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Healthcare

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Jim

RVF Supporter
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Messages
3,865
Location
North Carolina
RV Year
2016
RV Make
Newmar
RV Model
London Aire 4551
RV Length
45
Chassis
Freightliner
Engine
Cummins / I6 Diesel Pusher 600HP / 1,950 ft-lbs
TOW/TOAD
2016 Jeep Rubicon
Fulltimer
No
The weather here has been horrific. Couple that with the small town politics of my area, and I've had just about enough. But taking off in an RV for any amount of time brings with it certain challenges and healthcare if one.

I take meds for my high blood pressure and cholesterol. What do others do to keep up with the bi-yearly visits to their doctor to keep this flow of legal drugs coming?
 
I'm not a fulltimer but here is what works for me. My family doctor has a nice web system that has a patient portal. I'm from VA which is where my doctor is and I'm currently on a long trip and in Casa Grande, AZ right now. Pickleball is killing my knees, lots of pain at only 26 (in my head). Alleve and all the rest just doesn't work as good as prescription Naproxen (anti-inflammatory) which I'm running out of. I used the patient portal to request a new prescription which he sent to the CVS near me. I also take Cholesterol meds and I get larger quantities from Costco and pay out of pocket as it's cheaper than my Anthem insurance (which is good on prescriptions) but only allows 30 days at a time, I get 90 days from Costco and as stated it's actually cheaper to pay out of pocket vs. CVS's prices. Use Good RX as well by the way for discounts.

At times my doc requires bloodwork and while I haven't had to do this on the road I imagine you could go to a local LabCorp to get it done and have the results sent to your doc and then do a prescription to your location as mentioned above.

Higher quantities help if possible.
 
Good advice from @Neal!

Our health care coverage is through a well-known health maintenance organization (HMO) where we have easy access to mail order prescriptions (90-day supply), so we just have refills sent to wherever we are. Our family doctors also have "portals" where we can e-mail them, if needed, when on the road.

While our coverage is excellent and covers us when we are on the road, it is not always easy to find a doctor on short notice in an unfamiliar location. We've only needed one a couple of times and have found that the drop-in emergency care centers worked well. They can get access to your records from your regular doctor and can treat most relatively minor issues. For things that are more serious, the emergency room at the nearest hospital is the place to go. One of the things we do in planning our travel routes is to pre-identify (whenever possible) health care options in each area where we plan to stop.

TJ
 
Full Timers here and fortunately we have to see our Drs only once/year. We go through Walmart Pharmacy for meds which has worked well for us.
 
We are full-time also, I'm on medicare + UHC & my wife is on state insurance. After talking with my agent on this, all insurance supplements sux. For in network coverage, you have to physically be in the network. Out of network (which is me 10 months out of the year), I have to go on "Passport". That means I am on vacation so my insurance will cover. And by cover, I am talking about me paying what they won't, which is too dang much! IMHO!
 
We are also full-time and I am on Medicare thru Aetna Advantage PPO. I specifically picked this due to the fact of travel and network is Nationwide. I had been using in Casa Grande for some testing And physical therapy the last 2 months with no issue. My wife is still being covered under my previous employer as part of my consulting agreement?

Healthcare is a concern for all but especially those that are retired.
 
We are also full-time and I am on Medicare thru Aetna Advantage PPO. I specifically picked this due to the fact of travel and network is Nationwide. I had been using in Casa Grande for some testing And physical therapy the last 2 months with no issue. My wife is still being covered under my previous employer as part of my consulting agreement?

Healthcare is a concern for all but especially those that are retired.

Good news and thanks for post. Not there yet because I'm 64 so haven't looked into this.
 
We are also full-time and I am on Medicare thru Aetna Advantage PPO. I specifically picked this due to the fact of travel and network is Nationwide. I had been using in Casa Grande for some testing And physical therapy the last 2 months with no issue. My wife is still being covered under my previous employer as part of my consulting agreement?

Healthcare is a concern for all but especially those that are retired.
Glad that is working for you, my supplement insurance is HMO/PPO and through United. Fine print reveals all. These plans have 'networks' of providers who have agreed to do some procedures for a specific price. The balance is on you & if you are 'out of network', there is no 'agreed on price'. You will be on your own financially unless you have a 'vacation clause' or Passport (what UHC calls it).
Insurance in this country is a scam and USA is a world power with the worst healthcare system. The argument is we choose our Doctors - really? As long as they are in our 'network'. Good luck, stay healthy, & Happy Trails!
 
We are both over 65 and are on a Medicare Advantage PPO program. Our regular doctor is located close to where we winter at in Florida. She does our annual exam/blood tests and writes our annual scripts. We use CVS and get scripts in 3-month supply. If we need other medical services while moving around our plan usually does pretty good. So far in three years of full timing this has worked very well for us.
 

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