Our Experience Fulltiming and Health Insurance

[Steven@147]

I wanted to relate something that Tami and I just went through as fulltimers. Our Annual Doctor exams and Eye Glasses. Something for Fulltimers to really think about and plan for.

I have been seeing and reading a lot about fulltimers giving it up and going back to Sticks and Bricks. Several YouTubers have uploaded videos about their bad experience fulltiming and quitting for one reason or another. Health Insurance and Doctors is one of the reasons people say why they quit. Health Insurance is a big piece of the fulltime puzzle and its important to get it right, or as near to right as you can. Now I'll be the first one to tell you fulltiming is not for everybody, there are a lot of challenges living fulltime in an RV.

It's not my intention to get into discussions about Health Care Companies or get into the gory details about different plans and how much they pay, but as fulltimers Tami and I need plans/policies that best fit and cover our lifestyle. That's the story I want to relate.

We are Escapee's members, our fulltime address is Rainbow Drive Livingston Texas yet we hardly ever go to Livingston. Now Livingston is near enough to Houston that we have plenty of good Health Care policy choices which are all based on our Livingston 77399 ZIP code. I am on Medicare and have an AARP Medicare Advantage HMO/POS policy, Tami will go on Medicare come October this year but for now has Health Insurance through the exchange at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. Now even though our health policies are out of Livingston 77399, we are still covered in plan going to the Doctors we have had for 20 years in Austin. Neither one of us pay a premium for our policies. As fulltimers we are still covered even if we are out somewhere in the US away from Texas.

Our Experience - This year as every year we pass through Southern Texas for the winter. This is the time for us to do our annual rig maintenance and get our human bodies checked out. Come March/April we always stay at least a month near Austin for our annual physicals, dental and eye care. This year we both needed new eye glasses. In Austin my Optometrist eye exam cost me $20, Tami's was $119 because her specific policy doesn't cover all eye exams. They gave us printed prescription information which we took to Costco and bought our new glasses. Picked out the frames we wanted and within 10 days had our new glasses. My glasses cost $119.99. Tami's cost her $365.96 for two pairs (regular pair and prescription dark sun glasses). We both liked our new glasses and they fit perfect. What we saved in eye glasses by using Costco almost pays for the annual Costco membership. Doing it some other way our glasses could have cost way over $1000.

Thursday we go to our Primary Doctor for our annual checkups, Doctors we have had for 20 years. My cost will all be covered by Medicare even the vampire's blood work they always do. The Doc may want me to get chest xrays, it's like every other year or so. My Doctor calls it checking my oil!! Our Doctors know we fulltime. Tami's may cost her @ $75, more to do with her Asthma.

The point I am trying to get across is that we do a pretty good job of keeping the costs down, maintaining our health, planning and selecting things that help us continue to enjoy fulltime living. There is a little more cost this year in rig repair and maintenance with the suspension work and spare parts I bought. Last fall we bought new tires for the rig. And sometimes we splurge on dining out and the places we stay, but mostly we try to keep things real. We are loving fulltime living so far and come May we are off again on our adventures.

Just our experience fulltime living

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

I wanted to relate something that Tami and I just went through as fulltimers. Our Annual Doctor exams and Eye Glasses. Something for Fulltimers to really think about and plan for.

I have been seeing and reading a lot about fulltimers giving it up and going back to Sticks and Bricks. Several YouTubers have uploaded videos about their bad experience fulltiming and quitting for one reason or another. Health Insurance and Doctors is one of the reasons people say why they quit. Health Insurance is a big piece of the fulltime puzzle and its important to get it right, or as near to right as you can. Now I'll be the first one to tell you fulltiming is not for everybody, there are a lot of challenges living fulltime in an RV.

It's not my intention to get into discussions about Health Care Companies or get into the gory details about different plans and how much they pay, but as fulltimers Tami and I need plans/policies that best fit and cover our lifestyle. That's the story I want to relate.

We are Escapee's members, our fulltime address is Rainbow Drive Livingston Texas yet we hardly ever go to Livingston. Now Livingston is near enough to Houston that we have plenty of good Health Care policy choices which are all based on our Livingston 77399 ZIP code. I am on Medicare and have an AARP Medicare Advantage HMO/POS policy, Tami will go on Medicare come October this year but for now has Health Insurance through the exchange at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. Now even though our health policies are out of Livingston 77399, we are still covered in plan going to the Doctors we have had for 20 years in Austin. Neither one of us pay a premium for our policies. As fulltimers we are still covered even if we are out somewhere in the US away from Texas.

