There really is no answer to the question for there are to many variables. Price varies from state to state and by age.

When my parents retired young, in their 50s before the ACA they did pay over 24,000 per year for their private coverage but their attitude was they retired early and if the insurance was too high they could have continued to work. They used an insurance consultant to shop around. One thing that hurt their cost was my dad had a preexisting condition which people are now protected against I believe.

You should contact an insurance consultant in your new state to help you sort through all your options.

Good luck and congrats on your move and retirement.

I agree with what Roarah wrote. i need to add that COBRA coverage can be more expensive then getting new coverage after you are no longer covered by your husband's employer.

The retiree plan at my company is $1700 per month for me and spouse only. BCBS, $500 deductible, $1500 max out of pocket per person. Fortunately I'm still working but I've been looking into cost for retirement planning. A friend just got laid off and she found that a new individual plan was cheaper than COBRA.

Is your husband retiring on years of service? I'm asking because I could retire on my years of service and pay just a tad more than what we are now paying monthly for our BC/BS and we have excellent coverage through my company. We could stay on that until we are old enough for medicare. Is that possible in your case?

If we bought ACA-compliant coverage on the exchanges, my DH and I (both of whom are very healthy, don't smoke and are both under 40 years old) would be paying a little over $1,000/month for a policy with a deductible over $6,000/person, $12,000/family for just the two of us. Narrow network, 80/20 coverage.

Thank goodness we've been able to keep our much better and cheaper pre-ACA policy until 2016, which I'm hoping will be extended.

We are self-employed, and we pay $750 a month for Blue Cross for a family of four –but we have a family deductible of $8500. After the deductible is met, everything is covered 100%. Annual physicals are covered.

We chose the higher deductible as we rarely use very much medical care – so we would rather have the lower premium.

We are self employed and have a small group plan for our employees, and I went through the search last August for more affordable health plans. We had a "Cadillac plan" 1200$ per month per person, NO deductible and it paid for EVERYTHING... No copays. etc. Script plan, Eye plan. Very well known company. We've had the same plan for 25 years. The only changes are the yearly premium costs...steady increases over the years, but skyrocketed in the past several years.

So thinking we could get plans for a bit less I started shopping. We are 58, and 59 and several others are also, with a couple younger and two in their 20's. I looked at every thing two companies offered, mine and another well known, and the ACA options also. Even health savings accounts.

Including the amount we would have to pay in deductibles--- Which the least was 2500$ per year up to $6000 per year for the Health Savings Account which the employer must fund and still pay for premiums.--- We decided to stay with our Cadillac Plan. It was way cheaper per person comparing apples to apples. The agents told us 2016 was the last year to be able to have that plan due to the ACA. So this year in August I will have to start the search again. Also this year our Cadillac plan started to have small charges tacked on after an office visit.

Because of our oldie ages late 50's early 60s, the least expensive ACA plan was still around $1100 per month, per person, and that was with the 2500$ deductible. For the twenty somethings the same plans were around $500-$600 per month with that deductible.

There are about a million things that would have made health care more affordable in the past few years. The ACA was NOT one of them.

Thank you all so much for the great comments. Wow - I guess our premiums might end up costing much more than I anticipated. I was thinking maybe $1200 a month for a family plan so I'm surprised to hear it could be that much per person or else have such a high deductible! I've always been extremely grateful for our employee health insurance plan but now I really appreciate it even more.

tinam61 - I'm not sure if that's an option but I can check. I think DH might just have a small subsidy available to purchase insurance but not much.

tibbrix - I completely agree. One reason for moving was to downsize as far as house price and reduce some of our monthly expenses. If our current mortgage is replaced by the same costs in health insurance that plan won't work out very well.

I'm not yet old enough to retire so I'll just hope I find employment with as good coverage as we have now. It would have been nice to have a little flexibility to think about pursuing some self-employment ideas but that might have to wait a bit :)

Those prices are INSANE! Why do we just sit here and accept this? I absolutely have no way of affording a thousand dollar a month insurance bill!

I can tell you to the penny: For DH, me, and our college age son it costs $1,498 per month with Coventry insurance. That is with a $6400 individual deductible / $12,800 family deductible. Our previous HUMANA plan was a bit higher. The United Healthcare plan we had before that (year before) was $1700 per month.

We dropped our office insurance and all our FT employees either were put on their spouse's plans or got their own. We paid for the cost in a raise that also paid the higher taxes. What we feared happened, though----our least well off employee got a subsidized rate (disabled husband and dependent) on a BCBS pathways plan (ACA) for which the rate was locked in based on her salary before the raise. I reminded her in writing that the premium would rise the following year based on her current salary and that she needed to bank some of it to pay for next year's costs. Instead, she purchased a brand new car on monthly payments equal to about half of her raise. Next year she will be "car poor"-----able to afford more insurance on paper but stuck with a car payment for a car worth less than the note value, most probably.

