Insurance Options for Early Retirement and Full-time Travel 

I retired last year at 62 and got an ACA plan. My income is $40K from Social Security, pension and side hustle. The cost for a BCBS plan is $26/month with dental. I got sick traveling in Asia, came back to the US and decided 2024 is the year to get my health needs checked out. So far, I've had a full workup of tests, cholesterol meds and cardio consult. My health has been good but I know that can change as I get older. I plan to keep the ACA coverage for when I'm here, and use Safety Wing for travel abroad.

Lady checks in France are less than $40 and annual dental checks are less than 30. Im from Cali and very happy to pay oop for way better quality health elsewhere!

I am in the United States about six months of the year and I have year-round coverage through ACA in my state for a very affordable price. When I travel outside the US I pick up safety wing and I’ve been doing that for years and I only have it for the months. I’m gone.. I’m a bit older so it is a little bit more expensive but well worth it.

As far as the ACA, my wife and I are retired not yet 65. We have 7 figure plus equity but keep our reported income at $65,000 per year. We pay $24/month for insurance(it’s fairly high deductible) and it covers general care at 100%.

Wonderful information. Last time I was in Mexico I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. I was having some unusual pain and put out a message to the local Facebook group and got a referral. I called for an appointment and two days later I had an appointment. My face-to-face sit down with the surgeon cost me about US$50. He sent me downstairs to get an x-ray of my hand, and that was about $35. Happy to pay out-of-pocket as long as it is feasible so the money in my HSA continues to grow tax-free. Of course this will be different when I make the full-time move to my house in Merida Mexico.

Californian female in my 60s-Safety Wing is $209/4 weeks with electronic theft add on.

I was one of the lucky ones whose pension plans included health care till 65. I retired at 59 and kept the same group plan I had while working at the same cost. I'm now on Medicare and just buy a annual travel insurance plan since we only travel a max of 90 days outside the US at a time.

Just to clarify something. The plan Carrie gets is also ACA. It's just that WA has their own exchange that you buy the insurance through. The federal as well as WA exchanges make it very easy to compare plans and figure out how much you're going to pay based on your income. I'm self employed so I pay for my own insurance (which I buy through the ACA exchange). The cost is going to drop significantly when I retire because I can keep my taxable income pretty low. I guess I'm the rare person who's going to pay a lot less for health insurance at early retirement than when working.

Love you guys and thanks for the video. The important thing to understand with the ACA is that the premium subsidies are based on taxable INCOME levels, not net worth. You could have $1M in cash savings that you are currently drawing down to live on in early retirement but creating zero taxable income, and your ACA premium would be almost zero cost (if not zero). So those in that situation should carefully understand how much taxable income they can generate (maybe Roth conversion out of a taxable retirement account) and still be under the threshold of where the ACA premiums start to disappear. It sounds crazy but those with considerable cash savings can get US ACA healthcare plans for almost nothing and that loophole exists. Pair that with global travel coverage (no US coverage) or fully out of pocket foreign healthcare and you should be good.

Wow! You guys are amazing. Thank you for your diligence in research and then presenting facts for anyone that is interested. Truly helpful and entertaining (love Brian's jokes). My wife and I are residents in Vancouver WA and will be spending time in Thailand and Vietnam next year. We have learned so nuch from you both. Thank you. 👍❤️

It’s a shame that in the United States the medical cost are sky high plus even getting prescription. A regular check up is highly complex in sky high also.

I’m dual citizen US and EU country. I have EU health card issued in my home country and it’s valid for the whole EU. That takes care of that as far as Europe goes.

Great information on healthcare insurance options while traveling abroad. Thanks, Brian & Carrie.

Some countries have reciprocal health care arrangements eg UK and Australia etc so it’s well worth checking.

I was a digital nomad for 3 years and I traveled the world. From my first visit, I knew that I would eventually settle in Spain. Last year my husband and I bought a beach front apartment in Alicante, Spain. We paid a little over 110,000 €. We were also granted permanent residence. Since I am Ukrainian I will work towards Spanish citizenship. My husband is American so I doubt he would give up his citizenship.

We semi-retired early and have an ACA plan. We also added an Allianz travel insurance annual plan for while we were out of the US for 3 months (cost about $600/yr for 2 adults in early 50s). It does not cover full-time travel but covers multiple trips up to 3 months each I think. Also we learned your taxable income has to be less than 4 times the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for an ACA plan to be affordable (and qualify for a subsidy). The FPL for the lower 48 states is about $20k for a household of 2, so 4 x FPL is about $80k. Anything over that for taxable income, you will pay full price for an ACA plan.

