# Self-employed? Retired early? How much are you paying for health insurance? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662 "2015-12-17T03:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/1 "2015-12-17T03:51:20Z")
I’m trying to put together budgets for different retirement scenarios, some of which would have both me and my wife retiring before either of us is eligible for Medicare (assuming it still exists in a couple of decades). Wondering how much health insurance is likely to cost us in that case. If you are living in the US and you are retired or self-employed and still under 65, how much are you paying per year for health insurance? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/2 "2015-12-17T04:55:26Z")
A shit load. About $850/month. It’s a pretty good policy, but not nearly as good as the one I had pre-Obamacare for the same price but much better coverage. Alas, we self-employed, healthy adults were the sacrificial lambs. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/3 "2015-12-17T06:49:42Z")
I was at $500/mo (disabled\*, pre-existing coverage). Individual policy. With ACA, of course the old policy (single male) did not cover pregnancy, so it could not be renewed (you know the insurance company really, really hated to discontinue the policy). New policy: $750/mo. I went with Medicare. - - since I was disabled, I could have switched to Medicare years earlier. I heard enough of “Sorry, we don’t take Medicare” to shy away from it. ---
**Author:** ![bubba001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/4 "2015-12-17T07:11:48Z")
I have a plan thru a trust set up by my union. My copays have more than doubled, but are still only $3150 @. I lost dental and vision during the GM bankruptcy, but we got that back this year. I guess the stock market coming back enabled them to restore some bennies. My drug copays have increased, so I am spending about $100 per month on that. Without the insurance, it would be something like $800. Overall, I guess I can’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/5 "2015-12-17T08:09:38Z")
dp ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/6 "2015-12-17T08:10:52Z")
About $700 monthly (up from $577) last year. The best insurance I could get before the ACA was was over $800 a month. The ---
**Author:** ![Nayna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ebca7d/32.png) [@Nayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nayna)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/7 "2015-12-17T08:17:38Z")
They don’t have it anymore because his new job covers them, but my husband and minor daughter paid a combined $544/month for a pretty decent (Silver) Highmark policy in PA in 2014/2015. We used the exchange website, but didn’t get subsidies. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/8 "2015-12-17T09:58:41Z")
OP, why don’t you just look at the ACA exchange website for your state? ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/9 "2015-12-17T12:37:43Z")
Last year I was under ACA, and it was $250/month. This year I am not eligible, and it went to $550/month. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/10 "2015-12-17T12:46:50Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’m trying to put together budgets for different retirement scenarios, some of which would have both me and my wife retiring before either of us is eligible for Medicare (assuming it still exists in a couple of decades). Wondering how much health insurance is likely to cost us in that case. > > If you are living in the US and you are retired or self-employed and still under 65, how much are you paying per year for health insurance? This is what you want. ACA made easy: [https://www.healthsherpa.com/](https://www.healthsherpa.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/11 "2015-12-17T14:38:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > A shit load. About $850/month. It’s a pretty good policy, but not nearly as good as the one I had pre-Obamacare for the same price but much better coverage. Alas, we self-employed, healthy adults were the sacrificial lambs. Exactly right. Three years ago I was paying under $500 a month for a good policy (for a family of four). For 2016, a similar policy costs $1,800 a month, or more than three times as much. I’m switching to a shitty policy that pays nothing until I pay out $12,900 out of my own pocket, and I still have to pay $940 a month. So, I’m looking at over $24,000 of my own money before insurance covers anything. I’m gambling that we all will be relatively healthy this year to avoid an extra $900 a month in premiums to get a decent policy. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/12 "2015-12-17T15:45:47Z")
What would keep an early retiree from being eligible for Medicaid, at least in certain states, assuming your income and expenses are sufficiently low? I know for a lot of people being retired requires millions in assets and travel, but I know plenty of folks (sometimes through not much choice ie no longer able to work physically demanding jobs and not having other options) who retire and do OK without much. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/13 "2015-12-17T15:52:22Z")
Medicaid is not for those who “do OK without much”, it is for those who basically have nothing. All savings, checking, CDs or any other investments, and any vehicles over one, cannot add up to more than $2,000 for a single person or $3,000 for a couple. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/14 "2015-12-17T16:08:16Z")
I just purchased a Platinum level ( no deductible) ObamaCare policy for $595.00 a month. I had been getting insurance through work but they lost their insurance and couldn’t get another policy because they are a very small business that employs some incredibly unhealthy and accident-prone people. It cheesed me off because I’m incredibly healthy and haven’t put in a claim for anything other than routine physicals during the past 10 years yet my costs were tied in with the healthcare dollar sucking bozos that I happened to work with. Pre-ObamaCare I couldn’t get an individual policy for less than $900 a month. I was paying the full cost of the policy I got through work at $750 a month. When I got the Obamacare policy my agent quoted me $900 a month for a non-ACA policy. I picked the Obamacare policy. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/15 "2015-12-17T16:11:21Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Exactly right. Three years ago I was paying under $500 a month for a good policy (for a family of four). For 2016, a similar policy costs $1,800 a month, or more than three times as much. I’m switching to a shitty policy that pays nothing until I pay out $12,900 out of my own pocket, and I still have to pay $940 a month. So, I’m looking at over $24,000 of my own money before insurance covers anything. I’m gambling that we all will be relatively healthy this year to avoid an extra $900 a month in premiums to get a decent policy. Pre-Obama care, I was shopping for indivdual policies and was shocked to find that Aetna wanted 62,000 a year to cover a family of four. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/16 "2015-12-18T08:15:34Z")
Retired @ 55 and pay $46.00 per mo. with a $1500 annual deductible so basically if I meet my deductible my monthly premium would be about $171.00 per mo. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/17 "2015-12-18T14:44:22Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > What would keep an early retiree from being eligible for Medicaid, at least in certain states, assuming your income and expenses are sufficiently low? I know for a lot of people being retired requires millions in assets and travel, but I know plenty of folks (sometimes through not much choice ie no longer able to work physically demanding jobs and not having other options) who retire and do OK without much. I’m retired at 58 and have “poverty level” income (bank interest only). I have _money_, but not _income_ (and that’s OK by me). They automatically signed me up for the Arizona program (AHCCCS). I filed a request to opt out, as I don’t want the state to pay my way. Why should they? 😕 The down side is I can’t use ACA because of the income test. :mad: We figure this will cost us about $14k/year. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/18 "2015-12-18T15:11:47Z")
I’m not near retirement, as I just turned 32, but this is my plan: $193 monthly premium $5000 deductible in network, $15000 out of network ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/19 "2015-12-18T17:48:08Z")
A slightly different scenario. I’m putting off retirement until my wife is within 18 months of Medicare, and then doing COBRA until then. (I’m already within 18 months.) Our COBRA is about $1100 a month for the two of us, then $550 a month for just her for very good coverage. I checked Covered California last year and it was a lot more expensive. Now, pre-ACA neither of us could probably even get coverage without COBRA. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662/20 "2015-12-18T18:21:00Z")
I just work for a shitty company that doesn’t offer health insurance. Might as well be self-employed for all it matters. Before ACA I was looking at $1000 to $1200 a month for a single-person plan. At the time, I made only around a thousand dollars too much to be eligible for Medicaid. So, I simply didn’t have health care and hoped for the best. Now it’s around $375 a month for a single person. I’m much happier and I can afford both the monthly payment and if necessary, the full deductible. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-employed-retired-early-how-much-are-you-paying-for-health-insurance/740662.md?page=2)