I just halved my premium by going onto the ACA. Still, I see the root problem as being out-of-control greed in the corporate world, and until something changes there, I don't see these problems going away but even increasing.

Thanks for the info kswl - so $1500 a month plus what seems like a pretty high family deductible? Between the premiums and the deductible does that mean your family could have to pay out of pocket costs of $24,000 to $30,000 annually before the insurance kicks in to cover any part of the medical bills? (Sorry - I'm not too familiar with how deductibles work since I've always had an HMO with just copays.)

Edited to add - ack, it's early. So I think I understand the insurance could kick in early in the year and start paying if you've already reached your deductible. That probably wouldn't happen with us though unless there was another big hospital bill. I could see us just going through the year paying the monthly premiums and also paying for all our doctor visits too if we have no major illness or injury, so maybe this would be considered a type of catastrophic coverage?

Before DH was old enough to qualify for Medicare and before ACA we paid 1600 a month with a 1500 per person deductible. He was eligible for Medicare two years ago so now I cover myself. 2015 premiums were less than 450 a month but with an 8,000 deductible. This year my rates are over $650 a month with a 6400 deductible. Since ACA, a cream that I paid $20 for increased to $336. It frustrates me to see something as simple as a topical ointment increasing that rapidly.

We were at a dinner party this past Saturday and DF said her dr had prescribed a cream for a rash on her face. When she went to the drugstore to pick up the rx along with others the pharmacist told her that he didn't fill the cream because of the price. She asked how much it was and he said $1700. Her dr had written the prescription but the pharmacist said the dr hadn't approved it. How can that be? I would assume if a pt has an rx written from a physician it meant he approved it. The next time she went in they had the cream for her because the physician had approved it. I really thought she must have misunderstood the price but she assured me that was what the pharmacist told her.

During the last few years that we covered our employees healthcare including their families our rates were going through the roof. We finally had to offer employee only coverage. The employee had to pay to insure his family. We hated doing that because our employees were highly valued but we just couldn't afford to carry the whole load anymore.

I own a benefit insurance company. Healthcare.gov is only good if your income falls below the guidelines so that you will receive a subsidy. Otherwise you are better off calling an insurance broker who has access to a wider range of plans from the insurers and can help you find the best fit. It is very difficult to say how much your insurance would be without knowing your age, what type of insurance you are looking for (deductibles, co insurance, copays) and where you reside.

Thank you, Caroline. That's helpful. I know we won't be eligible for a subsidy (although it seems like our retirement income is going to take a big hit and we'll be in the poor house if we have to pay these high medical costs!).

That's a good idea to contact an insurance broker in our destination state to get an idea of what type of plan will be the best fit. I should do that before we move so we can plan our budget accordingly.

I'm hoping for a quality HMO with low deductibles but maybe that's just because that's what we've always had so it's what I'm comfortable with.

Holly Kay - thanks for the info. Those high prescription costs are crazy! I guess that's another expense I need to consider. I take regular medications but none cost over $30 monthly with our current plan.

The powers that be ("They") must think that all Americans are millionaires. Let me assure them, we are NOT!

We got our insurance through a broker. We have what used to be called "major medical" insurance.

i urge everyone to download an app called Good RX. You can put in your prescription name and dosage and it will search the area, town or city for the lowest price. You will be ASTOUNDED at the difference between pharmacies. One prescription I take daily is almost $100/ month at a chain drugstore but less than $10 at a local grocery store pharmacy. I have no affiliation with the company that publishes the app, but i recommend it to everyone I can.

Thanks kswl, I will definitely check that out and pass that on to friends in need!

Txfarmhouse, you are very welcome! Definitely call a broker. It doesn't cost you anything and they can guide you through all the plans in your state. There are so many options and you have to do a cost benefit to see what is a good fit for your family. I will tell you that by going with an HMO plan you will save a lot of money. If I were choosing I wouldn't hesitate to get an HMO plan, with electronic referrals it really isn't that much of a hassle. I can't tell you how many clients want an non HMO, regional network, no deductible, no co insurance, low copay, low RX plan and then are astounded by the cost. Right or wrong, a platinum level plan is going to be the most expensive and you have to weigh your family's expected use vs. the cost.

Thanks so much, Caroline! Yes, we've been very happy with our Blue Cross HMO. I think part of it is that we have an excellent medical group and several affiliated but independent physicians to choose from. Referrals to specialists have never been a problem. That makes a big difference, as I remember being part of medical groups that weren't so great. We do need ready access to pediatric specialists so that will be a priority.

kswl - thanks for the info and link re pharmacy comparisons!

KSWL, a big yes to Goodrx. The Clobetasol cream that was 336 is where I had always purchased for 20. When I called DD and asked her to check with her DH as to the accuracy of that high of a price told me about Goodrx. My DSIL got it for me at Costco for $36. What a difference!!!

