Health Insurance for the homesteader and off grid?

The concern I have for myself in the future is what to do about Health Insurance? I am a fairly healthy individual, yet I feel when I get older, I will think Health insurance will be very beneficial to me. I am thinking in my 70's and 80's where health issues may be generally more common than a healthy person in there 30's. Also freak accidents. i.e. I slip and land wrong breaking my wrist or something

I was told about 1 story in Hawaii by a permaculturist. His wife was bit by a centipede. They treated to wound, yet it got infected. They had to go to the hospital. Long story short, after many visits because it did not get any better, the bill was $18,000.00!!! Yikes

It's more like the freak unexpected accidents like this that I am concerned about. What have you guys and gals done about this topic in your lives? Who has lived years without health insurance?

here in Michigan I purchase a product called Blue Value from Blue cross and Blue shield..for myself I pay about $200 a month and it is a major medical..with a $1000 deductible..then 70 % and does cover some prescriptions..but not many

I had a hernia operation that would have cost me about $26,000 and I'm going to have to pay my $1,000 ded plus about $1,000 in copays..for the hospital bill..a lot better than $26,000 and my ins  cost for the year was about $2,400 at $200 per mo

now my deductible is paid for the year and I have just about met my yearly max..so I can go ahead and have all kinds of tragedies happen now up until Dec ..tee hee.

Brenda Groth wrote:
here in Michigan I purchase a product called Blue Value from Blue cross and Blue shield..for myself I pay about $200 a month and it is a major medical..with a $1000 deductible..then 70 % and does cover some prescriptions..but not many

I had a hernia operation that would have cost me about $26,000 and I'm going to have to pay my $1,000 ded plus about $1,000 in copays..for the hospital bill..a lot better than $26,000 and my ins  cost for the year was about $2,400 at $200 per mo

now my deductible is paid for the year and I have just about met my yearly max..so I can go ahead and have all kinds of tragedies happen now up until Dec ..tee hee.

Thanks I will look into that.

Once you reach 65, Medicare will kick in.  The basic Medicare is fairly limited as to what it will cover, but you will be bombarded with "junk mail" from companies that offer "Supplemental Coverage".  You will need to carefully look over the many packages that are offered (in your state).  SocSec will send you a state-specific overview of the plans.  Study it thoroughly, and try to determine which plan best fits your specific situation.

The availability of these plans (and their costs) will depend on where you live.  If you live in Boston, L.A., Seattle, etc, the available plans will cost you more than if you live rurally in a state where medical costs are cheaper.

I am currently looking at properties in "semi-depressed areas".  There is very little employment opportunity in these areas, but medical costs are much lower than in "booming" cities.  Consequently, I will be able to get much more medical coverage, for a fraction of what it would cost me here (Seattle).  In TN, WV I can get twice the (effective) coverage for about half of the price locally.  It is a good option once you reach the age/situation that you no longer depend on employment for survival.

Here in Canada, we have "universal medical" We pay a certain amount every month... normally the company you work for pays some. and the amount varies depending on if you are single or a family. If your yearly income is less than a certain amount then it is free.

However, dental and some other things like drug costs are not covered, You can get extra insurance to cover more things.... but, my mother has found it has been cheaper to just pay for her dental work.

John Polk wrote:
Once you reach 65, Medicare will kick in.  The basic Medicare is fairly limited as to what it will cover, but you will be bombarded with "junk mail" from companies that offer "Supplemental Coverage".  You will need to carefully look over the many packages that are offered (in your state).  SocSec will send you a state-specific overview of the plans.  Study it thoroughly, and try to determine which plan best fits your specific situation.

The availability of these plans (and their costs) will depend on where you live.  If you live in Boston, L.A., Seattle, etc, the available plans will cost you more than if you live rurally in a state where medical costs are cheaper.

I am currently looking at properties in "semi-depressed areas".  There is very little employment opportunity in these areas, but medical costs are much lower than in "booming" cities.  Consequently, I will be able to get much more medical coverage, for a fraction of what it would cost me here (Seattle).  In TN, WV I can get twice the (effective) coverage for about half of the price locally.  It is a good option once you reach the age/situation that you no longer depend on employment for survival.

