Month 3 Expenses & Costs of Cruising

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

Courthouse Bay, Camp Lejuene, NC
OooRah Thomm Baby!

How are you military guys getting all this semi free healthcare?
I love the Navy, they took us where we needed to go with Steak and Lobster every night, morning, lunch until it ran out......Ugghhh. I don't eat lobster anymore.

I'm not getting any free healthcare Sarge (E6 type), and I believe sailorboy is paying for his also. (you'll have to check his expenses list)

I think newhaul got the disability thing......

[SSgtPitt]

I musta gotten confused with the Canucks chiming in.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Yeah, but you were in the navy safely on a ship out at sea

I'm thinking 6 years in the marines easily equals 11 years navy. {Quote}

Stand by folks..
Its swing yer Whangers time..

20 years, 6 months, 5 days but who is counting?
Only people I know that can tell you to the day is Military, and those that were incarcerated. What's that tell you ?

[newhaul]

Ok ok 6 years and 3 days with 5 years 7 months and 14 days sea time. As a hull snipe. As far as the VA medical you have to go in to the local facility and register. ( actually thanks to obama they are accepting all vets ) with all the c tee ap we put up with we earned it.

[FlyingScot]

COBRA is paying for your empolyer's plan without your employer subsidizing it. That's why it's so expensive. It has very little to do with the ACA/Obamacare.

I spent six years in the US Navy (MM E-5). VA might accept you but you have to have a service related disability and income is limited. Still way better than it was pre Obama.

For those who are making less than the max income, it can be great supplemental insurance. Hard to make it your primary insurance for ACA reasons.

The above is my understanding it from recently inquiring and reading about it.

I buy insurance on the ACA exchanges, but get no subsidies. Me and two teenagers. Roughly $500/mo for medical and dental. Use same doctors as I had forever.

Healthcare in America has many things to complain about. Always has and apparently always will.

Thank you to the OP for sharing your information!.

[Terrapin]

Originally Posted by thomm225

That's one case. Another Obamacare case is as follows:

$383.00/ month $1,000 deductible. No deductible for the following :MRI's $50.00 co-pay, specialist, $50.00 copay, prescriptions $20.00 copay, preventive medicine co-pay only. $5,000 out of pocket max.....for 2016

This year $360.00/month and slightly higher co-pays.

Insurance costs depend largely on where you live. Florida costs a lot, Massachusetts not as much for the same coverage. And health care coverage under the ACA may be partially subsidized -- so your income matters as well. My COBRA coverage expires in early 2017, and I've been looking for health insurance . . . it's mind boggling!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Terrapin

Insurance costs depend largely on where you live. Florida costs a lot, Massachusetts not as much for the same coverage. And health care coverage under the ACA may be partially subsidized -- so your income matters as well. My COBRA coverage expires in early 2017, and I've been looking for health insurance . . . it's mind boggling!

I haven't check into it for a working person.

This example is what I'm paying for a family member. Mine is $150.00/month thru work on this contract.

On my last contract job, I paid $683.00 per month for myself alone.

It's no picnic for the military retired guys with Tricare either.....but of course lots of those guys continue to smoke, not exercise, etc

Many believe it's embarrassing to wear spandex and ride a bike 20 miles or do the old man run when you are in your 60's..........but it certainly can make an old person feel good for a few days

Btw, sailing a small boat in rough weather helps the old body also especially when you run out of fast food and are stuck with tuna, potatoes, onions, water, the fish you catch, and beer

[newhaul]

Quoted from thomm;

Btw, sailing a small boat in rough weather helps the old body also especially when you run out of fast food and are stuck with tuna, potatoes, onions, water, the fish you catch, and beer. Un quote


I couldnt agree more I dont do fast food or drink beer . Took a short ten day cruise to port townsend was supposed to be.a.three day turned into a a ten day slog in storm comditions . Transmission went out sa ok ling to weather ate good but still lost 12 pounds.felt great once hands got better( dang arthritus)
*

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Quoted from thomm;

Btw, sailing a small boat in rough weather helps the old body also especially when you run out of fast food and are stuck with tuna, potatoes, onions, water, the fish you catch, and beer. Un quote


I couldnt agree more I dont do fast food or drink beer . Took a short ten day cruise to port townsend was supposed to be.a.three day turned into a a ten day slog in storm comditions . Transmission went out sa ok ling to weather ate good but still lost 12 pounds.felt great once hands got better( dang arthritus)
*

Awesome, I'm glad you felt better.

