health insurance

[chevy974]

I have been real worried lately about not having insurance.  We make to much for state insurance but cant afford the 600 a pay for insurance through DH work with a 5000 deductable.

What do you all do???

AMY

[sbgrace]

In your place I would check into a catastrophic plan (one of those with a really high deductible that kicks in should something horrible happen like an accident, heart attack, cancer). I had a BIL who lived 7 days after a car accident (26) and then my other BIL (hubby's side this time) had one as well and ended up in ICU and the rehabilitation (broken back, head injury). He was uninsured. Not pretty.

[chevy974]

the plan at dh work is catastophic plan but it is 1200 a month who can afford that  They really get you coming and going.

amy

[sbgrace]

Look into privately obtained policies. These are the ones that don't kick in a dime until you reach something like 10,000. I've not priced recently but you should be able to get something below that I'd think/hope.
I hate our insurance system.

[Drummer's Wife]

Have you priced out plans from somewhere like ehealthinsurance.com ?  You can get minimal coverage for pretty cheap - like under $100 per person.  The only thing is if you have pre-existing conditions it will be harder to find a decently priced policy (that is supposed to change though, right?) 

As someone who was uninsured and got sick unexpectedly (after never going to the doc except for MW care for pregnancies), I spent 3 weeks in the hospital, had surgery and I sure don't wish those bills on anyone.  Even a really high deductible plan would help.  It's a lot easier to pay on a $10k bill than it is to pay on a $100k one, yk?

Hope you find something affordable. 

[mattemma04]

Hi Amy!

 I was going to post about insurance  when I found yours during a search. Our insurance is about 500 a month and our deductible is 6k a year.Pretty much we are paying $4k a year  just in case we get a bill over 6k....then HOPE the insurance pays something.

My dh refuses to cancel it out of fear.With diabetes and high bp we could not shop around either.

I have looked into Ohio stuff and it would seem that many hospitals offer free or lower cost.I know someone who goes for free care given at a church at times. I recently took my ds to the ER, and am applying for help with the bill.If I don't get any help then I will just pay $20 a month.Any payment will keep you out of collections.

I know some families that only have their kids on state insurance,and they got life insurance for themselves.Maybe covering the kids only would be an option.

[BubbleMa]

Look into getting insurance on your own (not through DH's work).  I've been browsing around have found several plans that are pretty affordable.  Just Google "health insurance Ohio".  Then just browse through each company's plans.  I'm sure you'll find something cheaper than what your DH's company is offering!  I found a family plan for under $200 (in Georgia).  I can't remember what the deductible was though.

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by BubbleMa 

I can't remember what the deductible was though.

There's the rub. There really aren't any deals out there. Low cost plans have high deductibles, or high out-of-pocket limits, or low caps, or less coverage. And if you have a preexisting condition or expensive care, all bets are off and you can't buy a policy no matter how much money you have. I think you should go for an individual catastrophic plan, too, if you can afford it. It's better than nothing.

And remember that in about three years, things will change -- at that point, whatever plan you pay for will be subsidized according to your income, so that it will be affordable.

[BubbleMa]

I just went back to the website and went through the quote process again.  Here's what I got:

Enhanced Copay 80%

Annual deductible of:

$1,000 - you pay $334.94/month
$2,500 - you pay $223.26/month

Copay 80%

Annual deductible of:

$3,500 - you pay $186.90/month
$5,000 - you pay $157.50/month

Copay 70%

Annual deductible of:

$5,000 - you pay $121.77/month

Copay 100%

Annual deductible of:

$5,000 - you pay $121.90/month
$7,500 - you pay $96.00/month

This is a family plan from Humana One (Georgia).  I did it for me (29) and DD (8).  Your numbers will vary some, but this will give you an idea of what you can get.  HTH.  :)

[sunnysandiegan]

I have pre-existing conditions and I just got accepted for the first time in YEARS for an individual policy. My new policy started on Feb 15. I went through ehealthinsurance.com and found a policy that is better than the group plan through DH's work AND my new policy is half the cost. The application process was quite different than in the past. I also had to do a phone interview with a nurse or doctor (they don't tell you which).