well short of Medicare age, and for some reason are "uninsurable" (which we know may NOT mean that you have any serious health problems, but might be a financial risk to the insurance company), perhaps this idea works:
1. Quit working, go on COBRA for up to 18 months.
2. After one year, begin looking for work. Find a job, preferrably at 17 months after leaving the previous one.
3. Work for one year. Leave the second job and go on COBRA for up to 18 more months.
4. Repeat.
Now this may not look like retirement per se. But it is less than half time, averaged over the entire period. You get to work 40% time or so and maintain health insurance coverage.
I do see some risks. Depending upon your job field, you could get questions on why you've changed jobs so much (that's why I said work one year, otherwise you could work a month and then do COBRA again). You can always explain you left your job for family reasons and they can't legally ask you any more details.
The other big risk I see is that you can't get another job so end up without COBRA coverage. That would be a risk you'd have to take with this scenario.
Anybody see other reasons why this would not work?
1. Quit working, go on COBRA for up to 18 months.
2. After one year, begin looking for work. Find a job, preferrably at 17 months after leaving the previous one.
3. Work for one year. Leave the second job and go on COBRA for up to 18 more months.
4. Repeat.
Now this may not look like retirement per se. But it is less than half time, averaged over the entire period. You get to work 40% time or so and maintain health insurance coverage.
I do see some risks. Depending upon your job field, you could get questions on why you've changed jobs so much (that's why I said work one year, otherwise you could work a month and then do COBRA again). You can always explain you left your job for family reasons and they can't legally ask you any more details.
The other big risk I see is that you can't get another job so end up without COBRA coverage. That would be a risk you'd have to take with this scenario.
Anybody see other reasons why this would not work?