Health Insurance

[rachieface]

I know it has been posted before, but I need some ideas about individual health insurance.  Until recently, we were on my husband's BCBS group plan.   He then quit his union job, which was a great move for our family but leaves us having to find individual health insurance, as my employer's group options are too pricey.  So, hit me with ideas.  What do you use if you are on an individual health plan?  We are looking for something NOT crazy expensive that would cover major medical emergencies, plus a few well-being visits here and there.  Maternity coverage for the future would be AWESOME, but I don't know if that is possible without paying close to $1000 a month.  Sigh.  So, I guess my specific questions are:

1) Which company have you found the best basic health insurance rates with?  We are a family of two adults and one toddler.

2) What is an HSA and how does it differ from other insurance options?

3) Have you found an individual plan that covers pregnancy costs?

Help!  I am so overwhelmed by all of this.

[SunRise]

Health Insurance cost fluctuates by State (so writing down what I paid may not be of use). As well, not all states or cities offer as HSA plan (my city does not)

I did have private insurance for myself for several years. It covered my pregnancy. I opted for full coverage health insurance while trying to get pregnant rather then no insurance and a possible risk w/ delivery. Although my health insurance premiums cost much more then a regular normal pregnancy (in my state of NY)

See if the state you are in offers a s-chip program for your children. In NY, all children can be covered under the Children's Health Insurance Program regardless of parents income (on a sliding scale, but much less then regular private insurance)

Edited by SunRise - 11/4/11 at 7:11am

[aeterna]

Private insurance is usually outrageously expensive and with minimal coverage... I've had a few friends struggle with this lately and they've found no reprieve from this generalization. =/

My one recommendation is to check with your local business bureau and see if they offer some sort of group insurance plan; sometimes the local BBB negotiates a group rate for their members through one of the major providers. 

[beebalmmama]

I had to do this a couple of years ago after ds was born because dh's employee insurance premiums were outrageous. I have private which is around $175 a month with a high deductible (I think $2000). I still have my dh's vision and dental plan though. My insurance is through Anthem BCBS. I found it helpful to work with a insurance agent and they were very helpful in helping me decide on a plan. I no longer needed pregnancy coverage but when some of the healthcare reforms were made it was added to my plan. I don't know to what extent because I don't need it, but that area of coverage may be changing so I'd look into it. 

I WORKED on getting my boys on CHP+ and I mean worked. It took over 6 months and several aggravating phone calls and a lot of run around. I almost would say it wasn't worth it but I didn't have a choice and they now have it, which I'm very grateful. However,  I document everything and have a folder dedicated to CHP+.