Do you dream of retiring early. Many older workers would like to retire before the normal retirement age. Some want to quit working. Others want to devote time to starting a new business or career. These people believe they have worked hard, and they have prepared well. There may only be one real barrier that keeps them from their dreams or goals.

One of the bigget barriers to retiring before age 65 is a concern over early retirement health insurance.The majority of American qorkers can qualify for Medicare at age 65. Medicare is the US federal medical plan for those who are over 65 or disabled. Can you figure out how to get medical insurance if you quit working before sixty-five?

Will a private health plan work out for you? It is not impossible to find health insurance between 50 and 64. However, it can be a lot tougher to find affordable rates at an older age. You may already know that private health insurance companies do not have to accept everybody. Private plans are common, but they do not accept every applicant. Furthermore, rates go up by age. A middle age person may have a tough time getting covered. If they can get covered, they may expect to pay higher rates!

You may be lucky enough to have a job that offers retirement major medical plans. You may be able to keep your group major medical insurance after you retire, and if you can, this may be a good option. Sometimes you can extend this coverage for years, but sometimes you can only extend it for several months. Some terminated employees can extend group major medical plans with COBRA. You have to decide if this retirement benefit will be open to you, and if so, it will be good enough for your needs!

A lot of workers cannot extend their health benefits though. Some workers never even had these benefits in the first place! If you have no group benefits, and you cannot get a private plan, do you still have any other options?

Actually, each state in the USA has some sort of high risk pool for people who were declined for private insurance. Not everybody qualifies though, and the premiums can be quite pricy in some areas. This may help you if you have the money, and just need health insurance. If your income will be reduced by early retirement, this may not be the right option for you.

There are a variety of plans for people with lower incomes. Many counties have a hospital system that accepts a sliding scale of fees. There are some government programs for people with lower incomes or health problems. There are also nonprofit organizations (like PPARX.org) and private foundations that help people with various health needs.

If you are planning to retire early, it can be tough to figure out how you can keep good health coverage. Many Americans manage to find health insurance without group major medical. Finding a good retirement health plan can be tough. If you cannot solve this problem, you may have to put off your goals!