FIRE healthcare cost - seeking your help

[Shay]

Hi everyone, I’m seeking your help with healthcare coverage post FIRE. I read a few posts here and cannot comprehend that I need to expense 20k-30k a year in healthcare, even without health disasters. It’s just not very FIRE like and very much put a risk on my retirement plan.
A little bit about me:
•   I plan to go FIRE within the next 12 months.
•   Currently both my wife and I are employed. All of us, including our infant girl, are on my healthcare plan from work (corporate job). To continue after I quit would cost me ~20k-25k
•   I’m looking for healthcare coverage for 2 adults plus two kids.
•   Assume our passive income post fire would be just above the threshold to receive Medicaid support (so no gov' funding)

I would welcome any advice or directions and really thankful for your help. I’m also interested in any thoughts about 1) at what amount of annual income, does it worth to set up a company for healthcare coverage purposes (e.g. the tax benefit is such that it makes sense to set up a company at $XX thousands a year) AND 2) what if we live only part of the year in the US e.g. 3-9 months. What options do I have in such case.

Thanks,
Shay

[pecunia]

I'd go to the health insurance marketplace and see about getting a monthly cost on health insurance.  It might be $700 on up per month.  Unless you live outside the US then it may be much much less.  (I may be low on my monthly estimate.)  Figure at least 12 k a year for insurance.  It may be your highest yearly cost.

[Trifle]

Hi everyone, I’m seeking your help with healthcare coverage post FIRE.
<snip>
•   Assume our passive income post fire would be just above the threshold to receive Medicaid support (so no gov' funding)

Hi Shay.  Confused about the above bolded statement.  Are you saying your income will be higher than the Medicaid threshold and you are in a state that didn't expand Medicaid?  Or are you saying your income will be higher than the subsidy cliff?  How much annual income are you predicting in FIRE? 

Just trying to understand because at income levels higher than those that make you eligible for Medicaid, many people are eligible for subsidies . . .  The subsidy cliff -- where they stop -- for a family of four is currently around $98k.

[Shay]

Hi Trifele. I estimate 90k-100k at FIRE. Since it's an estimate and a rolling figure I don't want to assume we would receive subsidies for planning purposes. I trust you understand. Hence, I'm looking in the dark for options to avoid a very high healthcare expense.

[Trifle]

In that case I'd say you have a potential opportunity to get ACA subsidies premium tax credits if you can keep your income lower than the cliff.  Take a look around on the Tax section of this forum -- there have been some discussions about this recently, and there are smart folks always ready to answer questions.

+1 to playing around with the ACA subsidy calculators to see what income results in which subsidy premium tax credit level.  You might be pleasantly surprised.  Then you can use various strategies to adjust your family income to hit that mark. 

I'd recommend that you run the numbers soon, because it might be in your interest to FIRE sooner rather than later (keep 2020 annual income low enough to get subsidies premium tax credits).

ETA -- said 'subsidies' when I meant tax credits.  Duh.

[Shay]

Many thanks, will definitely look into it. If not subsidy, what other options do you envision?

[reeshau]

Hi Trifele. I estimate 90k-100k at FIRE. Since it's an estimate and a rolling figure I don't want to assume we would receive subsidies for planning purposes. I trust you understand. Hence, I'm looking in the dark for options to avoid a very high healthcare expense.

Remember also that ACA is based on your income, not your spending.  So, any savings you have, or taxable investments you are cashing in, will have a cost basis from when you bought them.  Your income is just your gains on these accounts.  If you are working from cash savings, your income can be near zero.

[Bernard]

Whether you get any subsidies through the ACA depends on your income in a particular state. We in California have Covered California, which takes MAGI as a base (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) and if you make $90K, no matter how, you won't be getting any government subsidies.

[Fishindude]

I live in Indiana.   I think the magic number to get any reductions / subsidies was income under $67,000
We can't live on that and will make substantially more than that every year so no subsidies.   Myself and spouse 60 & 57 are paying approx. $1400 per month = $16,800 annually for ACA health insurance with no dental or vision coverage and a pretty hefty deductible.

There really aren't a lot of games you can play to get around it, you just need to suck it up and pay, or keep working.

If you have kids, you are probably still pretty young, so you need to keep your savings and investments working hard and kicking out income and / or growing as you have a very long retirement time-frame.   
I don't think spending down savings to keep your income level low is a very solid strategy.   Perhaps one of you should consider continuing to work enough to keep health insurance.