I think it depends on where you live. Each country has different prices

Necrospam

Wow, this post is old! Next month DH and I start medicare and for our (means tested) Part B premium and a supplemental policy our monthly charge is about the same as it was then, $1400 per month for jist the two of us. At least our deductible is now zero instead of the $13,000 it was this year!

@User - so ironic you post this now. I just finalized all of DHs A, B, D and supplement today - amazingly complicated. I finally just decided on the prepay philosophy - pay the predictable higher premiums every month and not have to think about the cost of deductibles and copays every time we need care. For 2021 it looks like his premium may be a bit less than our individual plan ($1600/mo for both of us) but I will have to appeal based on the fact I retired in 2019 so that income is no longer in play. I thought our $1400 deductible per person was bad - nothing compare to $13K! I was used to $500 deductible and a much lower out of pocket with my employer plan but I knew it would be just a short time on an individual plan after COBRA. I'm not eligible for the government plan until May 2022 - at least I'll have it figured out when I sign on for myself.

We have been on Cobra for a year and a half, and our deductible is ridiculous.

I do not see how some people who are uninformed or impaired manage to make the decisions thst are best for them. It’s unnecessarily complicated and easy to miss deadlines.

I don't see how such a wealthy country can't find a humane way to provide healthcare. It is shameful.

I've been paying roughly $1000-$1200/month for myself since my husband's retirement over ten years ago. That does not include kids. We covered them on student health plans, which turned out to be cheaper in sum. I can give you a couple of tips:

• Don't bother with the Federal Health Exchange site unless you will qualify for a supplement of some kind. It's not a terrible site, but you'll have to do everything yourself. You are better off contacting a local insurance broker (I found mine on NextDoor). It may end being a very simple decision because in many markets there is only one company that sells to non-group members. So I can buy a gold, silver or bronze plan, but only from Community Health Choice (Houston suburb).
• My plan offers a 10% discount for completing an annual survey. I'd had the same plan the year before but never knew about that discount until the agent told me -so ask about that.
• Try not to panic when you read the crazy deductibles. I think mine is $5000 (whereas ten years ago, it was probably $500), but so much preventative care is now covered pre-deductible, thanks to Obama care, that I think I'm spending less out-of-pocket than I did before. But I'm a pretty healthy person who doesn't use a lot of medical services except preventative, so your mileage may vary...
• When I first began to buy my own insurance plans (after DH's retirement), I made the mistake of picking the plan first, rather than the doctor. The last few years (when I had a choice of at least 2 companies to choose from), I compiled a list of at least a dozen primary physicians I could abide, and then called their offices to see if they were accepting new patients, when I would be able to get an appointment, and whether they had any plans to cancel coverage with insurance company X the next year, etc. I had learned the hard way (in January), that I may have had a great plan, but I couldn't find a dr. on that plan who would see me as a new patient before August. I kid you not.....So that year, I was paying $1200/month and actually didn't have a dr. I could see until August.....

Something managed by a large, inefficient bureaucracy is anything but ”humane”. As I was wrapping up this whole Medicare process I was thinking about ”medicare for all“ and what a disaster that would be - the current fiasco many times multiplied.

There’s no easy answer but I will be the first to say I’ve had excellent care throughout my life (and not because I was well to do) and I wouldnt be alive today were that not the case. It comes at a cost no matter where you live or how its delivered. Everyone wants the best possible care at the lowest possible price - not gonna happen. Something has to give.

I have no idea what the solution is, and was not proposing any, 2Katz.

I stand by what I said .... I don't see how such a wealthy country can't find a humane way to provide healthcare. It is shameful.

I simply think that it should be a human right to have medical care. No one facing a medical crisis should have financial stress piled on top of it.

My DH has been on Medicare for ten years. It’s an excellent system and we have zero complaints. Is there a plaus reason this country isn‘t capable of offering its citizens the same medical coverage the rest of the civilized world does does?

I don't disagree that healthcare is good with Medicare - everyone I know who is on it is quite satisfied. I just think that the current process of enrolling is complex and might be difficult for a good number of people. I have a few friends in countries with a national health plan and have worked in the healthcare industry with healthcare facilities and providers in these and other countries. My understanding is that there are some drawbacks that might not be readily apparent to us and possibly not acceptable to some of us as well. It's obviously a difficult situation to remedy or we would have done it by now.

Yes, I remember being a bit flummoxed at the enrollment procedures for Medicare (the fact that organizations fun seminars to guide people tells you more than you need to know). My husband is English, and his entire family still lives in England. They are quite thrilled with their national health program, which isn't to say it is 100% perfect, but it is terrific. I've been particularly impressed by the nearly automatic home visitation programs and equipment that has been installed in homes after hospital stays to help with the ongoing health needs. Having been through at least two lengthy hospital stays with loved ones recently, and figuring out the ongoing recuperative efforts at home, which is exhausting, has left me a bit jealous.

"Paul Visconti" is a spammer. Please flag.

Spammer. dont click on that link! Flagged.