To answer the healthcare question... I had healthcare from the employer I retired from when I pulled the plug at age 50. It was paid for in full by my employer and my only expense was a $40 co-pay when I went to the doctor, no monthly premiums paid by me. While driving school bus I switched to that employer's insurance as it had better coverage and my contribution had increased to about $200 monthly from my previous plan. After my unfortunate incident, I had to return to my previous employer's insurance plan.
Fast forward to today and a vastly inferior plan to what I had when I decided to retire now costs me just under $900 a month for both my wife and me. It also carries an annual maximum out of pocket of $6,000 which we will probably hit next month. When I retired (2003) my annual elections from my employer included 3 or 4 different plans by different providers for varying costs depending upon coverage desired. Last year I had the choice of 1 plan from 1 provider and 3 different ways to pay for it. It is hard to make life decisions when the rules keep changing.
