62 year old mother wants to retire but has no medical insurance...Ideas?
My 61 year old mother wants to retire next year. She doesn't qualify for medicare till 65. She has diabetes and chronic bronchitis. How would she get affordable medical care if she wants to quit working and live off her social security check. She has no money saved. She lives in New York City if that helps.
Basically, she will need coverage for 3 years until she qualifies for medicare and other programs such as EPIC, which I highly recommend to NY residents...
http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_car…
As for medical coverage, it will all depend upon her income after retirement but Family Health Plus may be a possibility. There is little or no cost involved. Family Health Plus is available to single no clothess, couples without children, and parents with limited income, who are aged 19 to 64, are residents of New York State and United States citizens or fall under one of many immigration categories. If she has health insurance - either on her own or through her employer, or are eligible for employer-sponsored health coverage through a federal, state, county, municipal or school district benefit plan - she would not be eligible to enroll. Additionally, she can enroll in this plan now (even if she works) if her employer does not offer health insurance.
There are also limits on the amount of assets or resources that she can have and still be eligible to enroll in Family Health Plus. "Resources" mean money in the bank or credit union, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certificate of deposit, money market accounts, 401K plans, trust funds, the cash value of life insurance, motor vehicles, or property that someone owns. The value of your home will not be counted. The amount of income and assets/resources she can have and still be eligible for Family Health Plus depends upon how many people are in her family (living in her household). Many people aren't even aware that this insurance exists. I highly recommend it. One of the available plans also includes dental coverage.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhp…
Otherwise, she is going to have to look into purchasing her own individual health insurance plans such as an HMO until she can qualify for Medicare. If this is her only option, she will need to find the best plan that will suit her current medical needs.
http://www.empireblue.com/
Additionally, click on the following link for possible assistance with her diabetes medications. She could qualify for this now if she does not currently have health/prescription insurance.
http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/
Good luck!
Has she applied for Medicaid, even though she's not eligible for Medicare, she may be able to get Medicaid benefits.