Our Experience - This year as every year we pass through Southern Texas for the winter. This is the time for us to do our annual rig maintenance and get our human bodies checked out. Come March/April we always stay at least a month near Austin for our annual physicals, dental and eye care. This year we both needed new eye glasses. In Austin my Optometrist eye exam cost me $20, Tami's was $119 because her specific policy doesn't cover all eye exams. They gave us printed prescription information which we took to Costco and bought our new glasses. Picked out the frames we wanted and within 10 days had our new glasses. My glasses cost $119.99. Tami's cost her $365.96 for two pairs (regular pair and prescription dark sun glasses). We both liked our new glasses and they fit perfect. What we saved in eye glasses by using Costco almost pays for the annual Costco membership. Doing it some other way our glasses could have cost way over $1000.

Thursday we go to our Primary Doctor for our annual checkups, Doctors we have had for 20 years. My cost will all be covered by Medicare even the vampire's blood work they always do. The Doc may want me to get chest xrays, it's like every other year or so. My Doctor calls it checking my oil!! Our Doctors know we fulltime. Tami's may cost her @ $75, more to do with her Asthma.

The point I am trying to get across is that we do a pretty good job of keeping the costs down, maintaining our health, planning and selecting things that help us continue to enjoy fulltime living. There is a little more cost this year in rig repair and maintenance with the suspension work and spare parts I bought. Last fall we bought new tires for the rig. And sometimes we splurge on dining out and the places we stay, but mostly we try to keep things real. We are loving fulltime living so far and come May we are off again on our adventures.

Just our experience fulltime living

That's one of the things we are running into. We are now establishing with providers in the Kerrville/San Antonio area so we can come back in the winter. It's a little harder with my self induced (type 2) diabetes as my employer's health plan just dropped the med that has been working great for over 5 years now. (BTW my employer is a health care company... Frustrating.)

We made the decision since we don't want to move back to New Mexico. She wants to live in the Hill Country and I like the Kerrville area, so we figure to visit the area a number of times over a couple of years to see if it's really the area we want to buy in. But, I digress.

So, we are establishing with providers in the area, looking to the long term, eventually.

 

[Steven@147]

That's one of the things we are running into. We are now establishing with providers in the Kerrville/San Antonio area so we can come back in the winter. It's a little harder with my self induced (type 2) diabetes as my employer's health plan just dropped the med that has been working great for over 5 years now. (BTW my employer is a health care company... Frustrating.)

We made the decision since we don't want to move back to New Mexico. She wants to live in the Hill Country and I like the Kerrville area, so we figure to visit the area a number of times over a couple of years to see if it's really the area we want to buy in. But, I digress.

So, we are establishing with providers in the area, looking to the long term, eventually.

We understand, the Texas Hill Country is some of the best country part of Texas. We have stayed at the Old RiverRoad RV Resort in Kerrville. There have been some Escapees Texas Rally's and GDRV Texas Rally's there. We have also visited Fredericksburg, Llano and Johnson City which is near LBJ Ranch. And you are near enough to SA base camp to get some good choices. And Austin is not that far from SA or the Hill Country, just a good daytrip.

I hope you will benefit from the reduction in Insulin cost. What is now down to $35? I know my F-I-L has less cost now. He has one of those diabetes monitors on his arm.
We have refilled our medicine prescriptions all over the country at Walgreens, cost us nearly nothing for 90 day supplies. I hope when you travel you can do the same with your medications.

 

[Steven@147]

Another reason for RVers to quit fulltiming is over crowded campgrounds and not being able to get into state, local or national parks and they don't like making reservations in advance. Yes they are crowded and usually full during the peek camping season.

But there are alternatives, as an example a private park that cost us $475 a month full hook up plus electric and cable TV. It's in LaGrange Texas and near enough that we can roadtrip to San Antonio or Austin in about 1 hour driving time. We made a YouTube video of this private park, https://youtu.be/po2yDcnO-MM
So there are alternatives besides state, local and national parks that are reasonable, sometimes you have to look for them. We don't mind making reservations, it's not that difficult and we consider it part of fulltiming. As we here on the forum have discussed, RV Trip Wizard is a good planning tool also.

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

We understand, the Texas Hill Country is some of the best country part of Texas. We have stayed at the Old RiverRoad RV Resort in Kerrville. There have been some Escapees Texas Rally's and GDRV Texas Rally's there. We have also visited Fredericksburg, Llano and Johnson City which is near LBJ Ranch. And you are near enough to SA base camp to get some good choices. And Austin is not that far from SA or the Hill Country, just a good daytrip.

