Sheryl said:Martha has some excellent points.
In my state - Washington - we are able to move from our employeer's plan to an individual plan without underwriting (filling out "the questionaire" which would automatically kick me into the state risk pool). But once you get the individual plan, you are stuck with it. If you decide for any reason it's not working for you - tough luck! I'm going to have some serious research to do before I FIRE. Making this decision scares the crap out of me, when I think about how high the stakes are.
Maybe I should move back "home." Unless I missed something, Texas doesn't keep the insurance companies from demanding the forms be filled. That throws lots of people into the high risk pool.
When Bush was governor of Texas he signed the bill that rearranged the private insurance industry to conform to federal mandates. Although the governor is "weak" by the Texas constitution, he didn't do anything to keep the best deal possible go the insurance companies.
A few questions -- Can someone sign up for health insurance in one state and be a resident of another? If someone becomes a resident of a state, can they later move and keep their original state's insurance?
I'm getting close to ER but the medical insurance issue is becoming a bigger part of the equation.