OT- health insurance

Just curious how many of us buy our own, nonemployerassisted, health insurance. My wife is covered through her work, but they do not have a cheap family coverage( surprising since it's a medical office), so we buy coverage for the family. Right now we are paying $300/month( Assurant(?) company) with a $4700 annual total deductable, not real happy with it, finding out there are alot of non covered "preventative care" visits they dont cover. Had a better plan with BCBS, but that premiem has climbed to almost $500. This just cover's my daughter, youngest son, and myself. What are some of you guys paying, any recommendations on good company's. Outr insurance agent kinda duped us into this current policy, really upset with him, he must get a little extra $ every time a client changes policies/providers. He wont talk to me anymore just the wife, she's more polite than I.

For myself and my wife thru my employer. BCBS and my part is a bit over $900/mo.


About to get too expensive to live.

Changing you from one insurance company, to
another, by an agent, is called "Churning", and
is illegial. They get a great initial commission
for doing this. In Wisconsin, they can be fined,
and loose their license, if you report it to
the state insurance commissioner, and can prove
it.
My "Pet Peeve" is when they don"t pay the
complete bill, claiming that the Hospital/clinic
is charging "more than the usual and customary"

Dave, we used to have our own policy thru BCBS. 3 of us on it, was $568 month-major medical. Never could figure out how much the deductible was-almost never hit it! The good thing was, they would tell the provider to **** themselves over portions of the bill-'not the agreed upon amount'-then we were not responsible for that part! Example: Daughter had her tonsils out last year. Had proceedure in an outpatient clinic. They wanted $4000.00 for the rent of their facility! BCBS made them take $800.00, if I recall right, for that $4000.00 portion! I was still stuck with the $800.00, but not the extra $3200.00! By the way, we got on a good deal with wifes employer now, but last year my policy went up $120.00 per month, and if I was still on my own policy, it would have gone up another $120.00 per month-they sent me notice 2 days after I cancelled it! Can't afford to get sick-or stay healthy for that matter! Greg

I was paying $1100 a month for a pretty good plan with $20 co-pays and $500/$1500 deductible for 5 of us. I had to switch and now pay about $530 a month with $3000/$6000 deductible, no prescription, no co-pays at the Dr. office. I now pay $62 for a Dr. appoinment and we only had 5 visits total in 08. Most prescriptions can be crossed to one of the 400 under $4 at Walmart, Walgreens, etc. or the Dr. has a good supply of free samples. This is the route my agent felt was best for now. I figure I'm saving enough to take the risk as we're in pretty good health and the kids are all 18 and under. I'm afraid if we get National Health care, this will seem cheap.

If you stay with the same company, it pays to shop rates every 2-3 years and change. Health insurance is competitive and you usually get a teaser rate for the first year, a slight premium increase the second, and big increases after that.

mine is with employeer, about 2500 employees in group, my montly in $334.oo, 2000 deductible, for aetna 90/10,, Mark

Medicare covers my first 80 percent for ninety some per month..
Private company charges me 230 a month for nest 20 percent... NUFF SAID!
Kennyp

Thats just one more thing that gone nuts in our country.I used to pay BCBS 40.00 a month for my wife and I and 2 children.I have Medicare plus a BCBS policy to cover what medicare dosent pay.My wife works for a hospital and as of this year she has to pay for her insurance.High deductibles give the ins. cos a free ride.They used to give low rates on hi deduct polices.

Medicare for $90 per month, VA picks up most of the rest. Also have a Supplemental policy with BCBS for $59 per month that plugs a few loopholes with the VA. The BCBS policy includes prescription drugs with a $275 deductible. Also get freebies on medications from the VA for a couple of service connected issues.

I'm on a BCBS plan with over 2000 members. We have a $500 deductible then a 50/50 copay for our next $1200. We also have a 50/50 copay up to $1000 for prescriptions. Maximum out of pocket is $2700 per individual ($5400 for family) if you use both prescriptions and medical care. We usually hit the $2700 on our son every year and sometimes the $5400 for the rest of the family. Plan runs $1,084 a month (family); my cost is $487 a month.

Insurance is expensive until you don't have it.

Three years ago our son was in a nonstop state of emergency - two operations (both brain surgeries) and over a month in two PICUs ran his bill up almost to a cool million. Everything was paid as it should without a single dispute (that we are aware of) and that included two life flights, a couple ambulances and one out of state hospital (Cleveland Clinic).

There comes a point when you wonder if you are fighting the inevitable and we nearly reached it with him. Three years later he's "almost" a normal child (still recovering) with good grades and a distinctive outlook life.

I'm curious. Why did you pick up the Medicare at $90 a month when you're service connected and the VA would cover it all?
Also, in perscriptions, why pick up the BCBS for script when you could have VA scripts at a small copay?
I'm in about the same situation although I'm covered by employer and only picked up the Medicare part b I think. Soon I'll have to make a decision on the 90 a month Medicare and a rider for the other 20%. My decision is to use the VA for everything and say the no to the medicare and rider. That's why I'm asking.

I live in socialist Canada where our health plan is paid for by our taxes.I have had two heart attacks and a stent put in at no cost to me. My medicine runs at six thousand dollars per year all paid for by the unionized job I retired on with a full pension.I would have had to have been a millionaire to have paid for the treatments I have had if I lived in the USA.Thank God for this country I live in.O yeah the old age pension and Canada pension are ready to kick in for me.Think Im gonna buy me another tractor.

Bo, I just started this a couple of months ago when my wife retired and we lost the BCBS plan though her employer. You ask a couple of good questions, and I decided I'd rather have a bit of overkill initially and fine tune it later.

