Full-time Timesharing: Getting Sick

[ronandjoan]

People have asked what we would do it we get sick. If you have read our BLOG, you will remember that Ron got pancreatitis in September 2010 in Illinois and we went to the regional hospital (in Ottawa), where we got excellent care, but then needed to get blood tests every few weeks. Our family doctors were in Ohio and it became more and more difficult as we did not go then and were not returning to Ohio that often. We, thus, changed our medical care to a clinic in Seattle last March, since we go there regularly and have been very happy with the care there since then.
However, this month in Puerto Vallarta, Ron started out the visit with a cough which kept getting worse. I got sick after a week, too, and was so much worse after another week, that we went to the resort on-site clinic, where we found Ron had bronchitis, and I, being just a week sick, had only the throat infection. We got a prescription and purchased the medication. Slowly, we got better, but our month in PV was spent mainly staying in the room recovering, or sitting in the sun when we could. I was able to swim my laps a total of 2 weeks, rather than 4 weeks. I am totally better and Ron is almost normal.
It’s tempting to say, Oh, this has ruined our vacation, but since we are not “on vacation,” but just “living somewhere” – wherever we are – it would be the same as sitting in Seattle, inside, with the cool/cold rain outside and still unable to go anywhere, see anyone, and not feeling like doing anything. So better to be down here in the SUN! At least what we had was not dangerous or too long-lasting.

 

[chriskre]

So how do you work out the health insurance issues?
Do you have a travel policy?
Do you have to self insure?

 

[dumbydee]

I love seeing your post. They are always interesting.

 

[SOS8260456]

Glad you guys are feeling better. I am also curious about the health insurance. Don't want to invade personal stuff, but people like you guys are my future role models. We still got a ways to go, but we hope to someday be doing what you guys are doing.

 

[Ridewithme38]

people like you guys are my future role models. We still got a ways to go, but we hope to someday be doing what you guys are doing.

Me too! I'd love that lifestyle after retirement

 

[SOS8260456]

We have done some short practice runs (5-6) weeks over the summer. I would get many comments about being on vacation and I always correct them by saying "We are not on vacation, we just have a change of location for a while." Being a self employed accountant allowed me the freedom to work from anywhere, plus it was during the off season.

That is why I love seeing when Joan posts about not being on vacation and "just living somewhere".

 

[jhac007]

Hi Joan, glad to hear you guys are doing better! I do think of you all often. Tell Ron that Marlene and I said hello.

Jim

 

[Gracey]

Glad the both of you are feeling better!

 

[dundey]

Joan thanks for the post, I love to read your updates and hope to copy your lifestyle someday!!

 

[suzanne]

So glad to hear your both feeling better.

Suzanne

 

[aandmrun]

I'm glad that you are on the way to recovery! I have been reading your posts for a while now because my husband and I really enjoy traveling and especially enjoy staying at different resorts to explore new areas. We retired 7 years ago, but are still very active with our friends and family. Your blog got us to thinking of getting rid of our large family home so we could stay away for longer periods of time. What we are contemplating is selling the house so that we don't have to maintain our hillside 3-story home, but instead of just downsizing to a smaller apt. or condo, we were thinking of buying into a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). Even though we are very active and fairly young for a "home", we thought this would take care of having a place where we can always come home to and also always have the medical situation taken care of for our future. Does this sound too drastic of a change???

 

[Dori]

Glad to hear you are both feeling so much better! I love reading your posts.

Dori

 

[CherylH]

Glad you are recovering well

Joan,

I so much enjoyed meeting you earlier this year in Orlando. It sounds like your medical needs were taken care of well. You are right that recuperating in the SUN is so much better than being cooped up somewhere else. It is also good that you seem pleased with the medical service. It is getting to the point that I am often less satisfied, especially with a "first time to see" doctor. I always like your posts to help me think about what I need to plan for when located in other places for some time. Hoping for full healing for Ron, too.

CherylH

 

[ronandjoan]

Thanks everybody for your notes of good wishes.

We are now back to the COLD RAINY Seattle Northwest -- the only cold place in the country, apparently! If we go out anywhere, it is only one trip and then we rush back inside to stay warm!

 

[ronandjoan]

So how do you work out the health insurance issues?
Do you have a travel policy?
Do you have to self insure?

[I am also curious about the health insurance. Don't want to invade personal stuff, but people like you guys are my future role models. ]

I am happy to share what we do, that is why I started this thread, since so many people ask, What do you do when you get sick?

Our new health care in Seattle is actually like an HMO (no, it’s not Group Health, but Pacific Medical-PACMED) and so far, it has covered everything when we go to the clinic here, with a small co-pay for medications. You need to call for permission to go somewhere else when you are out of town, so I emailed from PV and they answered right back: out- of -country procedures are: Go to the doctor, save all receipts and submit when you return. I read the booklet more carefully (when I got back,) and it said, submit within 7 days of your return.

So I made quite a packet up of receipts, then, and we hand-carried it to the clinic yesterday (I don’t trust the USPS for timing!) The doctor visits were about $62 for each of us, but the medications were so much, especially the antibiotic. We have about $490 total in those expenses that we hope to get something back. We’ll see!

