Page 5 - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - November 2018

If you aren’t going to have a family go out of network, but you’ll bear more
member, neighbor or friend regularly of the cost-sharing. (Or check whether
visit your home, you could hire a home- your plan offers a travel benefit that
watch service, which will periodically can maintain your coverage for no
inspect your house, give you updates extra cost for a limited time while
and provide routine maintenance you’re in another state.) If you decide
(from replacing lightbulbs to removing to return to the same place annually,
snow). The price varies with the loca- consider whether you want or need
tion and size of your home but gener- to change your health plan.
ally runs about $50 per visit. To find
one, visit www.nationalhomewatch CONTACT FINANCIAL
association.org (all members are bonded INSTITUTIONS
and insured), or search the web for Mobile banking and online or auto-
“home watch service” in your location, matic bill pay make it easy to stay on
and verify the contractor’s credentials. top of finances while away. To make
For an extra layer of security, you can sure your bank or credit card issuer
install a network of smart components won’t decline use of your debit or
(including door locks, thermostats, credit card when you’re out of state,
moisture and motion sensors, cam- call or go online to file a travel notifi-
eras, and alarms) that you can control cation (American Express and Capital
from your smartphone (see “Peace of One no longer require one).
Mind for a Dollar a Day,” on page 71).
Or you can hire a monitored smart- E Check your car insurance. Depending
home system, such as ADT’s Pulse on how long you stay, you may have
(starting at $99 for installation plus to register your car in your temporary
$53 per month for monitoring), which state and insure it to the state’s mini-
may earn you a premium discount mums of liability coverage. If you
from your home insurer. don’t, and you’re involved in a traffic
stop or accident, you could face pen-
PLAN FOR HEALTH CARE alties or your insurer could refuse
E Forward mail and calls. Instead of Insurer United Healthcare offers to pay your claim. In Florida, for ex-
asking the post office to forward their these tips for snowbirds: Discuss your ample, you need to register if you stay
mail, the Engels have their son send health plan with your doctors for any 90 days or more per year, and those
them a package of mail every few care you may need while you’re away. days needn’t be consecutive. In Ari-
weeks. If you have a landline, set it Make sure your prescriptions are cur- zona, you must register after seven
to forward your calls. With remote rent and, if possible, written for 90 months. State requirements for liabil-
call forwarding, if it’s available, your days. Double-check with your insurer ity coverage are modest, and your
home phone won’t even ring—which that you can refill your prescriptions coverage should already exceed them
is good for security. The Engels use at a pharmacy wherever you are or (Kiplinger recommends injury cover-
the Verizon Home Phone Unlimited that you can mail-order them with age of at least $100,000 per person and
service ($30 for equipment plus $20 delivery to your seasonal address. $300,000 per accident, and property-
per month for service with a two-year Take along contact information for damage coverage of $50,000, or a min-
contract). They’ve eliminated the your physicians and a copy of your imum of $300,000 on a single-limit
expense of three landlines, kept their medical records. policy). Ask your auto insurer what’s
phone number and receive phone calls Traditional Medicare covers care required where you’re going.
via a wireless adapter they take with from participating providers anywhere
them. If you’ll have access to high- in the U.S. (search for doctors at www DON’T RUSH TO BUY A HOME
speed internet service, you can use .medicare.gov/physiciancompare/). Some snowbirds decide to buy rather
a voice over internet (VoIP) service With a Medicare Advantage HMO than rent but only after they’ve found
such as Vonage (recently $15 per plan, you’re limited to care from in- the ideal spot to winter. That was the
month for the first six months). network providers within specific case for Carol and Phil White of Bend,
regions or even one county, except in Ore. The couple had tried wintering in
E Have someone keep an eye on your emergencies. A Medicare Advantage Hawaii, southern California and Texas
home. Notify police that you’ll be away. PPO, however, usually allows you to before settling on Phoenix. In 2014,

11/2018 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE 69

K11L-SNOWBIRDS.a.indd 69 9/21/18 3:26 PM