Wow I did not know any of that. You think in 40 years social security will still be an option? I am joining the USAF in august. I will not know until later if I will make a career out of it. But after 20 years you can retire and receive 50% of your base pay right when you get out and get reduced medical for life. The only thing is I will be 48 when and if I retire from military. I am worried that I will be at an age (48) that it is tough to work as hard as I could at age 35. And most of my later years will be spent developing a farm(which is all the hard work). I just don't know

oracle wrote:
The only thing is I will be 48 when and if I retire from military. I am worried that I will be at an age (48) that it is tough to work as hard as I could at age 35. And most of my later years will be spent developing a farm(which is all the hard work). I just don't know

Being just a few years beyond 48..... Yes there are things that happen over the years. yep, yer knees ache and ye git tired quicker. Supposed to be able to work smarter and not harder, but with farming.... specially polyculture... some of that is getting things set up in the first place... and there is the whole learning thing, yes I am learning to work smarter, but starting later doesn't help. I've got about 5 years of work left till I can "retire" and work harder. The upside, is that I will be able to afford some mistakes (I expect they will still hurt) while learning without starving.

However, I am trying to learn as much as I can now with hands on, so at least some of those mistakes will be behind me.

I hope I did not offend anyone by the whole too old thing. I am 27 right now, just wish I could be on my farm building it up at this age, when I could exhaust myself without a care. I hope to use my vacation time to find/buy land, build a house (maybe from a kit), plant some trees, and get permanent structures in.

Of course their is always machine work for digging and pushing. I think I could retire after the 20 years and not have to work a normal job, but just be sustainable for myself and my farm. Any military retirees out their?

No, the age thing was not offensive but it did bring a smile to my face.  If you are lucky you will find that you work smarter and not harder. 

If you stay in the USAF you will have to maintain a level of fitness to pass a test each year - whether you are 27 or 47.  Everybody bitches about it but it is good for you  - I know .

If you can pull off this plan and retire at 48 with some property waiting for you it will be like starting a brand new life.  I am 51 and am following the same plan but I have just under 4 years to go.  Believe me, even with a multitude of hereditary health problems that I am managing to keep in check through diet and excercise - I am so excited!!! 
No, I can't go all day like I used to but when you are retired you can take naps.  Not just for preschool anymore.  Good luck to you.

Thanks SC. Well I'll see where this takes me. I hope to save as much money as I can while serving

SC I am also excited for you! 

Your plan actually fits into permaculture better than what most people are doing.  We all want quick results, which are difficult to accomplish in a true permaculture sense.  You will have 20 years to work with your land before you expect results out of it.  By the time you retire (and your pension should be "comfortable" the higher you rise), you would have mature black locust trees to use for lifetime fencing and other projects.  Everything will have had time to balance out, and provide you with an abundance of pick and eat foods.  Good luck with your plans and career.  Twenty years from now, you will be laughing at 90% of the world around you.

John Polk wrote:
Your plan actually fits into permaculture better than what most people are doing.  We all want quick results, which are difficult to accomplish in a true permaculture sense.  You will have 20 years to work with your land before you expect results out of it.  By the time you retire (and your pension should be "comfortable" the higher you rise), you would have mature black locust trees to use for lifetime fencing and other projects.  Everything will have had time to balance out, and provide you with an abundance of pick and eat foods.  Good luck with your plans and career.  Twenty years from now, you will be laughing at 90% of the world around you.

I like the way you think. Thank you 

We live very, very carefully. We had health insurance for years that we paid for (self-employed). Then the state changed the laws and all but one health insurance company left the state. We got Blue Cross Blue Shield - the only option. They gradually jacked up the rates so that even with a $60,000 deductable per year we were still paying over $12,000 in premiums a year. That just isn't worth it. We then went uninsured and paid our own bills. Live very, very carefully.

