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I may have to retire early to get my health insurance benefits. If I don't retire next year, I will have to work 8 more years to get any type of benefits; and I don't think physically or mentally I can make it 8 more years. So if I have retire early to get health benefits, I will still have to find other employment for an income, as my pension will not even be enough to live on. I have always worked in an office environment, but I'm thinking about something totally different. But 60 years old is a hard age to start over doing something new. I've thought about medical transcribing or something like that, but I just don't know where to start. I can't believe this is happening. You plan all of your life to do things like you should and then the bottom drops out. I'm just sick of worrying about this and don't know where to look for other employment. I can't think about being a WalMart greeter, but I may have to take whatever I can. Any suggestions anyone? Thanks.
In addition to my former comment on the topic. My former employer pays full supplemental insurance to Medicare if you have the minimum number of years served. That number was increased a few years ago and a number of people had the choice of retiring then or waiting later. In some cases benefits were being grandfathered in for folks who had retired before a certain date.
This required some folks to have to decide between:
A. Retire with reduced pension but full medical benefits
B. Continue working for medical benefits and increased/full pension benefits.
My husband was asked to retire at 55 after being with the company for 30 years. The buyout was worth it for us as it promised they would pay for our health insurance in full plus some other benefits. If he decided to stay on and retire a few years later, there would not have been this benefit. This is their way of saving money I guess.
A thought for the OP: have you looked into programs like the Peace Corps? I understand they pay a monthly living and housing allowance, and give full medical and dental coverage, as well as 48 paid vacation days. Might be more interesting than the other types of jobs you could find at this point in your life.
Hmmm... this might be a good topic for a new thread. Think I'll start one.
A thought for the OP: have you looked into programs like the Peace Corps? I understand they pay a monthly living and housing allowance, and give full medical and dental coverage, as well as 48 paid vacation days. Might be more interesting than the other types of jobs you could find at this point in your life.
Hmmm... this might be a good topic for a new thread. Think I'll start one.
What an interesting idea. I have heard that the Peace Corps has been increasingly attracting older volunteers. Great idea for a new thread, for the truly motivated retiree.
I may have to retire early to get my health insurance benefits....
My pension really has multiple components. The pay-check [which is small] and the medical coverage.
I always focused on the pay-check. But now after 10 years of retirement I am seeing that medical expenses have climbed a lot. My medical coverage is a far greater benefit than the pay-check is.
If you had to choose between the two; I would advise you go for the medical coverage.
You can always find something else you can do for $1k/month.
I don't know where for you to start, but DON'T start with transcription. Due to Obamacare and the electronic age everything is going paperless and more physicians are using voice dictation - the only transcriptionists that are needed are to clean up errors on the voice dictation program. Bad, bad mistake - this coming from someone with 19 years in transcription who is now unemployed.
Coding - go into medical coding if you simply have to change - and be very, very good at what you do. I wish I had cross-trained 20 years ago, I'd still have a job.
As far as where to start, don't do online or a paper-hanging college. Many hospitals have allied health schools. You'll get your best training and a leg up on positions that open in a hospital there - and go hospital for the first year.
I'll be honest with you - if I had to start over again and do all that I'd run fast and hard. There's more to it than there appears. I'm 55 - no way would I start that particular job path at this age.
It was all going electronic or overseas long before Obamacare as you call it.
I agree that transcription is not viable. My last client is winding down now as her client is moving to an inhouse system of some type. She figures it will be complete by spring. In the past she came close to losing them a couple of times, but they kept her because the longest standing doctor said no. He died earlier this year and the remainder are moving as fast as possible to end this type of transcription.
She is looking into closed captioning since she is a fast, accurate typist and it can be done from anywhere.
Actually, the requirement for electronic records was squirreled into the so-called stimulus bill preceding Obamacare.
Actually, it was widespread before that requirement was made.
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