Health insurance ??!!??
Hello all, MY wife and I are down to about 6 months till she retires. We are working on the details now. But I almost fell to the floor when I heard what it is going to cost in health insurance. Th...
Forum Discussion
wildtoad wrote:
Wow! $550 a month for TWO retired people, Silver BCBS PPO plan, no subsidies! That's great. Here in SC BCBS was the highest of all the plans available. BY comparison, I signed my wife and I up for a Silver plan from Coventry, no subsidies, we're 60, 62 and the monthly premium is $1,163. The comparable BCBS plan as I recall was in the $1,600 range.
So I guess it does matter where you live.
It absolutely does. For years, Maryland has regulated the prices insurance companies and health organizations can charge. It and a couple of other states have been able to control costs this way, resulting in lower premiums.
An additional factor is the amount of competition in the area. There are multiple for-profit and non-profit health organizations in our area and over a dozen hospitals within 30 miles. I priced plans 100 miles away but still within Maryland and the price was $20 more per month.
I found lower prices for health insurance close to large metropolitan areas with good access to health care and really high prices out in rural areas with little or no health care access. Much of South Dakota was expensive - there is less competition for patients, less patients, and less health services. My DH, who really doesn't want to pay state taxes, admitted that it was cheaper to stay here and pay them than change residency to South Dakota and take a chance on a catastrophic health event outside the state.
