Health insurance

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Health insurance
18
Sun, 02-08-2009 - 10:40pm

DH and I have long term health insurance (aka nursing home insurance), originally provided for by my employer. When I retired we picked up the premiums. The premiums are going up this year. We are trying to decide whether to keep it. Any premiums must come out of our savings, not regular SS monthly checks. I think I've asked this before, but wondering if anyone has had experience with this, maybe with aging relatives. The policy has a lot of good in-home features, but we're wondering how many increases will be able to handle.

Jacquie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
Sat, 02-28-2009 - 3:18am

Hi Jacquie:


I really understand your concern about insurances.

Always, Lou
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Sat, 02-28-2009 - 8:39am

Yours is exactly the kind of problem so many face. Having 2 different insurance plans for various employees should be outlawed. Can you imagine dealing with this when one has also just lost their job?? We were able to move from my employer paid HMO to personal HMO smoothly, once we hit 65. I couldn't retire early, or we would have faced that huge increase in premiums and it would have come out of our pockets. I do worry that our plan may be in for a rough time. It is one of the Medicare affiliates that does direct billing, we pay $224/mo. These types of plans are being shown to overcharge Medicare and the govt. is going after them. I figure they keep our premium lower that way, but will go up when crackdown occurs. That was one of the deciding factors in not keeping the long-term insurance. We figure we'll need to dip into savings when that premium goes up.

Jacquie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
Sat, 02-28-2009 - 3:01pm

Jacquie:


I totally agree with you about having two different insurance policies, the problem arises when you have 4 or 5 different unions to deal with and none of the unions will agree to just one policy.

Always, Lou
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Sat, 02-28-2009 - 4:44pm

Prepaid long-term for life?? That's terrific.

Wow, that's a great volunteering project. It is something I could also do at home, having first learned medical terminology to work in a hospital, then handling claims at other jobs. I need to see if there is something similar locally. I had hoped to take training soon to be a court advocate for youth in the legal system, in addition to my 2 morning tutoring gigs per week. But - the deteriorating disks in my back are acting up more and I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't commit to such a big undertaking. I would need to be in court for the hearings, and could be called on to sub for other advocates. DH is gently reminding me that I retired to do more things together and maybe I should have done this project 15 years ago. I need to decide soon, as their training schedule is coming up. I already have a conflict with that - I will be in New Orleans the first 2 sessions.

Jacquie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
Sun, 03-01-2009 - 8:43pm

Hey Jacquie:


My long-term insurance only covers 10 years, but I am hoping I will not need more that that amount of time.

Always, Lou
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Sun, 03-01-2009 - 10:36pm

I've restrained myself from feeling like I should volunteer for everything that interested me. Our recent gentleman visitor and I were discussing the subject and he told me he has already cut back. After years of having to be nice to "every SOB that walked in my office door", he has no taste for committees and groups with hierarchy. I find myself feeling more and more like that. With the tutoring, the teacher is clearly in charge and the tutors are there to help. She is most grateful. I'll leave the big projects to the younger folks, like our DS who just returned from a week in Haiti building a school.

Today was the first time I actually completed a home deco project with the detail I like. For years, everything was a quick sew/no sew project, if at all. Now I made a lined scalloped valance to match the newly covered kitchen chairs, complete with braid trim on the edge. It feels great to have the luxury of doing things "right" and I need to do more of this.

Jacquie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
Wed, 03-04-2009 - 2:10am

Jacquie:


Congratulations on your project.

Always, Lou
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Wed, 03-04-2009 - 8:34am

My current mess (as DH calls it) is to rearrange the storage in my hobby/computer room. Now that the GrKids are bigger, there is no need for me to have a shelf/drawer of dried out poster paint and rolls of paper. I want my sewing related materials to be more accessible. Stuff is all over the floor while I decide what goes where. Good thing I have a chair with wheels - bending over to work on this would kill my old back.

Actually, our students are all adults, from 20s to 70s. Most need to improve their reading skills to increase employment possibilities. It's sad to see how many young people graduated from HS with 3rd grade reading skills. With the advent of high tech learning tools, many never mastered reading a test. Three students are part of the English as Second Language program. As a university community, we have a many new immigrants who want to assimilate ASAP. One volunteer goes daily. I find 3 hours each of my 2 mornings just enough. It can be intense, as I often wind up explaining American culture.

Jacquie

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