I turned 65 in Feb and planned to retire with Medicare; my wife is 2 years younger with preexisting conditions, so she was only eligible for ACA. Turns out (at least in PA) that ACA is regional coverage only. If traveling outside of our area, ACA only provides overage for life threatening conditions; if my wife were to break her leg in, say Washington, she would have no coverage. Don’t even get me started on the premium! Needless to say, I didn’t retire 😢 Brian, I think i heard you say your daughters are in 3 different states, I recommend checking this regional coverage limitation before signing up for ACA. Thanks for the great information. Safe travels… Greg

I think this video goes hand in hand with what we are trying to do setting up our retirement, so I am sharing this video. Thanks

Thank you for your time and posting. My situation is, in the US, I have free medical through the VA. So when I go overseas, I'll have to pay for medical so this video is super helpful. But another good thing is I've never had a cavity or problem with my teeth. :)

Thumbs up 👍 Brian & Carrie

My husband has Medicare. I am not old enough and I pay $870 monthly with a $7500 year deductible!!! It’s the cheapest I can find with ACA 😢

Hey guys, great video! If I may I would like to add some information. Your channel is so much larger than mine so I know you can reach more people. If from the US I highly recommend United Healthcare, Safe Trip Insurance. Before I began my travels I researched this topic until I was blue in the face. Depending on what state you’re from you can get there plan thats both Travel and full medical insurance for up to 6 months of travel. Some States though like Florida you can only get coverage for 90 days. By far I found both their coverage and cost to be the best. Also another great benefit is they pay directly to the healthcare provider as long as the healthcare provider agrees. I unfortunately had the opportunity to use my coverage with a trip to the emergency room in Hoi An, Vietnam and they paid the entire cost directly to the hospital. I do have a video about all the details on my channel, if you want to find it and add the link in your response, there extra information for your viewers. Be safe out there fellow RU-vidrs! 😊

I signed up for Expatriate healthcare only $160 excluding USA. outpatient quotes is what drives up the cost to $400 month but dr visits ourseeas are pretty reasonable like you say.

Excellent! We are very thankful for your videos! We will need year health insurance when we apply for our year visa in France. Thank you!

Great info! I'm always interested in more info on health insurance coverage while traveling abroad. I have a ACA plan. I'm planning on traveling again abroad for six months, so It's confirmed I'll have to go with Safety Wing for coverage overseas just like Carrie. Thanks guys for sharing, it was so helpful. Keep up the good work!

We have permanent residence in Spain and qualify for these local medical services.

When I begin my Slow Travels,20 months & counting, I’ll need health insurance for my overseas travel only. I’m fortunate to have my stateside plans of Tricare ($30.25 a month) and VA (Free) since I served 24+ years in the Air Force. Safety Wing is one of the top 3 I’ve been looking at. Also, I see Brian is sporting his IZOD collection. Will we see a flipped up collar and Penny Loafers soon? 😊. Safe Travels.

Great topic. Thanks so much for covering insurance. I'll be sure to research safety wing.

Because of the low cost of healthcare abroad, I think I would be good with paying out of pocket (self insure), except for possible Medical Evacuations (incredibly expensive). I just stumbled across Medjet. Looks affordable if you'd like to avoid travel medical insurance cost or maybe combine with something less expensive. Two main plans with different options. One includes security & crisis response (political threat, terrorist, natural disaster & more). You do need US inpatient insurance for return to US. But would I want to return for US healthcare? 🤔🤭 Domestic partners qualify for the Family pricing.

Health Shares are a great safety net, especially overseas, missionaries use 'em. It is what we use as world travelers, but it does help to have a good credit card or cash on hand until you are reimbursed. The only caveat is mine (Samaritan) requires submitted bills to be translated to English, and of course they don't cover pre-existings.

ACA subsidy is calculated based on taxable income on tax return, not what money you’re living off of.

It's been my experience that HSA cards are not accepted at European POS terminals, at least not in Romania or Italy.

Very informative. 👍 I still think our self insure plan is better. That's coming from someone programed to think we need insurance for just about everything. 😊

Hello Brian and Carrie. I read your comments as soon as they come out and I always enjoy the information that you provide. Sometimes I take it sometimes I don’t. I’ve been traveling for many many years. Oh well sometimes it’s lonely but most of the time it’s not, why are you so concerned about healthcare? I think the United States of America, I was born and raised in United States of America. has convinced us that healthcare is the key to everything. I think it’s total bullshit. I’m 69 years old relatively healthy but when I need to see a doctor or a hospital, I just go there. Now I do have Medicare part three so if I had to go to the United States and get some things seriously done, I called I will admit that, but other than that, I’m not had any real issues when I’ve been traveling and I travel full-time three months to six months days everywhere I go. I never go back to the US for any reason so I’m kinda curious why you guys speak so much about healthcare you could save a lot of money and just go onto a local doctor and not having to spend all this crazy monthly cost, just giving you a heads up I don’t spend one dollar other than I do have like I said $145 a month my Social Security for my “part C healthcare. Oh well it is what it is. But you guys are so drilled in on this just live, your life you’re nothing wrong with you. Enjoy it just like I enjoy it thank you and I look forward to your comments. Have a great great day. 0:36

As a Canadian not as relevant for me, but valuable information on the Travel Insurance side.

Insrx got so bad at work it helped me chose to retire at 48, wife makes too much for ACA which is a joke. Really only need catastrophic coverage… good luck !!! Stopped worrying about it, 61 now and saved a fortune on garbage plans. Upped my auto liability. Thank God I can get the best Medicare plan at the tender young age of 65 still 😎 Stay trim and fit !!!!

