Who buys their own health insurance?

[semipenguin]

This is not political. I don't want to know what you think of health care reform. I just want to know if there's anyone here that buys their own health insurance and how much you pay?

I'm considered self employed so I'm looking at buying my own health insurance. Not looking at paying more than $240/mo as an individual.

Thank goodness I quit smoking :shock:

 

[Wayne Edwards]

I own my own business and just got indiviudual insurance two months ago. I'm paying $648 a month for an HMO. They had one with much less benefits for about $350 but I took the middle one. There's a 12-month waiting period for anything that has to do with any pre-existing condition, which means pretty much nothing is covered unless I get hit by a truck. Oh, my co-pay for regular doctor visits is $30 so I "save" about $40 per vist a couple of times a year since my doctor already gave me a discount when I didn't have insurance. All in all, a rip-off and I will probably cancel soon. And yes, I'm embarrased to admit I still smoke.:titanic: Even as a non-smoker I'm not sure what you'll get for $240.

 

[semipenguin]

I own my own business and just got indiviudual insurance two months ago. I'm paying $648 a month for an HMO. They had one with much less benefits for about $350 but I took the middle one. There's a 12-month waiting period for anything that has to do with any pre-existing condition, which means pretty much nothing is covered unless I get hit by a truck. Oh, my co-pay for regular doctor visits is $30 so I "save" about $40 per vist a couple of times a year since my doctor already gave me a discount when I didn't have insurance. All in all, a rip-off and I will probably cancel soon. And yes, I'm embarrased to admit I still smoke.:titanic: Even as a non-smoker I'm not sure what you'll get for $240.

Wow! mfg:

The trucking company I do business with offers health insurance for about $629/mo. I was thinking about Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mo. I need to get more info on other PPO's :worried:

Thanks for the info, Wayne

 

[memebag]

Not looking at paying more than $240/mo as an individual.

You'll need to move to a more civilized country, then.

 

[MAJ Badmotherfarker]

When I was in grad school, it was about $291/month for just me. The university picked up about 50% of the charges meaning it was closer to $600/month. Frickin ridiculous.

/don't pay for health insurance anymore because mine is socialist

 

[goreds2]

That is something employees don't realize is how good a deal they are getting when they are in a company wide health care program. I think most of them take it for granted how much money they are saving and that the employer is footing most of the bill.

 

[MAJ Badmotherfarker]

That is something employees don't realize is how good a deal they are getting when they are in a company wide health care program. I think most of them take it for granted how much money they are saving and that the employer is footing most of the bill.

Or... how much more they'd be making if the company didn't have to pay for their health care.

 

[goreds2]

Or... how much more they'd be making if the company didn't have to pay for their health care.

Some companies pay employees who do NOT use insurance through them. An example would be for an employee who's spouse covers them who works for another company. I have heard of companies paying out $1,000 to $2000 yearly. You just have to show proof you do have insurance via the spouse.

 

[Wayne Edwards]

That is something employees don't realize is how good a deal they are getting when they are in a company wide health care program. I think most of them take it for granted how much money they are saving and that the employer is footing most of the bill.

The thing is insurance companies charge much less per-person with group insurance than individual insurance with the same benefits...about 60% cheaper! And the "pre-existing condition" rule does not exist with group insurance, at worst new employees would just have a 90-day waiting period after being hired before full coverage begins (without being charged during the wait, unlike with individual insurance).

I checked it out when I signed up but none of the insurance companies will accept a group insurance plan for my business because most of my employees only work part time. The minimum needed for group insurance is 5 people who work over 25 hours per week, which I don't have. (There is a pseudo group insurance plan if there are less than 5, but it was ridculous; the per-person cost was almost exactly the same as for individual insurance and the 12-month pre-existing condition rule would still apply.)

 

[TSS Taylor]

I've been paying my own health insurance for about 8 years. Between $150-$170 per month. I haven't been to the doctor in 4 years so they've made some money in that period for sure.