[Trifle]

Whether you get any subsidies through the ACA depends on your income in a particular state. We in California have Covered California, which takes MAGI as a base (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) and if you make $90K, no matter how, you won't be getting any government subsidies.

Thanks for that correction Bernard.  I was using the term 'subsidies' when what I really meant was premium tax credits.  You're correct, there aren't any subsidies at that level, but there are still large premium tax credits.  I'll correct my answer above.   

[Trifle]

Many thanks, will definitely look into it. If not subsidy, what other options do you envision?

Hi Shay
See the correction above -- I should have said 'premium tax credits', not subsidies.  Two different portions of the ACA.  But same advice -- play with the calculator and see where your potential tax credits get you.  If they don't get you where you need to be -- or if you fall off the cliff -- I don't know of any magic answers for affordable insurance.  No personal experience, but I've heard some people talking about using healthcare ministries, so maybe that's worth looking at?  I've also heard that some folks go with a very high deductible/catastrophic plan + joining a Direct Primary Care practice (DPC) to cover every-day care.  YMMV -- it may or may not work, depending on your family's health and how you use insurance. 

[Buffaloski Boris]

Is geoarbitrage an option? Travelers insurance if you live abroad can be much cheaper than having medical insurance in the US.

In my view, sickcare in the US will not be seriously addressed anytime in the foreseeable future. WYSIWYG.

[pecunia]

Some people just roll the dice and bank the money.  Ever see these jars in various places with a kids face on it?  Then below is a description that the poor kid got hit with some sort of disease.  They are asking for money in the jar to help the poor kid.  Even with insurance, you may still need one of those jars for your kids.

If your kids don't get sick, that money could pay for their college.

[Trifle]

OP -- check out this recent thread in the 'Tax' section of the forum.  A lot of good info about the balance between ACA coverage and income in the discussion and the links:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/taxes/thread-the-needle-between-aca-and-roth-conversion/?topicseen

[Shay]

Thank you very much for everyone who shared their wisdom.
Trifele:
1. I'll take a look at the tax section. My passive income is generated by a div portfolio and RE investments (direct and in-direct), not sure how much i can adjust it to avoid going over the threshold for tax incentives/credits.
2. While I understand the concept of ministries, it's a better fit for other people
3. I am not familiar with DPC and will look into it
Pecunia: eventually everyone rolls the dice. I just want to be realistically prepared for an ongoing expense. If i need to account for ~20k, that's a material expense in my annual budget.
Buffalo: yes, but not for a full year across all the upcoming years of my life. My wife and I are considering different models, which i assume will change with time and interest. Right now the thought is spending our time in the US anywhere between ~3-9 months of a given year. I assume i would need a US health plan when it's the majority of the year and an international one, when it's not. I'd welcome any additional thought.
Fishin: I agree <67k isn't manageable, esp for a family and esp long term. If i add two kids to the 17k you have for you and your spouse, that's a high annual expense. I understand that may be the reality, I cannot accept the notion: take it as it is or keep working your butt off. after all, this is a fire movement, not one that we say: keep working merely for healthcare plan. That's slavery in a different fasion. That's why I am interested in the path of others, as i am inspired by all those who walked the path ahead of me. I hope you understand
Reeshau: not sure if i follow your note. I'm talking about my projected income, which is driven not from trading i.e. capital gains, which can be played with for tax optimization, but from div and RE income (direct rent and through investments in multi partners LLCs). I deploy my capital to increase such passive income, which would allow me to FIRE. Any thoughts?

Has anyone established a company just to optimize their healthcare cost?
Anyone care to share their post fire plan and associated cost, esp if you have kids you still support?
 

[OtherJen]

Many thanks, will definitely look into it. If not subsidy, what other options do you envision?

Hi Shay
See the correction above -- I should have said 'premium tax credits', not subsidies.  Two different portions of the ACA.  But same advice -- play with the calculator and see where your potential tax credits get you.  If they don't get you where you need to be -- or if you fall off the cliff -- I don't know of any magic answers for affordable insurance.  No personal experience, but I've heard some people talking about using healthcare ministries, so maybe that's worth looking at?  I've also heard that some folks go with a very high deductible/catastrophic plan + joining a Direct Primary Care practice (DPC) to cover every-day care.  YMMV -- it may or may not work, depending on your family's health and how you use insurance.

