[quote=SK in CV][quote=bearishgurl]
I, too am a “local” govm’t “retiree” but will never avail myself of their health benefits as, in my case, they are priced at (expensive) COBRA rates. [/quote]
I don’t want to take this too far off topic, but this is the 2nd time recently that I’ve seen COBRA rates described as expensive. They are, but health insurance is expensive. Premiums are limited to 102% of what the employer was/is paying. So there is no substantial COBRA insurance premium over other medical insurance rates. If the emplyer got a good deal, the separated employee does too. (Provided the plan is age rated. If not, i.e., the employer paid flat rates regardless of the employees age, then younger separated employees would pay more, older separated employees would pay less.)[/quote]
SK, below are the 2012 offerings for SDCERA retirees:
I completely understand if the retiree (ineligible for Medicare) has pre-existing conditions and so has no choice but to continue on with their plan they had while employed. But for the “healthy retiree” such as myself (knock on wood), the individual market offers more freedom for MUCH less money. Also, many retirees are afraid of HDHP’s because they are so used to paying small copays and don’t or can’t budget for a large hospital copay/coinsurance.
My HDHP has excellent preventative-care benefits. Along with my usual annual exams this past Sept, I rec’d a $397 “bone scan” from Sharp Memorial Hospital for free! I was shocked when I recently rec’d a small “reading physician” bill for $9, which was my cost-share for the entire procedure!
IMHO, SDCERA has ridiculous premiums for what you get (even with the $200+ “allowance” thrown in). I am fortunate in that I have choices that many other retirees don’t, due to my continuing good health (which has not been without effort in that regard) :=]
