Domicile Decisions

[Barbaraok]

36 minutes ago, Danandfreda said:

On doing more research registrations and yearly renewals from what I’ve seen on web sites are kind of higher in South Dakota. Cheaper here in Illinois but the sales tax on vehicles is 6.25 from what I’ve seen our drv we have now is the highest travel trailer renewal that Illinois has and its 50$. Rv are 102$. But a lot of it is going up 50 dollars the first of the year. Need to make some calls and talk to real people at the dmv. One web site said Illinois plates for cars are 78 dollars they went to 101 a few years ago and 150 in 2020

Registration fees are on the low side on why most people decide on SD, FL, or Texas for full timing.  First would be NO STATE INCOME TAX, as a lot of retires have retirement income that is taxable.  Second is the availability of reliable mail forwarding service and how the state views full timers in terms of voting, jury duty, etc.   And then there is low sales taxes for things like RVs.   

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, hamrs_62 said:

when we got here to the rv Park we were talking to a gal here, and  my wife told here we might go to Texas to domicile, and she didn't give a reason, just said stay away from Texas, not sure what she had against Texas 

They probably just don't know what they are talking about. We are not native Texans but have had a TX domicile now since 1989. Texas is one of the most RV friendly states and has been recognized for that more than once and by more than one RV organization. Which state is best just depends on each one's personal circumstances. There is no one best state.

[Kirk W]

55 minutes ago, Danandfreda said:

Cheaper here in Illinois

But TX, FL, and SD have no state income tax. The income tax rate in Illinois is 4.95%, after an increase (from 3.75%) in 2017.

Edited November 25, 2019 by Kirk W

[agesilaus]

Just now, Kirk W said:

But TX, FL, and SD gave no state income tax. The income tax rate in Illinois is 4.95%, after an increase (from 3.75%) in 2017.

Exactly, a few bucks difference in registration costs is meaningless in the big picture.

[Zulu]

17 hours ago, Danandfreda said:

we are selling our home and property and getting out of Illinois. Still looking at South Dakota domicile. Haven’t talked to anyone about LLC in Montana don’t know if it would be worth doing

Are you both on Medicare? If not and you have to purchase your own health insurance, then out of the Big Three (SD, TX, FL) FL is your best bet.

[filthy-beast]

FYI: From il revenue website

 

llinois does not tax distributions received from:

• qualified employee benefit plans, including 401(K) plans; 
• an Individual Retirement Account, (IRA) or a self-employed retirement plan; 
• a traditional IRA that has been converted to a Roth IRA;
• the redemption of U.S. retirement bonds; 
• state and local government deferred compensation plans; 
• a government retirement or government disability plan, including military plans; 
• railroad retirement income; 
• retirement payments to retired partners; 
• a lump sum distribution of appreciated employer securities; and 
• the federally taxed portion of Social Security benefits

[Barbaraok]

5 hours ago, hamrs_62 said:

when we got here to the rv Park we were talking to a gal here, and  my wife told here we might go to Texas to domicile, and she didn't give a reason, just said stay away from Texas, not sure what she had against Texas 

Lots of people have lots of misinformation on having their domicile in Texas.   Leading ones are having to have an enhanced drivers license if your rig's GVWR is over 26000# for a motorhome, or a combination GCWR over 26000# and the trailer is over #10,000 for a truck/5er-trailer combination.  IMO, if you can't pass the driving and written tests for that, you should be driving a big rig!     Then there is having to return to  Texas every year for inspection (wrong), lack of available health insurance for those under 65 (maybe/maybe not depending upon your overall health) and some other things.  

Edited November 25, 2019 by Barbaraok

[Zulu]

4 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Lots of people have lots of misinformation on having their domicile in Texas . . .lack of available health insurance for those under 65 (maybe/maybe not depending upon your overall health) and some other things.  

What does this mean?

[Big5er]

On 11/24/2019 at 3:38 PM, Danandfreda said:

 I wonder if they can change a title from truck to rv without going there. Anyone know?

Dan, from the resource guide in the HDT forum......read this

[Barbaraok]

1 hour ago, Zulu said:

What does this mean?

Lots of people have HMOs and do just fine even traveling since they are healthy and only see a physician once a year for annual physical and maybe new Rx for maintenance meds.  If they have an emergency, like a broken ankle, they go to an emergency room just like anyone who's on vacation.   Of course that does mean going by your physician each year, but you should be doing that away.

[Zulu]

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Lots of people have HMOs and do just fine even traveling since they are healthy and only see a physician once a year for annual physical and maybe new Rx for maintenance meds.

As someone who has been this route, I don't suggest it. You want a nationwide health plan.

