Senior Spotlight: Healthcare Considerations For Snowbirds

Achieving the best quality of life in retirement isn’t just about where you live, but how you manage your well-being within it. While being a ‘snowbird’ offers a great quality of life and maximizes one’s time in warm weather, the downside may be how to maintain your health and access quality medical systems in two locations.

A recent read on Next Avenue, written by a 25-year career registered nurse, offers unparalleled tips on ‘How Snowbirds Can Find Quality Health Care.’ We encourage you to read the article in full; below you will find the points of interest that really stood out to us! 

The Data 

- More than 70% of Americans feel failed by the US healthcare system.

- Southern (which are the warmer!) states ranked more poorly overall for healthcare than northern states.

- Seven of the 10 worst-ranked states are in the South (Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas).

- Millions of Medicare beneficiaries migrate between two homes and two healthcare systems – and the vast majority are managing at least one healthcare condition if not more than that. 

The Insurance Factors 

- Next Avenue advises snowbirds to “Find physicians and locations that are in your primary insurance and Medicare networks. Then, decide if supplemental insurance makes sense for you and your plans.”

- Did you know that there is actually ‘Snowbird Insurance’?! See the options Medicare offers for those with seasonal homes here. 

- Also consider travel insurance for shorter trips, and research national home health providers with networks in your residence areas. 

The Digital Advantage 

- Most snowbirds are reportedly younger retirees with more education, higher income and intermediate to advanced technology usage. 

- Older ‘seasonal migrators’ experienced higher levels of emergency room visits than non-seasonal migrators; those who had established primary care in their warm-season homes reduced ER visits by nearly 60%. 

- Consider keeping primary care at your fingertips no matter where you are by utilizing providers with telehealth and electronic visits. 

- Note that mail order pharmacies are not only more cost effective in many cases, but will allow you to switch addresses between your summer and winter homes with advance notice. 

- As you establish providers in more than one location, ask if they are using the common medical software EPIC and how you can give permission for your providers to see your records in each other’s portals. 

The end of the Next Avenue article offers a fantastic to-do list which includes tasks such as ordering a 3-month medication refill before you change locations, keeping a digital copy of your insurance cards in your phone, researching in-network providers and nearby emergency care in your winter state, providing both care teams with your advanced care directive and living will and so much more. 

Have you ever considered the snowbird lifestyle?! Where would you fly off too…? Do you know anyone who migrates between a warmer and colder location… don’t forget to share these tips with them!

Wishing you health & happiness in all seasons & climates, 

Bobbi 

Bobbi Decker
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