Health Insurance

[Dan Ebert]

Thinking about retiring early. What does any one do about health insurance. Do you just get a individual coverage or is there a group plan you can join for boaters/individuals to get a better deal on cost.

 

[hp]

Healthy now but ??????????

If you retire early, and are currently covered through a group policy, you may qualify for COBRA which will allow you to keep your current group rate for up to 18 months, although you pay the group premium plus a administrative percentage.Th big downside to this is if you are currently healthy, but have health issues arise while on Cobra, you may not be able to get insurance after 18 months. Most insurers are getting out of writing individual policies. My advice is to search for an insurer who has a non-revokable policy and pick it up immediatly if you are in good health. Use as large of a deducatable as you can afford. It may cost you more in the short run but at least you won't be screened out in the future if you do have health problems.Some associations offer health plans but I am not aware of any for sailors. Happy retirement.

 

[Brian Pickton]

No insurance

Dec. 19, 2000Dear Dan,We looked around but could not find health care coverage exclusively for boaters, we're too small a group I guess. We used Blue Cross when we first left Canada but found health care costs so cheap and the quality so high (provided you use the same doctor's as the upper class) in the third world that we discontinued coverage. The cost of specialist care here including the doctor, medication and prosthesis, when I suffered from some carpal tunnel problems was less than our deductable with Blue Cross, so now we're self insured.BrianPickton@BeneteauOwners.netAboard The Legend. Rodney Bay, St. Lucia