I’ve also heard of Nationwide & Alliance health. I looked at nationwide and it looked to be pretty cheap. I only spent a couple minutes on it so I am not 100% sure on coverages. It almost seem too good to be true.

Oregon expanded medicaid for all: 100% free, no premium costs, no OOP costs, free dental, free vision for those with below $64k MAGI. Kids free below $94k. Assumes house of 4 with 2 kids. This is from July 1st 2024. ACA no premiums for bronze plan up to around $80k MAGI.

Thank you, great info

I checked on the ACA showing that when I retire (single) and showing I’m only withdrawing or making $29K, my monthly payment would be $0 on a HMO HSA w a high deductible and high co-pay in the state of florida. I actually can take out $34k because the $5k is taxed like a pre-tax 401k so the $5K won’t show up a gross income to make my payments go Up

Thank you for the video! Regarding Safety Wing, can you change terms with them, such as increase the deductible to reduce the price. I briefly reviewed it online, but didn't see anywhere to alter the coverages or any other options. Thank you!

Seriously the most helpful video you guys have done, IOHO. Thanks so much. Information like this could make our dreams possible. Traveling to Cancun for a dental implant next month. Is SafetyWing what you guys would recommend for our 10 day visit? 55 and in the U.S. Sending the best vibes possible to you and hope to run into you at some point! The Four Chains Travel

I find this topic very interesting. Our tentative plan (in 4 years) will be to travel around 8 months a year and be home the rest. We will have a home. Does that mean that we could still get something like Cigna Global? We are open to many options and may have 2-3 young adults that we may still be responsible for in our early retirement days. Many thanks from a huge Iowa fan :)

Healthy 65 yr old on Medicare. No prescriptions or issues. Cigna Global quote for Thailand base and global coverage, excluding USA coverage, with 20% cost share and $5K deductible was $643.50/month. Looking for other options.

Im 47 and just quit my job to go travel. I decided to go with cobra so that i can stay on the same plan. Its $505 per month and i can keep it for i think 18 months. After that ill have to figure another option. I looked into ACA but i didn't like it doesn't include dental or vision. And it really wasnt that much cheaper than cobra.

B&C, did I miss this one somewhere? Do you ever have to show proof of insurance when entering countries? Thx

Can I get insurance coverage? I’m over 60 and I have diabetics. So a pre existing medical condition. Would that work for people with mental health.

I have Tricare for Life and I know I'm covered anywhere but it's pay up front file for reimbursement. I'm afraid of being held hostage in a hospital abroad for payment should I be hit by a bus. I don't have unlimited funds

We are thinking of winging it. Canadian couple 44F and 52M , no meds, no conditions, eat well, exercise, sleep well… We will be slow traveling the world but avoiding USA. A random broken arm or leg won’t derail us. Will self insure for a while and see how it goes. Anyone done so and inquired high costs? What was it?

Does the global health insurance that Brian has, does it cover pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol? We are currently insured through my employer and we keep thinking about how we get insurance if we retire early.

The ACA, has coverage outside of the US beyond Emergency Care?!

How did your qualiy forget that insurance program? Your make money from your RU-vid channel. Incidentally Brian, the US takes 24% on a RU-vid channel.

How does Carrie get covered when she’s back to US since Safety Wing policy only covers abroad?

Thanks Brian and Carrie for another great video. I did enquire about ACA through Vibrant health and even received the table to calculate the amount I would have to pay based on my annual income. I agree it’s reasonable if you can live off less than 50K a year. I suppose you still have to pay the installment monthly even if you are living abroad for the policy to be in affect ? Or are you paying only for the time you are in the USA? Thank you.

But ALL the options and prices change drastically when your turn 70 years old- like me. And MOST plans won’t cover you once you hit age 70.

Brian we got a laugh at your brain scan joke. My wife said she was waiting for you guys to say they didn't find anything during your brain scan, lol. You mentioned about not showing you live in US for some of the insurance coverage. You say you guys house sit. Do you not have a home in the US? If not how do you keep Washington as your home state? What about mail? Sorry for many questions. Really like you guys sharing. Brian, I also have 2 daughters that live in Phoenix Arizona area. Thanks for the information, I will be back to read others comments for their experiences.

Does the ACA require you to be in the US for any minimum length of time?

Good informative videos, but just a caution, as travel vloggers, you don't want to do too many "talking heads" videos without some location scenery. Maybe do some outside, on a patio, or mix it up with a little bit of outdoor stuff. Just sayin, this is travel, not a community college course.🎓

Let me guess....they did the brain scan and they did.t find anything....anything! LOL

Yeah, there are lots of rich millionaires working the system to get ACA tax subsidies. Single moms working 2 jobs as well as the rest of us are paying for those tax subsidies for millionaires. I guess it’s a don’t hate the player, hate the game kind of thing. It is a downside that should be noted.

That is Right. The one thing everyone should thank Obama for. ACA!!

Thank Obama- Biden and Dems for ACA