Fact is, the reason health care is so expensive is because of health insurance. Nobody was questioning how much it cost because the employer paid the premiums and the insurance paid the doctor and hospital. It got way out of hand. Now there is a mess.

pubwvj wrote:
We live very, very carefully. We had health insurance for years that we paid for (self-employed). Then the state changed the laws and all but one health insurance company left the state. We got Blue Cross Blue Shield - the only option. They gradually jacked up the rates so that even with a $60,000 deductable per year we were still paying over $12,000 in premiums a year. That just isn't worth it. We then went uninsured and paid our own bills. Live very, very carefully.

Fact is, the reason health care is so expensive is because of health insurance. Nobody was questioning how much it cost because the employer paid the premiums and the insurance paid the doctor and hospital. It got way out of hand. No there is a mess.

Yes, living carefully would seem to be the best way.

"Careful living" somewhat covers the accidents (but we all know that 'shit happens').  It has little to do with overall general health, which can deal any of us a lousy hand at any time.  You will still need some kind of insurance (medicare, military, supplimental, or whatever).  Until the medical industry in this country changes radically, a lifetimes worth of hard work and savings can be wiped out in a few short months of illness.

My family would have been bankrupt if not for medical insurance. 

I think I will throw in a quick word: allopathic medicine isn't the only way to health. Its not absolutely imperative to have health insurance for things outside of emergency care.  I wouldn't work myself like a slave over 40 hours a week for it or center my life around whether or not I have insurance. I'll go rollerblading, swimming, and drive a little too fast sometimes. Worry and stress can cause its own problems. Of course, some people will disagree with me... and I'm young still.

Kellic wrote:
I think I will throw in a quick word: allopathic medicine isn't the only way to health. Its not absolutely imperative to have health insurance for things outside of emergency care.  I wouldn't work myself like a slave over 40 hours a week for it or center my life around whether or not I have insurance. I'll go rollerblading, swimming, and drive a little too fast sometimes. Worry and stress can cause its own problems. Of course, some people will disagree with me... and I'm young still.

Thats a good point. I have not had medical insurance for about 4 years, I have not had any accidents or even had to go to the doctor. But as I get older, stuff does break down. And with military retirement you get medical for life, until you die, which is pretty awesome. I am really thinking about this a lot, but I do not have to make any decisions for another 6 years. Im just gonna save money and look for land for right now.

You also get commissary privileges.  That could be a big plus if you decide to set up overseas (providing you are near a base).

It just dawned on me - if you end up retiring from the military you will have VA medical benefits.  Nobody wants to call it that but it is the epitome of nationalized health care. 

No, you won't get white glove treatment but you get the basic needs met.

Yes, there are lots of horror stories but there are just as many of those in regular civilian medicine.  It is just more fun for the press to talk about the VA.

John Polk wrote:
You also get commissary privileges.  That could be a big plus if you decide to set up overseas (providing you are near a base).

Ya I never thought about that one

For Christians there are these two:

http://samaritanministries.org/

and

https://medi-share.org/ms/lp/Medical-Bill-Sharing_11-1.aspx?leadsource=Internet-Search%20Engine&custentity_urlreferralid=M2-christian_health_insurance

We'll be taking a closer look at these and other possibilities as we contemplate my husband's early retirement.

Oh, this is my first post.  My name is Robin.

Prairiebird...and yes, I live on the prairie.

Thanks prairie, i guess I might have to turn to being a Christian

oracle wrote:
Thanks prairie, i guess I might have to turn to being a Christian

Insurance (health or placement after death) is a rather poor reason for changing belief. 

(speaking from a Christian perspective)

Yeah, I was just throwing out options.  There reasoning is that they believe that people of faith should share the burdens of life out of love for God and each other.  We knew a couple that was on one of these insurances and it was wonderful.  The wife, who was a close friend, developed brain cancer that she fought for over nine years.  The insurance ministry (I guess), paid for nearly everything.  Members actually write to each other for prayer, emotional support.

Also, the rates are low based on statistics that people of faith have less vice that contributes to health problems (smoking, drinking, illicit sex (std's), drug abuse, marriage fidelity (emotional care)).

I'm looking forward to investigating both groups, in addition to other insurances as we consider retirement.

Prairiebird