[filthy-beast]

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Lots of people have HMOs and do just fine even traveling since they are healthy and only see a physician once a year for annual physical and maybe new Rx for maintenance meds.  If they have an emergency, like a broken ankle, they go to an emergency room just like anyone who's on vacation.   Of course that does mean going by your physician each year, but you should be doing that away.

True, however, they are rolling the dice that they won't have a major issue like open heart surgery and end up being stuck with a bunch of out of network charges from the army of doctors and technicians. IF going that route read the fine print and understand what is covered and what is not.

 

[Danandfreda]

Thanks Phil I was looking for that and knew what most were but couldn’t remember all of them. How are the pups?

[agesilaus]

We have FL BCBS and I have Medicare and we've never had a problem stopping on the road if someone needs to see a doc. Once in a small town in MT on Rt 2 and once in Riverton WY are two that I recall. But apparently FL has better than average coverage. I hung on to my employers plan after I retires as a secondary policy.K

[Blues]

39 minutes ago, agesilaus said:

But apparently FL has better than average coverage.

It depends on the plan.  Florida has HMOs that are no better for travelers than what's available in other states, and it has PPOs that don't have a nationwide network.  What a traveler wants is a PPO with a nationwide network, and Blue Cross in Florida has some plans that offer that.  But Ambetter also offers PPO plans in Florida, but they don't have a nationwide network.  So even in Florida, you have to be careful what you buy.

 

17 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

If they have an emergency, like a broken ankle, they go to an emergency room just like anyone who's on vacation.

But someone who's on vacation is planning on going home anyway, and can get follow-up care once they get home.

But for someone who's not "going home" after the emergency--I've never been able to get a definitive answer on what's considered an emergency.  Like a broken ankle--where does getting the cast taken off six weeks later fit in?  Is that part of the original emergency?  Is it a separate emergency, and subject to a separate emergency copay?  Is it not an emergency at all, and therefore not covered unless your primary care doctor does it? 

What about emergency heart surgery?  I assume you have to stay in the hospital afterwards.  Is the hospital stay considered still part of the emergency, or is the emergency over once the surgery is over?  If it's the latter, then you don't have any coverage for any of that hospital stay.

And what about follow-up visits once you're out of the hospital?  I'd be shocked if they're covered by the $500 copay for the original emergency, and unless you travel to a doctor in your network, they won't be covered at all.

 

Quote

Of course that does mean going by your physician each year, but you should be doing that away.

Having to be some place specific once a year, at the same time each year, would put a huge crimp in my traveling. 

Same with having to go back to a certain location in order to get follow-up care after an emergency.  For someone who's really on vacation and going back home, it's not a particular disruption.  But a traveling fulltimer would have to change plans in order to go to that location, plus find a place to stay for as long as he needs the follow-up care (the injured vacationer already lives there).  I would much prefer being able to continue to get care wherever I had the emergency, or even in the next place I was planning to go.  Or at least to have that option.

[Barbaraok]

1 hour ago, agesilaus said:

We have FL BCBS and I have Medicare and we've never had a problem stopping on the road if someone needs to see a doc. Once in a small town in MT on Rt 2 and once in Riverton WY are two that I recall. But apparently FL has better than average coverage. I hung on to my employers plan after I retires as a secondary policy.K

Even with most HMOs, you would be able to get coverage for Urgent Care facilities.  But if you were diagnosed with  a condition that required follow-up the expectations would be returning to your primary physician.  That's the draw back with HMOs and why for any full timers only those in relatively good health should consider them.   

As for never returning to see a physician and establishing on going followups, that's a decision that some people make and then wonder why things aren't caught at an early stage.   While you can do that at 40 and maybe 50,  as you age you need to be having routine tests to make sure that all systems are ok or that you identify a potential, or real, problem and take steps to mitigate those problems.   

[Big5er]

9 hours ago, Danandfreda said:

Thanks Phil I was looking for that and knew what most were but couldn’t remember all of them. How are the pups?

Lazy, spoiled and cute as hell....in otherwords, the same as when you saw them    

[Kirk W]

12 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

As for never returning to see a physician and establishing on going followups, that's a decision that some people make and then wonder why things aren't caught at an early stage.   While you can do that at 40 and maybe 50,  as you age you need to be having routine tests to make sure that all systems are ok or that you identify a potential, or real, problem and take steps to mitigate those problems.   

In addition, those who have health conditions that require regular monitoring and maintenance medications are best served by returning to the same doctor on a regular basis because a new doctor is not likely to be willing to renew an expiring prescription based on your previous doctor's diagnosis. When we went on the road, Pam had several maintenance medications which required extensive medical testing before prescriptions were written and monitoring of results. This require d us to plan a trip back through her doctor's locations annually, but since we had grandchildren in that same area, it was really not a major issue. 

