<p>HImom I am confused. Your husband can get a pension and still receive spousal benefits once you are full retirment age. What am I not understanding?</p>
<p>dadx â that is a very cool tool. Thanks for the link!</p>
<p>What are people planning to do about healthcare if they retire before age 65? Do most people here have future healthcare as a benefit of current employment? We will not have that option, so I guess itâs work to 65, or hope for wonderful things for the ACA exchangesâŠ</p>
<p>âWhat are people planning to do about healthcare if they retire before age 65?â - </p>
<p>Whine a lot. Just kidding. But we do wish that at least one of us still qualified for a pension fund, with medical coverage. I have a future healthcare account, but it will get depleted quickly. I am 7 years younger than DH, so if my job stays stable I will probably work for a few years after he retires (probably at 62-ish). That will give us income and option for group coverage. </p>
<p>ACA, and more specifically the âpre-existing conditionâ clauses have made us much less worried about health coverage. We currently have a HDHP, and would probably make the same choice if DW were not employed.</p>
<p>Sorry for any confusionâH will NEVER qualify for any SS benefitsâdirectly or as a spousal benefit. He never had enough SS quarters and his pension is too high for him to get any spousal benefit.</p>
<p>Iâm glad that H will have medical insurance for us for the remainder of our lives. We pay 25-33% of the premium and his employer pays the rest. He also has Medicare A & B, but some of his co-workers have opted just to have the insurance and NO Medicare. Some have also opted for cheaper insurance and Medicare A & B.</p>
<p>Folks can buy individual policies or Cobra if they need before Medicare kicks in, if their employer doesnât offer medical insurance as a retirement benefit. Sometimes they can also buy insurance through their union or professional group.</p>
<p>@himom-donât understand why H will never qualify for SS benefits. As far as I now, neither the number of quarters nor his pension have anything to do with spousal benefits.</p>
<p>Am I missing something? Is there something that I am not aware of?</p>
<p>He wonât qualify on his own because he doesnât have enough SS quarters. Any spousal benefits he would receive would more than offset by the government pension he is receiving, so he wonât get any spousal benefits. We have never calculated ANY SS benefits in being sure we can be financially secure. IF I get any (I do have enough quarters), it will be âgravy,â 
It will be over a decade before I am old enough to claim SS anyway.</p>
<p>Cobra is only good for 18 months. Individual policies may or may not have been available (or been stupidly expensive) depending on your health. Before ACA these were not realistic options for many people.</p>
<p>Iâve seen estimates that ACA may cause (maybe âallowâ is a better word) a million or more people to quit their jobs.</p>
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I believe Federal workers who get a pension and didnât pay FICA have an offset that reduces what they can get from the spousal benefit. If the pension is high enough it will wipe out any potential benefit.</p>
<p><a href=âhttp://www.ssa.gov/retire2/gpo.htmâ>http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/gpo.htm</a></p>
<p>Ah, the old government pension offset. Got it.</p>
<p>Yes, he does have the windfall elimination provision that will effectively wipe out any minimal spousal benefit heâd receive (my earnings havenât been nearly as high as his because of my discontinuous work history and the part-time jobs Iâve held most of my life).</p>
<p><a href=âhttp://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-retirement/2010/03/10/spousal-benefits-and-windfall-elimination-provision/â>http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-retirement/2010/03/10/spousal-benefits-and-windfall-elimination-provision/</a></p>
<p>Having medical insurance separated from work AND being able to buy affordable medical insurance even with chronic conditions is a GREAT boon for many folks who are otherwise afraid of leaving their jobs and risk losing health insurance. It will allow us to be sure our kids will always have health insurance, whether or not they have jobs. We will provide health insurance for D when she ages off of Hâs policy at age 26, if she doesnât have a job which provides it. It seems an important necessity, especially if you have chronic illnesses that can end up being expensive.</p>
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<p>You can pretty easily go out to the exchanges (at least the one in our state, but we ârolled our ownâ here) and price policies if you are worried about this. Prices may change some, but you can get an idea. I did it last year â priced for me and D2, and bought a policy for D2 (we lost our insurance due to ex-Hâs retirement at the start of last year). I decided to to with the COBRA extension for a year for myself (I can keep it until I am 65, odd quirk in his employerâs situation), so really didnât want to give it up until I can watch ACA prices for a couple of years. Prices were pretty good for a 51 year old, I thought, about $330/month for a plan with a $1,500 deductible, and quite a bit cheaper if I took a higher deductible. We got D2 insured for $130/month (saved $400/month from her COBRA premium!), with coverage very comparable to the COBRA plan. Premiums depend on your market, but you should be able to take a look and see.</p>
<p>Well, D has another year and a few months, so hopefully the hiccups from the ACA rollout will smooth by then and we can find her a good policy at a reasonable price. Sheâs actually fairly healthy, other than her chronic health issues that may resolve before she turns 26 (fingers crossed). Fortunately, at this time, S has good insurance from his employer (employer pays 2/3 to 3/4 & S pays pre-tax). It works well for him and gives us peace of mind.</p>
<p>OkâŠso my Medicare premium will be between $104 and $334 a month. Is that right!</p>
<p>Well, things have been known to change over time, so they could especially rise and itâs likely to continue to have some sliding scale based on ability to pay (in my crystal ball).</p>
<p>That sounds about right, thumper1.</p>
<p>Does that include medicare advantage?</p>
<p>Medicare does not pay for everything so many people buy supplement plans.</p>
<p><a href=âShould you buy a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan? - CBS Newsâ>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/should-you-buy-a-medigap-or-medicare-advantage-plan/</a></p>
<p>I know about my supplemental plan! Right now itâs $140 a month for very good coverage. I was just wondering about the Medicare premiumâŠitself!</p>
<p>Himom, you said some of your husband coworkers do not have Medicare A&B. I thought once you reach 65, you have to take Medicare A&B(I forget which part), but Iâm budgeting around $104 for my husband when he reaches 65.</p>
<p>Health insurance for adult children. How much does it cost for a healthy kid to pay per month in CA, South Cal, LA area to be exact. Whatâs the cheapest. I do subsidize my kids gym membership, I pay half so hopeful she exercises everyday and keep up with her health. She does have a reasonably stressful job, but who doesnât if you own your own business.</p>