Topic: health insurance...

[wannabridin]

hey guys.  so my work just took away some crucial benefits on insurance, for NO reason either...  so now i have the 'luxury" of a co-pay, but i have less contributions from the company.  i have NO clue where to start looking for individual insurance!  can you guys please help that have taken care of getting health insurance on their own, outside of the companies they work for?  the new policy starts june 1, so i'd like to have an answer ASAP!

i would really like blue cross/blue shield, as they seemed to have excellent customer service and great coverage, and the price (through my mom whose a school teacher, and then halliburton) was outstanding!  thanks!!

[Duke McDukiedook]

So your company completely yanked your medical insurance without giving the employees a chance to pick up more of the payments?
Could you talk to your HR staff to see if they can talk to your current insurance provider for a reduced rate if you are picking up all of the tab now? That is something worth looking into.

[wannabridin]

no, they're still making us pay, it's just 30 a month less.  the benefits are OK for someone like me (26, pretty healthy) but its still 185 a month...  they yanked the HSA we had, where they gave the eligible employees 800 a year to go towards anything medical related (copays, doc visits, medicine, whatever!) and it rolled over every year 100%!  now that's totally gone.  we don't loose what we have, but i only have like $80-120 in there!

i found a blue cross/blue shield program for 117 a month, and it's a 50/50 plan, meaning no deductible.  i don't know much about 50/50 plans, but it seems like it could get quite "expensive".  my old plan has a 1500 deductible, and the new plan has what i mentioned earlier.  i don't know if it's worth it or not to switch over to a new plan for 60 less a month?

[MickeyX]

Actually, it sounds like even with the changes, your still way ahead of most people.

They took away your extra perks for a reason. It's called $$$. They were "giving" you $$ every year on top of really good insurance. I'd consider yourself pretty lucky overall.

[wannabridin]

the insurance we had before wasn't really good, relative to what i've had in the past!  i guess i'm just spoiled and don't know any better!  eitehr way, sucks losing money, but at least i picked up a deductible, i didn't have that before, 100% of the first $1500.  which i'd never meet in a "standard" year!

anyone have any experience with a 50/50 and $0 deductible plan?

[Duke McDukiedook]

Oh, the good ol' high deductable plan, it's great as long as you don't get sick or hurt!

Just don't get sick or Hurt! 

[Raef]

my deductible is $800.00 per person then an 80/20 co-pay till I spent $2500.00 out of pocket and at a bargain rate of only $800.00 per month. it is mandatory threw my union but no matter I have been self employed since last June it will lapse soon.


At that point I will pick up my wifes ins at 100.00 per week for family coverage, not sure what the coverages are on it yet

[bikerbart]

I am sick of all of us spending so much to get so little.My wife and son are Canadian so they are going to be OK,soon we are going up north and I wont have to deal with this Bullsh*t anymore.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Any Canadian women up in the Vancouver area that need some hitchin' to a lovable lug? 

[BeSeeingYou]

Hard to give advice because insurance varies so much state to state due to diffing state regulations.  I am self employed so I have to buy it on my own (this is one of the most expensive ways).  I have a $5000 deductible to keep it affordable but I am very healthy with no track record of health problems.  Any out of pocket expense for me has always been way less than the higher premiums I would have payed for a low deductible (so far ).  I am basically covered so that a catastrophic illness will not bankrupt me. For some one young and healthy this might be an option to save some money but obviously not for everyone.

[BobbyR]

This is something that will be happening more and more during the coming years. Companies can beef up the balance sheet without making investments or much effort.
My wife and I picked the right company and policy, she is still with the Company and I retired so my choices are limited as a retiree.

I was perfectly healthy until I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in October. I have completed treatment and from the statements they have paid out over $170,000 to date. I had no deductibles and my only out of pocket was $35 copays as I consulted specialists in choosing a Doctor and a treatment.  They estimate I had PC for at least 10 years, so it was working away at me during my 50th Birthday party. So, while you may believe you are healthy, you may not be.

My fear is that we will lose this great coverage when the Wife retires and we have only two "decent' options. We hope that this last adventure of mine is the worst that will happen.

The 3 best Hospitals in my County have gone to war with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. So, people are limited to lower rated Hospitals until this is resolved. 

[mcuozzo]

OK, my two cents...

Make a spreadsheet to compare the plans.  Imagine a $100K medical bill.  Do the math.  I know you are healthy but all it takes is one wrong step and you could be in serious financial trouble.  What's a 50-50 plan?  You pay half, they pay half?  There is NO way that is a good plan.

I was in your situation when I was 26.  Pretty healthy no issues to speak of.  I took that one wrong step and tore my ACL, had complications and the bills were easily over $100K (required a 10 day hospital stay and much longer and more intensive rehab).  Thank God I had a plan with a $1k deductible and and 80/20 payment till $5k, then 100% after that.  My out of pocket was $2k.  If a 50-50 plans is as described, I would have had a $50k bill.  Yikes. 

Good luck and good health...

Matt

[Spanner 1]

That last post sums it all up... nowhere in the civilised world would a torn ACL cost you 2,000 dollars out of your own pocket... except the U.S. of A.... sad, sad, sad, sad , sad.

[wannabridin]

ok, i was going over it last night with my parents, and i'm just going to stick to the insurance they're offering now.  i like the idea of the $40 co-pays better than the 1500 deductible, and it looks like it'll be a good deal anyways for my circumstances.  so it looks like my max out-of-pocket in a year would be 4500, which aint too bad in the event of something major, like you guys have mentioned...  thanks for the advice guys!