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RV Health Insurance

If you don’t have insurance, you got hit with a big penalty this year. While I did have insurance all of last year, I was very happy to see my veteran status and access to the VA also counted as having insurance all year to avoid the penalty. I never could get a clear answer on that until now.

I had insurance all last year through a job but if you don’t have a regular job, are stuck being (probably illegally) classified as a contractor, or are self-employed then you are on your own to find and pay for insurance.  Gone With The Wynns recently did a pretty good post on insurance you should read though you should keep in mind that the low figures they give are for them and their situation. I tried pricing through the health exchange and they wanted $600 a MONTH for a healthy single person with a $6000 deductible! That is absofreakinglutley ridiculous! That is NOT insurance. It is also well over the 8.05% of my income required to claim a hardship exemption if I needed to. So much for affordable healthcare. Welcome to another government lie. At that cost, it is cheaper to pay the penalty if I couldn’t get an exemption and wasn’t a veteran.

If you need to shop for insurance, there is a new site specifically for RVers at https://www.rverinsurance.com/ . They can give you a quote and have a lot of good information and ideas to save money beyond this crap our government claims is insurance.

One really good tip they give is using telemedicine which is not only cheaper than an office visit but can also get you to a doctor 24/7 even out in the middle of nowhere if you can get phone or internet signal. Using video, they can chat with you to discuss your issue and send in a prescription for you to your nearest pharmacy. It is said that 70% of office visits could be handled over the phone. Based on my experience with doctors visits, I believe that though you should still see a doctor in person at least once a year or anytime you aren’t getting better. The cost for telemedicine is very reasonable too at only $12.95/mo for a single or $14.95/mo for a couple. I joined up at https://www.rverinsurance.com/telemedicine/ .

Another good option is using discounts on medications. All pharmacies are NOT ALIKE! They do have different prices and some, like Wal-Mart have special programs with a list of drugs that are only $4 for a month’s supply. My doctor tries to prescribe from that list when possible and changes to other drugs only if the listed drugs don’t work for me. It’s a good starting place and we adjust as necessary.

You may also find a discount drug card in you doctor’s waiting room. I found one that worked at Wal-Mart that way. Look around while reading that old magazine.

There are also websites and phone apps that can get you steep prescription discounts. I joined Blink recently and installed their phone app. It is free to signup and get the app. You find the cheapest price they have for the drug you need and buy it online from them then pick it up at your local participating pharmacy. The app shows you which pharmacies in your area will accept Blink payments. You can even purchase on the go on your phone. Enter in the medications you take regularly and have Blink remember them to make ordering easy peasy. Blink also gave me $5 off on my first use and my own referral code to refer others (see above) and get some more cash back.

Another discount group I joined is GoodRX. They have a free website and app also but you don’t buy through them as you do with Blink. They do show you the discount prices at various pharmacies in your area so you can find the best price.

My first test of the drug discounts was last week. I went to a nearby Wal-Mart and reordered 3 months of two medications. One was on the $4 list so I got charged their usual $10 for 3 months worth. The other is not on the list anymore since our “wonderful” Obamacare took over so it is now expensive to buy 3 months worth at a time. I checked Blink which had other pharmacies’ prices at around $14+ while Wal-Mart was at $9.95. That was pretty good and much cheaper than buying without Blink but I decided to check GoodRX too. Sure enough, GoodRX had a price of $7.77. I selected that one, showed my phone to the pharmacist, and they honored it after typing in the info provided by the app. I saved $20 at Wal-Mart using the phone app! Wow! I LOVE smartphones and highly recommend getting these two apps.

Lastly, if you are near the border with Mexico, prescription drugs and care are often quite cheaper in Mexico. A favorite among RVers is Los Algadones near Yuma, AZ. You can park your car on the American side in the parking lot and walk a short distance into town where they specialize in pharmacies, dental offices, and eyeglass shops. Many who go to Quartzsite, AZ for the winter RV swap meet drop down to Los Algadones at least once during their stay.

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