I had to give up comprehensive health insurance when I entered the over-55 age band last year, so I'm looking forward to getting it again. I could no longer afford the premium when it spiked from $700 a month to $1,200 per month as soon as I turned 56.
I looked at other policies, but they're all just too high. What really gets me angry is that I've paid for insurance my whole life; I didn't wait until I got sick. It's not fair to be penalized just because I'm over 55. I took out a supplemental plan through AARP that's only $245 a month. It covers up to 10 doctor appointments a year, with some minimal prescription coverage.
I'm looking forward to taking a look at the new plans available in a few months, and I'm hoping they will be affordable. I've been hearing they'll be $500-$600 a month, which is doable for me. If it were much over $700, I think I would hold off.
Thankfully nothing catastrophic has happened, but I'm one illness away from bankruptcy. With a cap of $40,000 per year under my AARP plan, something like appendicitis could wipe me out. That's terrifying.
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