Asking for a family member: I have someone that is going to be forced off his company's healthcare insurance when he turns 65. His company has been told that the best way to reduce the cost of their medical insurance is to get folks off their insurance and on Medicare as soon as they hit 65. The issue is his wife. She has been a stay-at-home wife for several years and is insured through his family coverage where he works. What is the best way to get health insurance for her? This is especially troubling for him because she has a history of cancer, heart issues, and diabetes. TIA for replies.

Individual policy through the exchange or pm Michael warren mw2015 I believe, his ad is at the top left. I’ll bet he can get you set up

Pm sent

I see a lot of local retired folks get a part time job just for the insurance--especially public school bus drivers. They only work a couple of hours per day, and get state health insurance for their family.

Option 2 is pay through the exchange. The good news is you're only paying for 20% insurance because Medicare pays 80%. So it'll likely be under $1k/month. If you were 65+ and paying for 100% normal private health policy, I'd expect it would be $60,000+ per year in premiums.

Sounds like some sort of age discrimination. Is that legal?

What we have done at work in the past is allow people to transition over to medicare, and then reimburse them up to the cost of single coverage on our health insurance. The benefit is is gets people out of the pool that tend to have more health issues, thus keeping the premiumns lower..

In theory. I believe BCBS is getting lots of $ from big pharma, they dang sure don't seem to care about friviolous covid testing which some of these doc in the box places like to do.

I don't know, but I don't see why an employer would need to provide health insurance for decades AFTER the employee is no longer working there. It would be like paying them an hourly wage after they retire until they die. I understand pension plans (defined benefit plans), and how they are funded like a long-term endowment to provide a monthly retirement payment for the employee who contributed with the employer over decades of working. But providing health insurance forever...the math doesn't make sense. Especially considering the highest risk to the health insurance are the oldest & inherently sickest cohort.

I really don't understand what health insurance and employment should be tied together, but that's a whole different thread.

There are some companies that would agree with that assessment. I’d say go ask them how it worked out: US Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Chrysler, GM-Oldsmobile-Pontiac, and the list goes on. Add VW American real soon.

understand in the case mentioned, they want the guy to continue to work. They just want him off their insurance. The issue is how to best provide health insurance for his wife.

I thought you had no option besides supplemental coverage once you hit 65. I’ve been told you have to go on Medicare so is that not true?

I’m assuming the wife is younger so not able to be on Medicare.

That is messed up! If the guy is planning to continue to work (maybe only a couple more years until he can draw full SS benefits) then they should continue to provide insurance as a benefit.

Is it even possible to be on Medicare if you are not drawing SS? Most people I know that are on Medicare also pay for a supplemental policy as well because Medicare doesn't cover as well as the other insurance plans through an employer.

I sure hope your family member finds some affordable coverage for his wife.....

I think you can keep your insurance for 18 months with the COBRA plan. It will just cost you double or close to double.

You can stay on private health insurance after 65.

All I’m seeing is penalties when you enroll after 65. Tied to if and when you’re enrolled on social security

I’ve got some years yet but keep seeing so many different supplemental insurance etc….

My BIL just turned 65 and is fully employed. He looked at collecting SS until he saw penalties for how much he makes. Lol
He’s keeping insurance because his daughters are still on it.

We didn't have these problems before Obama saved us all that money on insurance

On Medicare......Got enough $$$$$$$$ to Cover anything Else.

I keep waiting for the day I hear everyone involved in medical insurance Big Pharma overcharging hospitals and yes business people out to mess over the very people that made them successful in their field bust through the gates of Hell itself and land at the bottom of the lake of fire for all eternity while listening to Ice Cubes no Vaseline.

We kinda did but ObamaCare was designed to crash the system and it seems to be working.

Knew a board member for a local hospital and he mentioned that unpaid bills amounted to well over 50% of billing. The other payers made up much of the difference as possible. Hospitals couldn’t turn away patients or something like that. This was back in the 90s. That hospital
Is in a big system now so I guess it’s all spread out across their system.

Yes if the plan lets you. Especially if you have a government or union plan you always always again ALWAYS check if you can stay on the plan after 65; make sure it’s comparable coverage meaning it has similar coverage to Medicare and drug coverage; and you check rules for getting back in if you leave. Now if someone tries to get you to leave when you turn 65 make sure that leaving employer coverage is the best option for you before you leave. Sometimes you can’t get back.

But yes if the company lets you keep their plan you can. I have clients who worked to 67 or 68 and kept their employer plan because they could and kept working. When they finally retired after 67 or 68 or later and couldn’t keep employer plan they had a special enrollment period to sign up and got a supplement and part d or a part C plan. Whatever they wanted that best served their needs. Everyone is different.