Medicare requires a permanent residential address. What do cruisers do?

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
This is a very interesting thread. I am in the process of deciding this for myself. I'd always heard St. Brendan's Isle was a solid resource for this and had won all court actions it was involved in but have not heard of the case of 4 years ago.

For full use, one needs to become a resident of Florida through them. At least that's my understanding.

The whole question of health insurance while traveling is of great interest. I hope we can get some clarity on that as well.

dj
 
Apr 26, 2015
660
S2 26 Mid On Trailer
Medicare is easy to fool with an address, PO box, mail forwarding places. If you don't show an address with "non commercial" dirt under it the FAA will drop your pilot certificate in a minute. Wait until Medicare hooks up with Homeland Security. To the OP; get a house and quit being abnormal, at least that's what a Senators letter ( aid sent I hope) said to me a few years ago.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
quit being abnormal, at least that's what a Senators letter ( aid sent I hope) said to me a few years ago.
I had a cop lecture my wife and me about that once when he ticketed us for failure to register our vehicle.

My wife was a traveling nurse for many years and we took assignments all over the place, including Boston. We kept my in-law's house as our permanent address in NH. During a nine month assignment in Boston, our NH-based auto insurance refused to cover a car who's primary location of garage was in Massachusetts (funny how that issue never came up in any other state). So okay, we went to a Massachusetts-based insurer. Only, they required the insured vehicle be registered in Massachusetts. We did that.

One day, driving home to my in-law's for the weekend, a NH statey read our Mass tags and decided we were speeding. He seemed to get upset when we said, "There must be some mistake because we weren't speeding."

He yelled, pointing at our speedometer, "Is that calibrated four times a day?"

answer: "No it is not."

Angry hand gesture, "End of discussion." and he stalks back to his cruiser.

After issuing the citation for speeding he added a 'failure to register' fine.

NH license in a MA car? Not allowed.

We tried to explain our situation and his response was to ask if we had children.

? (We didn't, at the time).

Then he proceeded to tell us how our lifestyle was a terrible one and what an irresponsible way to raise a family.

I didn't argue the speeding ticket in court, but the judge closed the case with "no findings" on the issue of registration and I had to pay $50 court costs.

-Will
 
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Dec 2, 1997
8,708
- - LIttle Rock
Medicare only covers you in the US...some, but not all medicare supplement policies provide international coverage.
Several yacht insurance agencies also offer "global" health insurance coverage...IMIS in Maryland is one who does.

Gowrie Group - IMIS
phone: 410.364.7710.
Rick Bagnall is their health insurance guy

--Peggie
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
While it is nice and perhaps needed to have a cruising policy, from listening to other cruisers, coming home to the US for medical care appears to be a sometime used option. Especially if there will be an extended recovery period. Having your Medicare plan available might be a necessary evil (paying the premium) even if you do not have coverage abroad.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I suspect as you prepare to untie the lines for that “great adventure “ the last thing you want is a drain on your cruising kitty like an insurance premium. After all getting away from the grinds of responsibility is a part of the adventure process.

You read the first paragraph of the escape… “we sold everything. Bought a good boat. Untied the lines and cast off with the shirt on our backs and a dream to go wherever the winds would take us. “

Not once have I read, “ after careful evaluation we negotiated an insurance policy that will protect us, fly our asses back to the states and the safety of our former lives!”
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Apply for Medicare if You Live in Different Places throughout the Year - dummies
You’re allowed to enroll in Medicare only in one place. Social Security requires this place to be your principal residence, which it defines as the place where you file taxes, register to vote, get your driver’s license, and so on. Even if you’re on the road year-round in your RV, the base you use for these activities is also the address to use for Medicare enrollment.
If you’re homeless, Social Security may accept the address of a shelter or clinic, a P.O. box number, or anywhere else that you receive mail.
even though you must sign up for Medicare in one place, you can still receive Medicare benefits somewhere else — or indeed anywhere throughout the nation — providing you make the right decisions about the kind of coverage you choose.
-Will
 
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