Spinoff regarding health insurance

[Anonymous]

Last year, $175/month premium with company health plan with $3,500 deductible although doctor office visits just had a copay. I’m single. About $25 per month for dental and vision.

This year I started Medicare. $185/month Part B, $174/month Medicare supplement and $34/month dental. Part B goes up to $203 next month and other payments will also rise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad even saying this one, but here are my Tricare retiree figures:

I pay no premium for myself or family as a medical retiree. I have a $300 family deductible for in- and out-of-network and a $3,000 family OOP max.

Sir, you deserve that benefit and much more. Don’t feel bad

+1

[Anonymous]

Self + family federal HDHP. $400/month (agency subsidizes additional beyond OPM tables). Deductible $3400, OOP Max is something like $10K (we've never come close to hitting it). We save an additional $500/month into an HSA and get the pass-through of $150/month.

[Anonymous]

Newly retired - I'm 56 and DH is 62. Health care for 2026 will be $220/month for Kaiser due to income-based premium tax credits. It's the silver plan, but we'll receive higher benefits (94% coverage) than the platinum plan because of cost-sharing reductions.

We qualify for at least the next two years because we have no pension or other earned income, and DH won't be taking social security for at least 5 years. We have to make more than ~150% of the FPL or we'd be placed against our will on Medicaid. We'll take enough money from our IRAs to stay at this income limit.

[Anonymous]

Self employed, mid-50s. High deductible ACA BCBS plan is $740/mo. Hopefully I got my specialist visits out of the way for a few years so I don’t have to pay any co-insurance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Single, F500 employer. 150k salary. Switched to Kaiser HMO with HSA a few years ago. Cost is $31.28 per pay period. Max the HSA at $4,000 which includes $600 contribution from employer.

Deductible is $1,600 and MOOP is $4,000. I treat the HSA as another investment account and have way more than $4,000 in it and cash flow all health costs. Never hit the deductible.

Kaiser has been great. Fancy newer facilities. Certainly no worse than the PPOs I was on before, and if anything, more efficient. Sticking with the PPO would have been an extra $100 month or pay period, not worth it.

I posted earlier. We’ve had KP for about 33 years and have been pretty happy with them.

[Anonymous]

MoCo MD Obamacare. Carefirst PPO Gold. 49. 800-something a month next year, up from 700-something this year.

It's good insurance.

[Anonymous]

Tricare prime (retired). $744 per year. We use the MTFs and base pharmacies, so no copays or deductibles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad even saying this one, but here are my Tricare retiree figures:

I pay no premium for myself or family as a medical retiree. I have a $300 family deductible for in- and out-of-network and a $3,000 family OOP max.

Yes, you do pay a premium (called an "enrollment fee"). They take it out of your retirement pay. It's not a lot, but there is a premium.

Also, when you are 65, you will be required to buy Medicare Part B. So, what is "low cost" today, will cost you more when you turn 65.

You don't pay that as a medical retiree (Chapter 61 retirees). And in any event, the $375/YEAR in family enrollment fees for Tricare is a lot lower than any civilian premiums I've seen.

I don't think the $200/mo of Medicare Part B coverage (plus free Tricare for Life) outweighs the zero premium $3,000 OOP max health insurance completely untethered to your employment for decades.

But if you think my benefits suck, that's fine. I love them.

Awfully defensive, aren't you?

I mentioned the enrollment fee and the requirement for Medicare Part B because we too have Tricare. And we are happy with it. BUT, DH will turn 65 next year (and is still working his civilian job). That means we will be paying around $6000/yr for him to have Medicare B -- because Tricare requires it. That's $6000 we didn't have to pay in any past year. Then when I turn 65, we get to pay another Medicare B premium for me... so, depending on our income at that time, it might be $3000 for each of us, or it could be another $3000/yr for me. Next year, our DD will age out of Tricare (when she graduates from college). Tricare doesn't cover young adult kids until they are 26. It drops them when they graduate from college or up to the day before turning 23. So, we get to pay another $4500/yr for her. When my son graduates in a couple of years... we get to pay the same per year for him.

This is all just to keep the Tricare that we always had. So, our "premium" expenses with Tricare will go from $375/yr, to $6000 + $4500 next year, and then another $4500 added on to that in a couple of years .... JUST to keep tricare!

It's been good for us all along... and then they really amp up the costs. You wouldn't think that would happen when you turn 65, or your kids are 22... but that's how Tricare works.

[Anonymous]

I work full-time for a small company. They do not offer a health insurance group plan. I was in the fortunate position of already being employed when they offered me the position. I told them I would only accept their offer if it included reimbursement for a health insurance plan of my choosing.

I am single, no kids. I have a BCBS PPO through the marketplace. $1200 deductible, max OOP is $10,000. Regular visit copays are $20. Generic meds are free. The premium is $875/month. My company pays 100%. I am incredibly lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad even saying this one, but here are my Tricare retiree figures:

I pay no premium for myself or family as a medical retiree. I have a $300 family deductible for in- and out-of-network and a $3,000 family OOP max.

Yes, you do pay a premium (called an "enrollment fee"). They take it out of your retirement pay. It's not a lot, but there is a premium.

Also, when you are 65, you will be required to buy Medicare Part B. So, what is "low cost" today, will cost you more when you turn 65.

You don't pay that as a medical retiree (Chapter 61 retirees). And in any event, the $375/YEAR in family enrollment fees for Tricare is a lot lower than any civilian premiums I've seen.

I don't think the $200/mo of Medicare Part B coverage (plus free Tricare for Life) outweighs the zero premium $3,000 OOP max health insurance completely untethered to your employment for decades.

But if you think my benefits suck, that's fine. I love them.

Awfully defensive, aren't you?

I mentioned the enrollment fee and the requirement for Medicare Part B because we too have Tricare. And we are happy with it. BUT, DH will turn 65 next year (and is still working his civilian job). That means we will be paying around $6000/yr for him to have Medicare B -- because Tricare requires it. That's $6000 we didn't have to pay in any past year. Then when I turn 65, we get to pay another Medicare B premium for me... so, depending on our income at that time, it might be $3000 for each of us, or it could be another $3000/yr for me. Next year, our DD will age out of Tricare (when she graduates from college). Tricare doesn't cover young adult kids until they are 26. It drops them when they graduate from college or up to the day before turning 23. So, we get to pay another $4500/yr for her. When my son graduates in a couple of years... we get to pay the same per year for him.

This is all just to keep the Tricare that we always had. So, our "premium" expenses with Tricare will go from $375/yr, to $6000 + $4500 next year, and then another $4500 added on to that in a couple of years .... JUST to keep tricare!

It's been good for us all along... and then they really amp up the costs. You wouldn't think that would happen when you turn 65, or your kids are 22... but that's how Tricare works.

That’s a high part B premium. I guess you’re still working and at very high paying jobs. Once you retire, it will be a lot cheaper. The young adult thing is annoying, I agree.

If you don’t like being forced to pay the part b premiums, you can always forego Tricare for Life, at least as I understand it. I think for the typical Tricare beneficiary, the cost saving for Life for free more than make up for the Part B premiums.

In any case, we come out waaaaaaay ahead of the average civilian on healthcare costs, and it’s not close. I’m honestly surprised to hear anyone complain that our retiree benefits aren’t good enough.

This free, top-notch PPO is what will allow me to open my own law firm a few years down the line. I am so grateful for it.