Full timer or close to it.

[glider]

This may not be the right forum for this topic, and it's probably already on this site and I have overlooked it.
But here goes: I will soon be making the "Plunge", and I'm a newbie, I would like some answers as to how you do Doctors, Prescription meds., mail, which state do you license your MH & toad. Taxes etc. If you plan to be rving most of the time if not all the time?
Irv2 has been VERY helpful and I hope you guys (or gals) can advise me on this topic. Thanks Glider

[Skip426]

Glider, Good luck on the full timing thing, I'm sure you'll get all the advice you seek. I'll throw this out first thing; because you didn't post your current location. If you are Canadian, you must maintain ties to Canada; i.e. own property, maintain a mailing address, and keep very good records of your border crossings and length of stay in the US. Homeland Security doesn't allow Canadian full timers into the states. Border guards will ask questions about, " Who's looking after your house ? " or planed lenghth of stay, and will deny you entry if you're not maintaining " close ties " to Canada. If you are a US citizen, make sure you keep your passport with you, as you can; in some cases; walk or drive out of the US without it , but you will need it to get back in.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glider This may not be the right forum for this topic, and it's probably already on this site and I have overlooked it. But here goes: I will soon be making the "Plunge", and I'm a newbie, I would like some answers as to how you do Doctors, Prescription meds., mail, which state do you license your MH & toad. Taxes etc. If you plan to be rving most of the time if not all the time? Irv2 has been VERY helpful and I hope you guys (or gals) can advise me on this topic. Thanks Glider

If you scroll down to the Full-timers Forum under the RV Lifestyles heading and look through some of the old posts, you will probably find more answers to your questions.

Most full-timers choose Texas, South Dakota or Florida for their official domicile. There are also other states, but the 3 I mentioned make establishing residency relatively easy, and they have favorable tax structures (no state income tax, no inheritance tax, etc.).

Our vehicles are registered in SD, we have SD driver licenses, and we are registered to vote in SD. There are several mail forwarding services in SD (we use Alternative Resources - there is info on their website on how to become a SD resident and the advantages), and the state accepts those addresses for vehicle registration, etc. Escapees is an RV club that has a terrific mail forwarding service in Texas. If you are going to be a full-timer, I highly recommend joining Escapees whether you use their mail forwarding service or not. Escapees has an excellent booklet somewhere on their website called "How to Become a Real Texan."

For doctors, we go back to our old hometown. Some full-timers find new doctors in their new home state. This helps establish your residency and helps break ties to your old state in the event your old state is aggressive in going after tax revenue.

DW is under 65 and is not on Medicare. She is still on private health insurance subsidized by my old employer. She gets some meds at Walmart ($4 generics), and the rest from the insurers mail-order prescription service. She gets them mailed to our SD address, and we have to pay to have them forwarded to wherever we happen to be. Sometimes, if we know we are going to be in a certain location for a longer period, she gets them mailed directly to where we are.

If we need a doctor while on the road, DW has to look for one who accepts her insurance (Blue Cross-Blue Shield - pretty universal, so easy to find).

I am on Medicare. I have Medicare Part D (prescription coverage), and I get my meds from the closest Walmart. They transfer the script from the last Walmart where I had it filled.

If I need a doctor on the road, all I have to do is look for one that accepts Medicare.

We pay most of our bills online; and several that we don't (like our RV payment), we set up automatic payment with our bank.

Hope some of this info is helpful. If you have questions that haven't been answered, just ask. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.