Other retirees work for insurance benefits
18 02 08 - 11:46
By Kevin Flaherty | THE MORNING SUN
While many retirees plunge back into the workforce to help solve boredom, many others do so to gain health insurance benefits.
David Rua, Farmers Insurance Group agent, said he saw a number of people who worked until they were 65 to keep insurance.
"I do see that a lot," Rua said. "I would even say that's one of the primary reasons people don't retire. There are a lot of people who, when they get over 60, they don't retire until they hit 65 and can draw Medicare. You hear a lot of people say, ‘Otherwise, I would have retired a long time ago.'"
But for those semi-retirees who take jobs that don't have insurance, Rua said it wouldn't help their bid to obtain insurance just by having a job.
"It's on a case-by-case basis," Rua said. "But it's not so much if you're working or not in terms of whether you can receive insurance. It's based more on your health. If you're healthy, you can get it. If you're not, you usually can't."
Rua said it was harder for an individual person to buy insurance on their own than to join a group plan that automatically takes all members.
But Jonathan Unruh, a wellness specialist at the Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center's Wellness Center, said people shouldn't take jobs if their health wouldn't allow it. He said even if workers do decide to proceed after retirement, they should consider an exercise program to keep their bodies humming and help to stay healthy.
"We've had some gentlemen come in here who have been contractors in the construction business, and they continue to work, but they get really selective in terms of what jobs they decide to take," Unruh said. "It really helps them to participate in an exercise program. Many of them can still do some hard labor, but it's a major surprise to them when their bodies can't stay as active as in their normal career."
Unruh said even skilled labor or sales people could use exercise to keep their health up and their insurance prices down.
"Many times, they find that they have more time to focus in on health and wellness," Unruh said. "It gives them a chance to try to prevent diseases and prevent illnesses, while maybe improving on past injuries."
Sean Anderson, an exercise specialist at the center, said that with a healthy outlook, workers could continue on far past retirement.
"Most of our people here are completely retired, but coming out here helps with their health and helps them socialize with other people," Anderson said. "But we do have some people who do a lot of volunteer work, or who have a side job for a while, some on into their 80s and 90s. It's really on a case-by-case basis."