The $164.00 question

Health Insurance for the Road

Do you understand the Affordable Care Act? If you do PLEASE explain it to me and the millions of others that seem to be lost, dazed, and confused.

Of course I'm referring to how all this change is going to affect those on the road and us dreamers that will be joining you out there soon. Right now we are covered by Barb's health plan at work but she retires this November and I'll be leaving my work shortly after that.

We are both to young for Medicare so we are looking at ObamaCare or buying on the open market after the first of the year. Neither option looks very promising but it looks like we will at least qualify for a subsidy to help lower our monthly premiums. With preexisting conditions no longer a concern it looks like we will be paying $463.00 per month for a Silver plan. I know, no great shakes there.  We could go with a Bronze plan and pay $138.00 per month but that just keeps the IRS off our backs and doesn't pay for much else.  I'll just have to remember to keep a rabbits foot in my pocket so we don't need to see a doctor.

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on for some easy to understand information but that's like asking for the winning lottery numbers, which would solve a lot of the problem right there. I'm still not sure what the right move will be for us so will continue to look. I'm thinking no matter what the answer is it will be difficult to live with it. I guess the most logical step for us and others is to really start living life better by the choices we make and the foods we eat. Vitamins are becoming a large part of my life. By taking better care of ourselves hopefully we won't need to see a doctor as much as we have been. Not to mention less cost of prescription meds will add a few more coins to my pocket.

I'm trying to research prescription medicine from Mexico but haven’t gotten very far yet.

This past week I was at the doctor for a bacterial infection and was prescribed a nasal spray to help reduce the pressure. My insurance company would not approve the medicine and there was no generic for it. I asked the pharmacy what the price was in case I could pay for it myself. The answer $164.00. NO WAY. Well I was reading a blog the other day about another fulltimer that went to Mexico for dental work. He happened to take a picture of a sign outside the pharmacy where he went for his prescription.

Right there on the sign was the same medicine I would have had to pay $164.00 for listed for $25.99. Really makes me wonder what in the world is going on. So now I'm wondering what blood pressure medicine would cost down there. No matter how you look at it Health Insurance in this country will never be the way it was. I'm not saying this as good or bad, but our choices will never be the same. I have found out you can cross the border to buy your meds. but you MUST have a  prescription from an American doctor and can only get 50 pills at a time. Of course you could take your chance's with the Border Patrol and try to sneak more across, but a full body cavity search is not my idea of a fun time. 

 

As far as your domicile goes, Texas and Florida seems like they will be the front runners for fulltimers as it looks like you won't have to stay in the state any length of time to get insurance. Although how big your network will be is another matter altogether. South Dakota looks like they are going to be out of the race as far as domicile goes because they are making you stay in state a minimum of 6 months to get insurance.  Not much of an option for fulltime travelers.  Yet this could change as it looks like nothing is set in stone as of this time.

I'm going to research private insurance companies next and see if they might be any better than ObamaCare.  I sure hope so.  So until next time.

 

 

Safe Travels and I Hope to See You Down the Road.

 

P.S.

It looks like South Dakota insurance companies are dropping the 6 month residence requirement as of this time.  Stay tuned, this could change again.  Who Knows.