We have a travel plan, the kind where if you get real sick, they will fly you and your family member home, not too expensive at all, and merely a safeguard while we are traveling so much.

Because we still have 3 elderly parents (90, 92, and 95) we always buy the flight insurance and some resort insurance if it is an exchange, especially with the exchange companies that are CHEAPER than RCI: e.g. Platinum, Trading Places. And if we are gone, like a month, we might just buy one or two weeks, not all of them. Of course, where we own, we do not have the exchange insurance.

When my stepmother died in November 2010, we were able to change our flight with no charge and get back a couple of other extra charges we had from the airline insurance.

 

[ronandjoan]

I'm glad that you are on the way to recovery! I have been reading your posts for a while now because my husband and I really enjoy traveling and especially enjoy staying at different resorts to explore new areas. We retired 7 years ago, but are still very active with our friends and family. Your blog got us to thinking of getting rid of our large family home so we could stay away for longer periods of time. What we are contemplating is selling the house so that we don't have to maintain our hillside 3-story home, but instead of just downsizing to a smaller apt. or condo, we were thinking of buying into a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). Even though we are very active and fairly young for a "home", we thought this would take care of having a place where we can always come home to and also always have the medical situation taken care of for our future. Does this sound too drastic of a change???

Your plan would be ideal…wish we had such a home base so that we wouldn’t have EVERYTHING is portable storages, whether it be in our van on the East coast, our storeroom in Springfield, IL, or the storeroom here in Seattle.

A good example of the problem of having to pack everything up everywhere and every time, is this week: when we returned from PV this weekend, we couldn’t find our checkbooks…We couldn’t remember where we had put them! We hadn’t wanted to take them with us to Mexico, so we put them in the storeroom….but…..where? I was wishing so much that we’d had a desk with our stuff in it to just go to…….but, No.

We found them yesterday… in the little box in the storeroom …where we left them, of course! I guess the box was too small!

So, yes! Having a true Home Base is the best. (I think Ray Harper had a condo in CT to go to when he was not out.) Meanwhile, though, we are continuing!

 

[rrlongwell]

Me too! I'd love that lifestyle after retirement

Maybe buy a Viking Ship Company, you be in there.

 

[aandmrun]

Thanks for your reply

Hi Joan,

Thanks so much for your reply (aandmrun - I still don't know how to add the inserts regarding the reply).
We have found this CCRC about 7 miles from where we currently live that seems to have all the things we are looking for - independent living, plus all the senior amenities needed for the future. We are just waiting for the real estate market to go up a bit more and then we plan to sell the house with all it's maintenance issues. That way we can buy into this retirement and continuing care facility and not have to worry about any more moves. We figure we will probably travel at least 3 months out of the year from our home base. Your timeshare experiences have given us a lot to think about. Between timeshares and reward points, it might be doable!
Take care and happy traveling!!

Angie

 

[ronandjoan]

Update on health insurance

I am also curious about the health insurance. Don't want to invade personal stuff, but people like you guys are my future role models. We still got a ways to go, but we hope to someday be doing what you guys are doing.

Just to let people know that the health insurance for us worked pretty well: we got $423 back this week from our $491 Mexico health expenditure.

 

[funtime]

I'm glad that you are on the way to recovery! I have been reading your posts for a while now because my husband and I really enjoy traveling and especially enjoy staying at different resorts to explore new areas. We retired 7 years ago, but are still very active with our friends and family. Your blog got us to thinking of getting rid of our large family home so we could stay away for longer periods of time. What we are contemplating is selling the house so that we don't have to maintain our hillside 3-story home, but instead of just downsizing to a smaller apt. or condo, we were thinking of buying into a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). Even though we are very active and fairly young for a "home", we thought this would take care of having a place where we can always come home to and also always have the medical situation taken care of for our future. Does this sound too drastic of a change???

Just my two cents - do not buy into the retirement community if they want a large upfront fee - you have no idea how long that retirement community will even be in existence. Instead if and when the market goes up sell your home and buy a nice townhome or condo (in a complex without a lot of foreclosures as then maintenance fees would always be a problem.) Or a little zero lot line house with no HOA's. Buy a place that you can then rent out if you decide you want to do that later and you get as adventurous as Ron and Joan. Just my two cents. Funtime

As to Ron and Joan - you go guys!!!

 

[aandmrun]

Hi Funtime,

Thanks for what you call your 2 cents of info. My husband is a two time cancer survivor and although he is healthy right now, we do want a facility where we know that the medical assistance is available. The CCRC that we are looking at is very stable, in a location that we love, and has been there since the 1800's. It is a non profit organization that does not seem to have a financial problem. We haven't fully committed yet, but we do like the idea of moving into a location that will be there for us until our dying days. Sounds morbid, but we do want to think ahead. It has independent living as well as assisted living. We have attended several of their many events as invited guests and every time we go there we feel more and more comfortable. It's just an idea right now. Not a firm plan yet. We will look into other options as well, since we don't plan on doing this until 4 or 5 years from now.
Happy Traveling to you!!! We are currently enjoying ourselves in New Orleans!

 

[funtime]

Great - it sounds pretty good and I am glad you are taking it slowly. Have fun in NOLA! Funtime