I got the onions and potatoes idea from the book Adrift by Steven Callahan.

They last a long time and I like to keep them onboard in case I run out of the "good" stuff...............my crappy Bojangles Chicken Dinners, Subway Footlongs, the fish aren't biting etc

[Teknishn]

All, concerning cost of medical coverage, ya'll have provided some interesting information as I have been living outside of the US for the better part of the past 20 years and am planning to repatriate early next year. Haven't had medical insurance in the States since 1998 so have to educate myself on all that, including VA benefits.

I too am retired US Navy (20 years, 3 months, 17 days). And to whoever previously stated something about "being safe on a ship at sea"? As a US Navy Squid, did time on the ground in Honduras, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia (medals and scars to prove it). Navy does a lot more than float around on big ships at sea.

The ole Navy men and women here can appreciate the old saying: "I've flushed more saltwater than you have seen".

The OP's info is personally useful as a real-life planning tool for my planned repatriation prior to moving aboard my little plastic classic next year and is much appreciated.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

All, concerning cost of medical coverage, ya'll have provided some interesting information as I have been living outside of the US for the better part of the past 20 years and am planning to repatriate early next year. Haven't had medical insurance in the States since 1998 so have to educate myself on all that, including VA benefits.

I too am retired US Navy (20 years, 3 months, 17 days). And to whoever previously stated something about "being safe on a ship at sea"? As a US Navy Squid, did time on the ground in Honduras, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia (medals and scars to prove it). Navy does a lot more than float around on big ships at sea.

The ole Navy men and women here can appreciate the old saying: "I've flushed more saltwater than you have seen".

The OP's info is personally useful as a real-life planning tool for my planned repatriation prior to moving aboard my little plastic classic next year and is much appreciated.

The being safe on the ship line was me messin' with the OP. (boatman saw it coming and even gave warning)

I've spent over 35 years on navy bases. (it's how I got to learn to be a better sailboat racer. Our inland base was BRAC'd in the mid 90's and we were "forced" to move everything to the gulf coast. Please don't throw me in that briar patch)

I hired personnel for and maintained all the equipment for an aircraft carrier fire fighting school. I hired former ABH's, ABF's (for the fuels school) , and ABE's (for the catapult school)

They'd soak a steel replica of a plane with JP5, light it up, and then crank up 2-3 wind engines (V8's mounted on trailers with airboat props) to simulate a carrier at sea then the students would go fight the fire

It was controlled but still dangerous as hell. Fires are dangerous at sea on any size boat, but especially a Carrier

The EPA stopped this practice in the late 90's though and we went to propane.

I also learned from the ABH's what it's like on the deck of a carrier for a 12 hour shift or more during OP's. The fuelies are constantly stuck near diesel/jp5 fuel and it goes on

[SSgtPitt]

I think we got off topic a bit, but sometimes you go where the wind takes you.
For all that have served and still serve, thank you for your sacrifices and contributions and have a Merry Christmas.

When we meet on the water, we'll share a toast and compare scars, mental and physical

Thanks to the OP for his expenditure reports, it gives another perspective against the $500 a month club.

Chuck Pittman
Former SSGT
USMC

[Dockhand]

Not sure how Flyingscot can get insurance for only $500 month for three, which they are younger than me (mid 50's) but I was quoted $1330 month without any subsidies. They said that it would be more for 2017. I was only getting quotes because I plan only to work until next year but at that price it's making it hard. I was told that I would start to lose subsidies at anything over $40/42k and no subsidies after around 60k.

[Hank Kivett]

I am watching this with great interest...I had budgeted $1500 per month, with the biggest part of that would be for going down the ICW but once there that would drop down somewhat because of less fuel cost.

[boatman61]

I think that the only things you should take into account are fuel, marina and repairs costs.. food and drink will vary greatly depending on both quantity and tastes that need satisfying..
As an example for my last Transat from SXM to Spain the total provisioning for 2 people came to just under $500.. and we still had frozen food (Chicken breasts, Veg etc) we gave away to other cruisers in Almerimar before we left the boat.. canned stuff we left for the owner.