One scenario I was alerted to by VA, Medicare, and BC reps is this: Say I had a heart attack and was taken to the ER of a large local heart hospital. The hospital would save me, (hopefully), stabilize me, and call the VA. The VA would take over from there, and from the time they became involved either pay the bills to keep me at that hospital or transfer me to a VA facility. BUT, I'd be responsible for the bills from the time the attack occurred until the VA took over. Even with Medicare paying 80%, that could be a good chunk of money.

This is one of the loopholes I mentioned above. The local situation is, the VA has an outstanding outpatient facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, 20 miles from my home, but the nearest inpatient hospital is in Omaha, 70 miles away. This was one thing I looked at in structuring my insurance. Like I said, I opted for overkill initially with the thought of maybe fine-tuning later.

I hate to disappoint you but your policy isn't as nice you say. My wife was in Mpls for major back surgery and a lady was in at the same time from Manitoba. She said she was on a waiting list of at least two years before they could operate . So she came to Mpls and had it down. She couldn't wait that long. Is this true in all Provinces in Canada? I've talked to people here from Sask. that come to Minot, N.D. because of the waiting period.

Look into an HSA (Health Savings Account)- you can actually set it up directly with BCBS online. I'm paying $268 per month for me, for a $2,500 deductible 80/20 plan. Plan is pretty much the standard BCBS deal. For what I was paying to be on my wife's BCBS through her job, I can pay my premiums plus put enough in my health savings account to cover the deductible. But the money goes in the health savings account before taxes, and its not taxed when you take it out (so its even better than an IRA). And the beauty of it is, ITS MY MONEY! So I can keep accumulating it (to the tune of up to $3,000 per year plus the $800 codger catch-up). Course, I'm pretty healthy (knock on wood)- so I only use a couple or 3 hundred of it per year (for my semi-annual "Torching of the skin cancers"). Don't know if it would be such a good deal if you were bumping up against the deductible every year. Personally, I think its the greatest thing since sliced bread, which will, of course, make it one of the first things Our Most Ordained Savior Barrack will throw out. I'm sure it doesn't encourage diversity, or some such nonsense.

Wow, its crazy seeing some of the prices you guys are paying for insurance. I've got health insurance through the college I'm going to, but it's nothing like what some of you guys are getting.

.I would have had to have been a millionaire to have paid for the treatments I have had if I lived in the USA


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Really? I'm not a millionaire and I've had well over a million in care for my son. The guy who works with a shovel in a ditch gets the same insurance that I have.

If you had lived in the US they might have found your blockage using a CT scan be for you had the heart attacks. But in Canada you get to wait months for a CT scan if the doctor bothers to ask for one.

I am currently paying $963. per month still pay some co pays, that is for me and my wife, too damm much. Go external_link.

My brother worked for a company that went out of business. He got another job, but before he met the waiting period to qualify for bennies, his son got sick, spent 3 weeks in the hospital. Cost him his house. Our "medical system" sucks. That's why it's the leading cause of bankruptcy.

I pay $266 a month for a no co-pay and $5000 deductible. My wife and I are both in our 50's We changed insurance companies 2 years ago because it was going to $700 a month. Neither of us have any health problems and we don't believe in going to the Dr. unless it is absolutely necessary.

That's why you have COBRA - to cover you when you are between jobs.

Look into an HSA so you can salt away money to pay the deductibles, tax-free.

Look into an HSA so you can salt away money to pay the deductibles, tax-free.

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Agreed

My wife and I had a catastropic health plan for 3 months and it was $340/month for the wife, me and my son, who is now 7. (this was 2 years ago when the wife changed jobs.)
$340/month isnt bad for a catastropic plan for a family. But.........I was told a few years ago by a benefits rep at my old employer that most people will have catastropic coverage only in about 15-20 years due to the rate increases.
Good luck in finding something less.

Hey Bo, I'm coming close to the end of the line. Unless I find a job (not likely where my wife is living at) that has good bennies, I'll be doing the Tri-Care plan. If I understand it correctly, the Medicare picks up at 65 and a different program picks up with Tri-Care. As far as the VA, I think it's small compensation other than the medical facilities (Albuquerque has a very nice one). Is this correct?

Dave, Before you Grip & Moan some more answer this for me....
Are you a tobacco user?
How old are you?
Whats your height & weight?
Kids height and weight?
List your Meds
Kids Meds too?
Is your zip code urban or rural?
Most plans out there are changing in different ways. some good, some not so good.
I will bet you a "Big Red" sodawater when you first visited with this agent your only concern was PREMIUM not coverage!! Assurant....is the old Fortis company and goes back to the old Time Ins Company. Basically an old very well respected company.
Now depending on the type of plan this agent placed you in, you may have some out of pocket expenses. If so they will probably go toward your annual deductable. This is a measure to help keep Premiums lower and allow the company to cost share some expenses with the with the policy holder.
Had you optioned for the Health Saving Account Plan you would have had $$$ in you account to use for these Out Of Pocket (O-O-P) expenses. OBTW you can use before-tax-dollars to fund the HSA it can ride there and be used for Medical expenditures in a non tax position like an IRA. Runs under the same rules and regs as a rule. Some states vary a little, check with your state.
What am I saying here.....I am a Texas Ins Agent. of 16 yrs. If you are anywhere North of 40 yrs old, reasonable health, non-tobacco, very little to no meds. Quite Griping, doesn't sound that out of line to me!
I can't speak to why he hasn't visited with you, nor will I defend him for that! Maybe ya'll had words or something we are not privied to that info here. Again, Truly it doesn't sound all that bat as far as premium, Yes you have more O-O-P expenses here but they probably go toward your Annual Deductable. just the way it is now.
As always you are free to shop around again! This time you may not get as good a company as Assurant! There are surenough worse companies out there. Didn't mean to be short or sarcastic with you here just making a point, Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.