Cost of healthcare for over 50's

[edlea]

OK. This is "Ask the experts".
I have the chance of buying a place in Florida.
I am mid-50's and in my retirement would want to spend say Oct - April in Florida and then spend the (English) summer in the UK.
I understand clearly I would have to pay for health cover whilst in the US.
I think I am reasonably healthy for my age.
Can someone give me a general estimate of what it might cost- to the nearest couple of thousand $$$$$.
Or (I sincerely doubt it) is there a way around this ?
Many thanks. [8D]

[blott]

Mmmm, you can spend only a maximum of 6 months (180 days) in Florida within a year and to do that you need a visa as the visa waiver will only let you stay for a maximum of 90 days.

I don't think you'll find US insurance for only part of the year as you normally have to be a resident to take it out.

You can get long term insurance from a few UK companies however. Try BUPA, PPP or American Express for starters. But note that very few companies provide insurance for 65+ for longer stays so you might have to revise your stay pattern at that stage.

When you say 'reasonably' healthy, does that mean you have pre-existing health conditions which may be classed as chronic? Or something that requires regular medication and check-ups? Travel and health insurance companies are becoming increasingly picky about what conditions they will and won't accept.

Also, look into the tax position as living abroad for more than a certain number of days sometimes means that you're reponsible for paying tax in another country.

I think you're very wise to have all this thoroughly checked out before you make your purchase, if that's the primary reason for making one. Hope it works out for you as it sounds an ideal situation.

[Katys Grandad]

Slightly off-topic I know, but I recently renewed my annual travel insurance and was specifically asked whether I owned a holiday home abroad, something I'm sure I've never been asked previously. I suspect this is the kind of tightening up on the part of insurers that Blott refers to.

I'm not necessarily recommending this, but it would be possible to utilise travel insurance for the cover you need by breaking the time in Florida 2 or 3 times into shorter stays. You could for example come home for Christmas.

[Fourdents]

This time when I went for insurance to travel I found they were far more intense in the questions.

Some companies I tried would not offer cover.

However long your stay in Florida will be, it is [u]NOT</u> wise to travel without travel / healthcare insurance or [u]NOT</u> to declare a pre-existing health condition.

Most people know this, but with the insurance industry tightening up on cover - it is surprising how many "forget" to inform of certain health related issues.