Health sharing ministries are coming under scrutiny for refusal to cover medical expenses (as explicitly stated in their policies). These are not a good option for anything other than routine care. https://www.news-journal.com/news/nation/texas-regulators-take-look-at-christian-health-cost-sharing-ministries/article_ef30ce98-2f35-11ea-b4ba-1fcb85926c9f.html

[Greystache]

Look into ways to minimize your MAGI. You don't say what your income sources are going to be when you retire.  If part of your income is cash or Roth IRA, it will not count towards your MAGI. Also there are things you can do to reduce your MAGI like contribute to a HSA. Depending on your age, you can contribute and thus reduce MAGI by up to $8000. In order to do this, you need to be on a bronze high deductible plan so it only makes sense if are relatively healthy.

[tipster350]

Bottom line: If you can't afford the (outrageous) cost if insurance and healthcare, you are not ready for FIRE. There are no shortcuts or alternatives that do not put your life savings at risk. You need an ACA or equivalent plan. I'm in the industry. Don't count on your ability to fully understand or be able to mitigate the fine print on low cost alternatives.

[Fishindude]

Bottom line: If you can't afford the (outrageous) cost if insurance and healthcare, you are not ready for FIRE. There are no shortcuts or alternatives that do not put your life savings at risk. You need an ACA or equivalent plan. I'm in the industry. Don't count on your ability to fully understand or be able to mitigate the fine print on low cost alternatives.

Good advice.

There are some religious based cooperative type outfits that offer cheaper plans than ACA, but I've heard a few cases where coverage got denied and people ended up on the hook for large expenses.
Also, unless you truly buy in to the religious philosophies of the particular cooperative, you will have to lie to sign up for the coverage, which probably gives them "an out" in the event they don't want to pay for something.

[OtherJen]

Bottom line: If you can't afford the (outrageous) cost if insurance and healthcare, you are not ready for FIRE. There are no shortcuts or alternatives that do not put your life savings at risk. You need an ACA or equivalent plan. I'm in the industry. Don't count on your ability to fully understand or be able to mitigate the fine print on low cost alternatives.

Good advice.

There are some religious based cooperative type outfits that offer cheaper plans than ACA, but I've heard a few cases where coverage got denied and people ended up on the hook for large expenses.
Also, unless you truly buy in to the religious philosophies of the particular cooperative, you will have to lie to sign up for the coverage, which probably gives them "an out" in the event they don't want to pay for something.

Yep, those are the health-sharing ministries mentioned above. Not reliable for anything beyond routine care. They're not insurance or ACA-compliant, so they don't actually have to pay for anything.

[RedwoodDreams]

Eligibility for Medicaid and/or ACA subsidies varies greatly by state. If you have no plans of moving, you should research the options available in your state. I think each state has its own exchange website, at least CA does, where you can look at calculators to play around with income and costs.

This chart will show you what the situation is like in CA:
https://insuremekevin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2019-Covered-California-Medi-Cal-Income-Chart.jpg

For example, both children in a family of four will be eligible for Medicaid (Medi Cal) if the family's MAGI is up to $66,766.

If your income is 90k but you stuff money into HSAs and/or IRAs to reduce MAGI, your health insurance can be quite affordable. This article describes ways to reduce MAGI: https://www.healthinsurance.org/faqs/with-my-income-im-barely-over-the-eligibility-limit-for-a-premium-subsidy-is-there-anything-i-can-do-to-lower-my-income-so-i-become-eligible/

All this requires some financial diligence and oversight on your part (I spend a lot of time making sure we stay within the right boundaries), but it has worked out quite well for my own family.

[Trifle]

^ Right.  But even at income levels above those that qualify you for Medicaid, there are the tax credits that can help pay for an ACA plan.  It's important to get on the Exchange (or the state exchange, as the case may be) and run your numbers.

For example in my state (didn't expand Medicaid), a family of 4 only qualifies with an income below $26k.  But the tax credits are available up to ~$98k. 

[Acastus]

California is a pretty generous state for benefits. ACA may still work for you. You say income will be 90-100k. ACA subsidies are available up to 400% of FPL. For a family of 4, FPL = $25750. So the ACA limit is 103k. If you keep your MAGI below that, you can reduce the cost maybe $500 per month vs. the full cost of ~ 1300 for a family plan. (that's much cheaper than here in NY, btw)   Then add a few thousand for services. That is not wonderful, but it is half what you are estimating.

