Yes, I do. This post was written a couple of years ago, and updated today in 2015. I will be 66 in April, and I just love tossing all the junk mail telling me about everyone’s very best Medicare Advantage or Medi-Gap policy. No serious illnesses, and still at my same employer after seven years. I have not had even one second thought. I’m doing the right thing, and it just gets right-er every day. I love being independent, and self-sufficient. I even paid off my mortgage in 2013, so that expense is gone. One fewer fixed cost every month. Life is good!
I guess that makes me a risk-taker. I am currently 65 years old, and I am now Medicare-eligible. Medicare starts at 65, I can’t draw SS until 66. A couple of years ago, I made the decision to reject both SS and Medicare. I am gainfully employed, and expect to be employed for the foreseeable future. I am VERY fortunate to be married to a man nine years my junior, who has 35 years with his employer, and makes twice what I do. I am covered under his company medical plan, and expect to continue to be. I object to my doctor having to choose treatment for me according to “what Medicare will pay for”. I’m damned if I’ll have some faceless bureaucrat in Washington DC telling my doctor what’s “allowed”.
I’ve already started in a small way, being self-sufficient in health-care. My hubby’s plan has prescription drug coverage, but I do not use it. I take a bunch of prescription medicine for my chronic disease (psoriatic arthritis), and I pay every penny of the cost myself. All my medicines are generic, and I have a great relationship with the Costco pharmacy 6 blocks from my house, so I know I’m getting the best prices. It makes me feel great that my doctor and I, not some insurance company, determine what medicines I take, and how much to prescribe (my doctor writes in quantities of 100, so I get even better pricing).
So my life is free from the worries about having enough money saved for retirement (not retiring!), and how to maximize my Government Dole Payment (Social Security).