I hope you will benefit from the reduction in Insulin cost. What is now down to $35? I know my F-I-L has less cost now. He has one of those diabetes monitors on his arm.
We have refilled our medicine prescriptions all over the country at Walgreens, cost us nearly nothing for 90 day supplies. I hope when you travel you can do the same with your medications.

It's one of three diabetic meds I take. I now get to play the meds game, again. Oh well. As for getting scripts, we use Walgreens as well, no problem there.

 

[Riverbug]

That's a nice write up, and encouraging. Although we do not intend to full time, we'll be spending more time on the road than at home over the next few years. We retired early a few years ago (53 and 54) so we're paying hefty premiums until 65. We saved for it but it's really something to think about how our monthly health insurance premium is higher than any mortgage we've had over the years. I find it very sad that health coverage is a struggle for so many people but nice to see it is working out for you.

 

[geotex1]

[MENTION=3224]Steven[/MENTION]147, great post! Based upon new-to-it FTers we have met over the past couple seasons, overlooking healthcare has been a common theme. Personally, Nikki and I spend more and more time out now, and the mileage on us also grows. For instance, arthritis is my knee, ankles, and back have slowed me dramatically over the past 1.5 years (after recovering from COVID-19, my arthritis has been unrelenting). So, I see doctors more than ever seeking an effective management routine and not just a matter of yearlies or bi-yearlies. I definitely understand and appreciate why so many FTers we have known 10, 20, and even 30 years have homebases. Some have sticks and bricks; others investment properties they'll "campout at;" some have just a nice piece of property with a pad, shed, water, and sewerage; and, others stay with kids/family/friends. Regardless of how one does it, deserves some real thought and planning! Further back to your main point, healthcare is expensive and understanding what you have/what you can get for coverage and benefits is crucial!

 

[Steven@147]

Absolutely [MENTION=26275]geotex1[/MENTION]. It can make it or break it FTing.
For most people its not enough really, to have health insurance that will cover you anywhere. Its that a lot of people need or want a Doctor PCP that knows you. A Doctor that can accumulate your health stats over a period of time, that can help diagnose any problems that may come up in the future.

We consider our homebase as Livingston even though we don't live there or have property but its the basis that determines our healthcare. And even though our Doctors are in Austin. Also if you need to visit a specialist for specific problems, then you may need a referral from your primary care physician PCP. Tami with her asthma has a specialist in Austin but she had to get a referral from our PCP. That's why we stay over in the Austin area at least a month or two every year.

Health Care is crucial to fulltiming and can be frustrating, confusing and costly. Weeding through all the offerings to select the right policy that fits a persons needs is time consuming. It's a little easier being on Medicare but for those people not eligible it can be real costly.

 

[kb0zke]

A few years ago we got a lot at The Ranch, the Escapees co-op between Carlsbad and Artesia, NM. We've been on Medicare for several years now, and checked into the Advantage Plans. They weren't for us. We chose plans that cover basically everything except the deductible. Vision is covered by continuing the plan we had when I was still teaching. Jo Ann had emergency surgery while in Wisconsin. Since she had already reached the deductible there was no cost to us. I have had cataract surgeries on both eyes and a detatched retina on one eye. Again, except for the deductible, no cost to me.

As for seeing the same doctor year after year, that didn't work out all that well for me. The previous one retired. Seems he liked what I was doing, so he decided to do the same thing.

My point is that all of us are different, and what works for you may not work for me, and what works for me may not work for you. We need to look at all of the options available to us and choose wisely.

 

[jcochran57]

Health Care Insurance

Thank you for your post. We will start our full timing career at the end of May 2023. I will be on Medicare and my wife will need health care insurance. We are also with Escapees and our fulltime address is Rainbow Drive Livingston Texas. I would like to know how you both have insurance but pay no premium?

Thank you for your time

 

[Steven@147]

Thank you for your post. We will start our full timing career at the end of May 2023. I will be on Medicare and my wife will need health care insurance. We are also with Escapees and our fulltime address is Rainbow Drive Livingston Texas. I would like to know how you both have insurance but pay no premium?

Thank you for your time

Just go out to the healthcare.gov web site and look at all the healthcare plans available for zip code 77399. You will find several plans that have no monthly premiums but plan coverage varies.
So every year we go out to the healthcare.gov website to look at all the healthcare plans available for the new year for zip code 77399 to see what has changed. Medicare or private insurance plans.