As I am finding out, spending is higher than income in retirement. At least if you plan for it to be. Just keep in mind that capital gains and qualified dividends are MAGI income, even though they are taxed at 0% in the 12% bracket. Ditto for tax exempt bond dividends.

[BradminOxt19]

You have an infant child?  Unless you have millions in the bank, I would say you are not ready for FIRE.

I had $100k liquid in the bank and my other investments worth $1m when I had my first baby.  I decided right there and then that we would not be ready for FIRE until our kids were all in college with fully funded S529 accounts to pay for tuition.

Turns out I was right, healthcare and college costs have soared far beyond any other costs.  Had I decided to FIRE when our kids were young, it would have been foolish and selfish.

I can't comprehend how any average family who just are starting on the journey with young kids can consider FIRE, aside from edge cases like Mr Money Mustache whose blog has earned him quite a tidy sum after FIRE.  It seems irresponsible to do so, because now we have to basically work to earn health care insurance, not just a paycheck.

[Shay]

This discussion is very helpful and i truly wish to learn from you. I strongly believe in FIRE (or going for any other goal you may have). Money is there to enable our dreams, not to fear from them. This discussion in another angle for me to sanity check the HOW of my own freedom venture, as it involves financial planning for my family.

Whatever your opinion may be, reality comes in figures (while acknowledging unknowns, because who knows what it will be, in all directions). So my final question for those who walk the walk i.e. fired:what is your annual expense for healthcare? . Any additional color on your selected approach (and family/life status) would be great.

[Cassie]

Healthcare is the biggest obstacle plus it will be for a long time since you are young.  Have you run your numbers through firecalc to see if it’s feasible?

[Cranky]

It seems to me that the best approach is to lower your expenses and income so that you qualify for more subsidies. Pay off your house? Move someplace cheap? But have a strong Plan B for what to do if the ACA goes away.

[Omy]

There is no way to even guess what the future holds when it comes to health insurance. The ACA has been under attack since its inception and may not exist as we know it in a few years. Prior to the ACA, my individual coverage (which didn't cover pre-existing conditions and had a lifetime max of $1M) went up 20-30% EVERY year. How do you even budget for that??

Look online at your state's health care exchange to get an idea of costs for 2020. After that it's a crap shoot. DH and I spend $1150/mo for a high deductible COBRA plan. We project that we might have to spend up to $3000/mo in the future (and we worked until our stash could handle that).
Plan B is that one of us will go back to work for health insurance if necessary.

[DireWolf]

So my final question for those who walk the walk i.e. fired:what is your annual expense for healthcare? . Any additional color on your selected approach (and family/life status) would be great.

I'm 51, and was the primary breadwinner until I stopped working this year. Spouse is continuing to work, and we're on her health insurance at her employer. A kid still in the household. We pay about 8K/yr in premiums and the last 3 years have had around 10K each year in OOP costs. It's been nuts. 2 cancer-related surgeries, 1 shoulder surgery, 2 eyes of cataracts surgeries. So many CT scans, a bone scan, 2 MRIs, X-rays. Geezus. Spouse will join me hopefully later this year, but we're nervous about the ACA. If it goes away, she'd probably get a part-time gig for benefits. Managing our MAGI, ACA premiums will be about what we pay now. I expect we'll spend more OOP.

There's a high probability I'll eventually be on disability and get moved to early Medicare. The Medicare part of that will actually be pretty expensive compared to what we expect with subsidized ACA, for three reasons. First off, the way the ACA subsidies work, we pay the same amount even though I'd be on Medicare. Next, to get a Medicare Supplement plan under age 65, you pay out the nose (over $10k/yr). It might stop there, but, if I find myself needing certain cancer drugs, Medicare Part D is horrible, as it is a coinsurance with no cap. Could quite realistically be another $10K/yr in drug costs. Once we hit 65, at least the Supplement plan gets back to normal. Thankfully the Disability check can cover these added costs.

Anyway, my budget has $20k/yr for healthcare. That is somewhere around 1/4 of our budget. If there's years where it is lower, that is wonderful. If it is over $20K for any sustained period, we've got to start making some cuts or finding income streams. Maybe move to a lower COL area or cut vacations.

