How much do you pay for health insurance? - Page 3

[SubliminalDarkness]

Originally Posted by Ygle 

Wowza, in Georgia?  We actually looked into moving there about 6 years ago and a big factor was how much cheaper insurance was! 

sunnysandiegan... maybe it's different state to state? but I know I've read that it is illegal to be compensated for individual insurance by your employer... I'm pretty confident this is the case everywhere, though. 

Yep. It's through his employer, but they're based out of state so his insurance is based out of state as well. 
 

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by Ygle 

Wowza, in Georgia?  We actually looked into moving there about 6 years ago and a big factor was how much cheaper insurance was! 

sunnysandiegan... maybe it's different state to state? but I know I've read that it is illegal to be compensated for individual insurance by your employer... I'm pretty confident this is the case everywhere, though. 

Apparently, it is legal in my state (WI) to pay you money to not join your employers group coverage since I have had that arrangement for nine of the last ten years.  It say "pay in leui of insurance" on my pay stub and amounts to a pretty big chunk of my total annual compensation (about 20%).  I have always used coverage provided my DH's employer (except when he was unemployed and then we took my employer's coverage). 

DH's employer pays about 80% of the premium and DH's share runs about $200 per month.  His employer also kicks in $600 per year to a HSA for deductibles (our are $2000 individual, $4000 family).   Anyway my pay for not taking the insurance is pretty much balances out our share of deductibles and premiums.  So using this math we pay pretty close to nothing, but is sure doesn't feel like it when I get medical bills in the four figures that we are responsilbe to pay.

[SunRise]

Originally Posted by Ygle 

If you can get it, individual is much, much cheaper than group health insurance, so it's worth looking into!  Also, if you have gone a period without health insurance often times you can have access to health insurance at a much lower rate (in my case we could get health insurance for about 1/15 the cost if we hadn't been paying a small fortune for insurance all these years, ugh!)

Can you elaborate? When you say individual, do you mean private health insurance rates are less then group health insurance? This isn't my experience! 

In NY, I was self-employed and had private insurance for several years, starting at 900/mth.  The premium increased 200 dollars each year. I dropped it when it reached 1350 (last year). And switched to catastrophic, 550 (last year) and it has already increased to 650/mth.  The conventional policy with a 1000 dedeuctible started @ 900/mth,  Right now, my kids are on the chp program which I pay 360/mth.  Private family insurance was a nice 3600/mth a year ago.

Previous to my private insurance, I had insurance through my employer / a group policy, which was around 750 (for a family), and it was mostly paid for by the company.  That rate was in 2006 though and has surely increased, but probably/hopefully not to the 3600.00 for family private insurance.
 

[Ygle]

Yep, by a long shot!  Group health insurance has to take everyone and also charge the same rate for everyone whereas private health insurance not only doesn't have to take anyone they can charge higher rates for different age brackets.  The exact same plan my dh's work has right now for example is $350 less for month just for my portion (I can't find out for my children since we can only find out during open enrollment in August now because of the recent health insurance law changes).  Back 10 years ago when I finally realized this we were paying over $800/mo for group health insurance with high deductibles and poor coverage and I switched to an individual HMO plan for $123/mo no deductible and they covered everything with an occasional $10/copay (that plan was cancelled unfortunately... later when I tried to get a different individual plan we were denied because one of my children has allergies).  Every insurance carrier and broker I have spoken with said private health insurance, if you can get it (which you have to be in pretty much perfect health and definitely not pregnant or any claims in the last five years), is always going to be a much better deal. But this may be different in different states obviously... also it will of course be less expensive if it's subsidized by the employer as well as larger companies can get better group rates. 

Originally Posted by SunRise 

Can you elaborate? When you say individual, do you mean private health insurance rates are less then group health insurance? This isn't my experience! 

[sunnysandiegan]

Private individual policies definitely have lower premiums than SMALL group plans! Large group plans have the best rates and most large companies kick in something towards premiums, too.

[SunRise]

Thanks for explaining but I am still baffled! Must be different by state ... because group health coverage is much less expensive then individual in the state I am in. My private health insurance (quote of 3600/mth for family of 4 no deductible/10 copay) is much higher then group health insurance (750/mth for family of 4 (although 750 was 4 years ago; I am sure it has not increased by 3000 dollars))  Same plan, Same health insurance company.   And yeah, with the group plan, the company subsidized most of the 750/mth cost. I think I paid 100 a month.  Small company health plans; yeah, that is difficult to get or afford (both company & employer) We were too small to qualify for a group plan hence the individual plan.

At any rate, I dropped from full coverage, to catastrophic because the cost kept increasing and I rarely go to the doctor. And really I couldn't justify spending 1300/mth for one person!

[amma_mama]

Through my employer, we pay $184 biweekly, so just under $4800 per annum.

Family deductible: $0 in network / $600 out

Family Out of Pocket limit: $4000 in / $8000 out

Copay: $20 or $40, depending on the type of doctor you're seeing

Prescriptions: Copays seem to run $5 - $50 each depending on whether a generic is available

Annual check-ups and the like are covered 100%