For all you full timers. We will start this adventure in a couple more years. What do you all do about your medical appointments? I'm sure it would be a hassle finding a new doctor or dentist all the time, and I'm sure paying the new patient fees all the time is also a pain. Do you keep your original practices and try and schedule everything around the same time and just return to them?

That's what we did this year. We were on the road for 13 months, then knew we'd return to Dallas in October, so made appointments a few months in advance for the weeks we'd be there, had physicals, etc. Dental is the biggest pain, especially if you have insurance,. First deciding where you'll be in advance, finding a dentist taking new patients, etc is a problem. We happen to be wintering in Florida again this year, so we'll be able to use the same dentist there for cleaning right before we leave, so we're already "patients".Make sure to take into account network availability for your health insurance, especially if you'll be in the Obomacare marketplace. It's tightening in '16 and there are fewer options, at least in Texas. Well be going outside and getting our own insurance for '16 (we're under 65).

For years we made a stop in our old home town on part of our swing (since it was very close to where our kids live) and had physicals, etc for us and the cats. Last year we decided to move our health care to physicians in the Mesa, AZ area where we spend every winter - we know we will be here, so it makes sense. Plus, as you will find, as you get older the 'check ups' take more than just a day or two to have things checked/repaired. We had already found a dentist in Mesa several years ago and just get annual cleanings. We dropped our dental insurance when we went fulltiming and just self-fund. So far we are way ahead on what dental paid versus paying ourselves (we get a 10% discount for paying with cash and another 5% for no insurance to file). One crown for each of us in 10 years, otherwise just cleanings & checkup.Barb

I can't recall ever paying a new patient fee.. unless I just didn't know it.

We have been fulltime for 9 1/2 years and doctors/dentists and hair stylists have been our biggest issue. We have been fortunate to find providers who offered cash discounts. We were not Medicare age so we purchased high deductible policies that usually don't cover any preventive care. We have gone back to our family Dr in Reno, we found a clinic in MT and a lab in MT that were reasonable. We've also paid attention to things like breast cancer month (October), a lot of providers offer $65 mammograms. February is heart health month and we saw an ad for a cardiology practice that was offering a lipid panel, mini cat scan and office visit with a cardiologist for $99 a person. This year one of us went on Medicare and the other is still using the high deductible policy. There are discount dental plans that I've found online, pay $70 and get 1/2 price on every dental service. You have to be responsible and keep up with your medical care. When visiting a new practitioner we provide that last 2 years of lab work and mammogram reports

We return to our hometown every year and schedule our checkups and dentist visits for that time however Tony had two minor surgeries recently and we scheduled both of them in the areas where we would be spending the winter, one in time Florida and once in Nevada. Everything went very smoothly.We haven't had to visit a doctor while traveling in years but in the past urgent care clinics worked well. We didn't have to pay all of the new patient fees or go through all of the routine tests that a doctor usually wants for a new patient.

Appointments | Good Sam Community

arhayes
Explorer
Nov 24, 2015
That's what we did this year. We were on the road for 13 months, then knew we'd return to Dallas in October, so made appointments a few months in advance for the weeks we'd be there, had physicals, etc.

Dental is the biggest pain, especially if you have insurance,. First deciding where you'll be in advance, finding a dentist taking new patients, etc is a problem. We happen to be wintering in Florida again this year, so we'll be able to use the same dentist there for cleaning right before we leave, so we're already "patients".

Make sure to take into account network availability for your health insurance, especially if you'll be in the Obomacare marketplace. It's tightening in '16 and there are fewer options, at least in Texas. Well be going outside and getting our own insurance for '16 (we're under 65).

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