[RedwoodDreams]

So my final question for those who walk the walk i.e. fired:what is your annual expense for healthcare? . Any additional color on your selected approach (and family/life status) would be great.

I'm 51, and was the primary breadwinner until I stopped working this year. Spouse is continuing to work, and we're on her health insurance at her employer. A kid still in the household. We pay about 8K/yr in premiums and the last 3 years have had around 10K each year in OOP costs. It's been nuts. 2 cancer-related surgeries, 1 shoulder surgery, 2 eyes of cataracts surgeries. So many CT scans, a bone scan, 2 MRIs, X-rays. Geezus. Spouse will join me hopefully later this year, but we're nervous about the ACA. If it goes away, she'd probably get a part-time gig for benefits. Managing our MAGI, ACA premiums will be about what we pay now. I expect we'll spend more OOP.

There's a high probability I'll eventually be on disability and get moved to early Medicare. The Medicare part of that will actually be pretty expensive compared to what we expect with subsidized ACA, for three reasons. First off, the way the ACA subsidies work, we pay the same amount even though I'd be on Medicare. Next, to get a Medicare Supplement plan under age 65, you pay out the nose (over $10k/yr). It might stop there, but, if I find myself needing certain cancer drugs, Medicare Part D is horrible, as it is a coinsurance with no cap. Could quite realistically be another $10K/yr in drug costs. Once we hit 65, at least the Supplement plan gets back to normal. Thankfully the Disability check can cover these added costs.

Anyway, my budget has $20k/yr for healthcare. That is somewhere around 1/4 of our budget. If there's years where it is lower, that is wonderful. If it is over $20K for any sustained period, we've got to start making some cuts or finding income streams. Maybe move to a lower COL area or cut vacations.

@DireWolf, do you mind if I ask what you mean by the bold above? Reason I ask is we have a complicated household, health insurance-wise, where my husband qualifies for a hefty ACA subsidy, my son qualifies for Medi - Cal (medicaid), and I'm on early Medicare due to disability. Although we're evaluated as a household, my being on Medicare doesn't affect the subsidies available to my husband, or my son's Medi - Cal. They evaluate our MAGI and leave me out of the picture since I'm otherwise covered.

I have a supplemental plan that's $180/month and a prescription plan with a large deductible that's $34/month. I also expect to be on obscenely expensive medications in the not too distant future and am hoping that I'll be able to get help from some of the many non profits that offer prescription assistance. In the case of those, it also helps to look low to moderate income in order to qualify for the assistance.

For everyone, when looking at health insurance options outside of employer subsidized, the lower your income, the more help you will get (until the ACA has a bomb dropped on it).

[Trifle]

It's been said very well above -- best bet under the current US system is to reduce income and get an ACA plan.  We've been FIREd for a year now, and are on an ACA bronze high deductible plan.  Family of 4, 2 adults/2 kids.  Because our FIRE income is < $100k we get hefty premium tax credits that cover the entire premium, so no cost to us.  A silver plan would cost us around $400 a month in premium if I remember correctly.  We're light users of healthcare services (none in the last two years, other than preventive visits), so the bronze works for us. 

Our Plan B if the ACA has a bomb dropped on it is for one of us to go back to work for the insurance coverage.

[norajean]

If you get in a pinch, you can always pick up a low stress coffee shop job for 20 hours per week and get healthcare benefits. Plus free coffee!

[MGreis]

It's been said very well above -- best bet under the current US system is to reduce income and get an ACA plan.  We've been FIREd for a year now, and are on an ACA bronze high deductible plan.  Family of 4, 2 adults/2 kids.  Because our FIRE income is < $100k we get hefty premium tax credits that cover the entire premium, so no cost to us.  A silver plan would cost us around $400 a month in premium if I remember correctly.  We're light users of healthcare services (none in the last two years, other than preventive visits), so the bronze works for us. 

Our Plan B if the ACA has a bomb dropped on it is for one of us to go back to work for the insurance coverage.

How much did you budget in your FIRE number even though it’s totally covered?

[BikeFanatic]

If you get in a pinch, you can always pick up a low stress coffee shop job for 20 hours per week and get healthcare benefits. Plus free coffee!

Alot of part time, low paying jobs do not come with benefits of insurance.

[kpd905]

As others have said, you may want to look into paying off your house to lower your income requirements (if you haven't already).  You could also look to convert some of your dividend paying investments to lower or no dividend alternatives.