I have been with Mega Life and Health Ins for the past 4 years prior to even hearing their ads on SIRIUS XM.

 

[MAJ Badmotherfarker]

I've been paying my own health insurance for about 8 years. Between $150-$170 per month. I haven't been to the doctor in 4 years so they've made some money in that period for sure.

I have been with Mega Life and Health Ins for the past 4 years prior to even hearing their ads on SIRIUS XM.

The catch always comes when you actually use that coverage. Many companies offer cheap insurance and then do EVERYTHING they can not to pay when you use it.

 

[limegrass69]

Sometimes you can catch a small break on health insurance through a trade association or professional group.

If you are self-employed, it can be a bitch. Even for a small company like mine (we are 18 employees), our health insurance premium (total) jumped 33% last year. If you are a small group like we are, you don't have too many choices.

We just joined something called a PEO (professional employment organization) that lets us offer "big company" benefits to our small group. It's not a bad deal, and it really cut down on our medical costs. I think you can join something like that if you are self employed.

Unfortunately, health insurance is one of those things that you really never value until you need it.

 

[digital100]

I am self-employed and purchased a plan from Anthem for $189/month for family coverage. It is a "high deductible plan" with a $10,000 deductible, but is does pay for preventive care with no deductible. My max out of pocket is $10,000, but our annual costs tend to be in the range of $3,000. We can put money into a MSA for covering costs under the deductible.

I had a regular "all you can eat" plan from Anthem which I traded last year for the high deductible plan. The full service plan came at a cost of about $1300 per month which works out to $15,600 per year. Even after paying the full amount, we would still get back EOBs saying: "we paid _____, you still owe: ______"

The ObamaCare takeover will not allow this type of plan and will require us to pay for the $15,000 plan.

 

[hyson]

I pay 1.5% of my coverage per pay. It's not too bad.

I can't wait to get the bill for having a kid.

 

[Andrew8468]

I was self-employed. I went to being a worker bee for the benefits among other reasons. Being in socialist Canada, most basic costs are paid through my taxes. My employer covers the extras the govt doesn't like dental, eye exams and prescriptions. It costs me $15 out of every paycheque and I still have to pay part of the cost. For prescriptions I pay the dispensing fee and 25% of the cost. In September (if I last that long) and have 2 years of seniority then it'll be the dispensing fee and 10% of the cost.

 

[MAJ Badmotherfarker]

My friend that just joined the Army did so in large part because of the medical coverage. His wife has a few issues that requires medications and their medical insurance bills run around $1000/month. They couldn't afford it so he joined the army to get the socialist health care.

 

[hyson]

My friend that just joined the Army did so in large part because of the medical coverage. His wife has a few issues that requires medications and their medical insurance bills run around $1000/month. They couldn't afford it so he joined the army to get the socialist health care.

Is he a private?

 

[Casual Fan]

What the hell is a paycheque?

I basically buy my own. We have a "group" plan for our two-person office. I pay about $800 a month for medical for a family of four and I think I have some limited vision coverage. It's complete BS that Virginia law prevents us from pooling employees with our sister companies in the region and getting, like, a 15-employee plan that would let me pay $750 a month.

Semi, I would get a major medical plan that covers the big stuff until Congress gets this heath care deal done. You don't want to bankrupt yourself in the meantime if you get in a bad wreck or are beaten up by a nun again.

 

[Wayne Edwards]

I've been paying my own health insurance for about 8 years. Between $150-$170 per month. I haven't been to the doctor in 4 years so they've made some money in that period for sure.

I have been with Mega Life and Health Ins for the past 4 years prior to even hearing their ads on SIRIUS XM.

I tried the website but in NJ all rates are fixed by law so I got the same quotes my current insurance agent gave me. There were also some cheaper quotes than what I'm paying but I chose one with much lower deductibles which is more expensive.

 

[MAJ Badmotherfarker]

Is he a private?

Captain.