[Bill Joyce]

An RVing friend had to go back to South Dakota for cancer treatment and was glad it was not winter, but it did extend into fall.  He did get his initial diagnosis away from South Dakota, but his health insurance required him to be in the state for treatment.  It all worked out since he is still on the road.

[Danandfreda]

Went to dmv yesterday to ask questions about changing semi title to rv doesn’t seem to be a big deal sales tax is higher but most of our retirement isn’t taxed by illinois and we are happy with drs. Here. Need to do more research on having an address or do we use a family member? Been busy going through and purging stuff we moved 9 years ago and put under the stairs only to never open the totes. Probably don’t need anymore 

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, Danandfreda said:

Been busy going through and purging stuff we moved 9 years ago and put under the stairs only to never open the totes. Probably don’t need anymore 

Totes that haven't been opened in nine years are best donated without opening them. Why tempt yourself?

Linda Sand

[Blues]

On 11/26/2019 at 5:23 PM, Barbaraok said:

Even with most HMOs, you would be able to get coverage for Urgent Care facilities.  But if you were diagnosed with  a condition that required follow-up the expectations would be returning to your primary physician.  That's the draw back with HMOs and why for any full timers only those in relatively good health should consider them.   

But what about your case of a broken ankle?  Or even a heart attack, which could happen to a person in relatively good health?  At what point does the covered emergency end, after which the traveler outside his HMO area has no coverage at all?

If people want to go with an HMO because they think they will be able to deal with the restrictions on their travel and their choices in follow-up care, that's up to them.  But as with everything, I think it should be an informed decision, and like I said, I never have been able to get an answer on when a covered emergency ends, which would be vital information for someone choosing a plan under which their coverage while traveling is only for an emergency. 

 

On 11/26/2019 at 5:23 PM, Barbaraok said:

As for never returning to see a physician and establishing on going followups, that's a decision that some people make and then wonder why things aren't caught at an early stage.  

Or it's a decision some people make and then are thankful that they didn't undergo the hassle and expense of unnecessary tests and hassle and expense and mental anguish of false positives and further procedures based on the false positives. 

[Barbaraok]

Obviously you’ve never had a life threatening illness.  Congratulations, hope you never do.  What tests do you consider unnecessary?    Knowing what your homeostasis levels of blood chemistries is important.  If you ALWAYS  run  a little on high or low side of the normal range that is important for any blood chemistry.  Routine mammograms are unimportant?  Your cholesterol level is unimportant?   Pressure check for glaucoma unimportant?  

[Zulu]

On 11/26/2019 at 5:23 PM, Barbaraok said:

Even with most HMOs, you would be able to get coverage for Urgent Care facilities.  But if you were diagnosed with  a condition that required follow-up the expectations would be returning to your primary physician.

When my wife was undergoing cancer treatment, she had a pre-Medicare AZ health plan limited to in-state coverage. We were work camping in CA and had to return to AZ for several chemotherapy treatments. If her health plan would have had nationwide coverage, it would have saved us several long drives back and forth between AZ and CA.

Also, even if the emergency room treatment you get is covered by your health plan, you'll still probably end up paying a $500 or so deductible.

 

On 11/26/2019 at 5:23 PM, Barbaraok said:

That's the draw back with HMOs and why for any full timers only those in relatively good health should consider them.

This is funny. You're in good health until you're not, and I don't believe every serious illness can be predicted with regular check ups.

Finally, Barb, as I recall, before Medicare coverage, you were on a university health plan that had nationwide coverage. If that's correct, then you have never had to actually deal with HMO-style health plans, right?

[Barbaraok]

Yes, we were covered (well still are except it is now our supplemental for Medicare) by the university system we worked for.   And I am not sure how that is relevant.   I didn't say it was a good idea, but that if an HMO was all the was available, the one would have to look at it as others who belong to that HMO do - it will cover emergencies out-of-state but the expectation is one has to return for followup care.  My mother had Medicare Advantage (not that she picked it, it was covered by her pension) and had care in case of an emergency out-of-state.  So yes, I have dealt with an HMO-style health plan.  But my mother didn't travel out of state except for short visits to us and never after 2006 when we retired, we went to her.    

And you are the perfect example of how someone under the HMO would have to deal with a chronic illness, they have to go back to their 'home' area for treatment.  I thought that was what I said.   

I never said a all serious illnesses can be detected early, but there are enough of them that can that to NOT have at least an annual checkup as one ages is really dumb.     We always make sure that we have copies of our last blood work when we hit the road in the spring just in case one of us becomes ill so that they can see what our blood chemistry levels were at the last check.   We also often have scripts for blood work to be done while we are traveling so that we can monitor to make sure our meds are working as designed and that we not showing side effects from any of our meds.   

I would be interested in what people think are wasteful tests run as part of an annual checkup.