[Trifle]

It's been said very well above -- best bet under the current US system is to reduce income and get an ACA plan.  We've been FIREd for a year now, and are on an ACA bronze high deductible plan.  Family of 4, 2 adults/2 kids.  Because our FIRE income is < $100k we get hefty premium tax credits that cover the entire premium, so no cost to us.  A silver plan would cost us around $400 a month in premium if I remember correctly.  We're light users of healthcare services (none in the last two years, other than preventive visits), so the bronze works for us. 

Our Plan B if the ACA has a bomb dropped on it is for one of us to go back to work for the insurance coverage.

How much did you budget in your FIRE number even though it’s totally covered?

We budgeted to cover the out of pocket annual max, and we make the maximum contribution to our HSA each year

[DireWolf]

@DireWolf, do you mind if I ask what you mean by the bold above? Reason I ask is we have a complicated household, health insurance-wise, where my husband qualifies for a hefty ACA subsidy, my son qualifies for Medi - Cal (medicaid), and I'm on early Medicare due to disability. Although we're evaluated as a household, my being on Medicare doesn't affect the subsidies available to my husband, or my son's Medi - Cal. They evaluate our MAGI and leave me out of the picture since I'm otherwise covered.

I have a supplemental plan that's $180/month and a prescription plan with a large deductible that's $34/month. I also expect to be on obscenely expensive medications in the not too distant future and am hoping that I'll be able to get help from some of the many non profits that offer prescription assistance. In the case of those, it also helps to look low to moderate income in order to qualify for the assistance.

I could be wrong, but that’s what the KFF calculator shows me. Basically, the amount ACA determines you can pay is based on your MAGI, not the unsubsidized cost of the plan. So my portion is the same with 2 of us on ACA as it is with 3 of us. The “Estimated Financial Help” changes substantially.

Your $180/mo for the supplemental looks way cheaper than my research was showing for here in NC. I probably should look around, as that stuff is heavily state dependent.

[Cranky]

Ultimately, I think the figure that you need to use are the current costs of your health insurance - what your employer pays + what you pay, and I'm pretty sure that comes out to around $25-30 k. If there was some cheaper alternative, your employer would sign up for that.

So all that means is that you need to figure out how to live on$70k after insurance costs, and that seems pretty doable. No?

[RedwoodDreams]

@DireWolf, do you mind if I ask what you mean by the bold above? Reason I ask is we have a complicated household, health insurance-wise, where my husband qualifies for a hefty ACA subsidy, my son qualifies for Medi - Cal (medicaid), and I'm on early Medicare due to disability. Although we're evaluated as a household, my being on Medicare doesn't affect the subsidies available to my husband, or my son's Medi - Cal. They evaluate our MAGI and leave me out of the picture since I'm otherwise covered.

I have a supplemental plan that's $180/month and a prescription plan with a large deductible that's $34/month. I also expect to be on obscenely expensive medications in the not too distant future and am hoping that I'll be able to get help from some of the many non profits that offer prescription assistance. In the case of those, it also helps to look low to moderate income in order to qualify for the assistance.

I could be wrong, but that’s what the KFF calculator shows me. Basically, the amount ACA determines you can pay is based on your MAGI, not the unsubsidized cost of the plan. So my portion is the same with 2 of us on ACA as it is with 3 of us. The “Estimated Financial Help” changes substantially.

Your $180/mo for the supplemental looks way cheaper than my research was showing for here in NC. I probably should look around, as that stuff is heavily state dependent.

Smart. Maxing HSA contributions also reduces MAGI, thereby increasing ACA subsidies.

[RedwoodDreams]

Ultimately, I think the figure that you need to use are the current costs of your health insurance - what your employer pays + what you pay, and I'm pretty sure that comes out to around $25-30 k. If there was some cheaper alternative, your employer would sign up for that.

So all that means is that you need to figure out how to live on$70k after insurance costs, and that seems pretty doable. No?

@DireWolf , I see what you're saying. And, yes, I've heard the options offered to early Medicare recipients can vary greatly by state. If you wanted a rough idea of what you'd be looking at come Medicare time, you could try talking to one of those local health insurance broker places that's under contract with your state's exchange to provide guidance. Best of luck to you. (And you probably already know this, but you have to be on SSDI for two years before you're eligible for Medicare.)