What if I can't get individual coverage?
- When I retire, can I keep the health plan I have now?
- What is COBRA?
- What if I retire and have no health plan?
- How much will health insurance cost me in retirement?
- Where can I purchase individual health coverage?
- Does my spouse need a separate policy when I retire?
- What if I can't get individual coverage?
- How can I keep my health costs down in retirement?
- Where should I put my health care savings?
- How does a Health Savings Account (HSA) work?
- Who can participate in an HSA?
- What is Medicare?
- Who pays for Medicare?
- What is Medicare Part A?
- What is Medicare Part B?
- What is Medicare Part C?
- What is Medicare Part D?
- What is Medigap insurance?
- Which Medigap policy should I buy?
- What is Medicaid?
- What does Medicaid cover?
You do have options, though they're not ideal. By law, states must make last-resort insurance available if you're what's known as "HIPAA eligible." (HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.) But these plans can be limited and costly.
Another tack: Some states mandate guaranteed group plans for businesses with even one employee. So if you'll do any consulting work, incorporating yourself may make sense. For a national overview of your options, go to statehealthfacts.org.
Finally, if you're up for adventure and can bear cold winters, you could move to one of the five states - New Jersey, New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont - that forbid insurers from rejecting applicants for medical reasons.
