Health insurance

[kevinbahnz]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

*waits to see if someone posts they don't have health insurance but drives a BMW*

Yes you rrrrrang?? Since I left my parents policy back in 1997 I've never been to the emergency room. Had a couple of wisdom tooth pulled but paid out of pocket. Had health insurance from 2005-2009 thru company but never used it except for a pair of reading glasses. Since then I've never had Insurance. My wife and kids do but not me. I just bought a half m life insurance policy for them.

[talisman311]

Cigna PPO...~700 a year and 1300 out of pocket max, up quite a bit from prior years. It really depends on your employer... My company used to be under GE and we had cheap and stellar benefits. Now that we're <10,000 people worldwide, we don't quite have the bargaining power of ~300,000 employees.

[shaun671]

Aetna but not by choice. If i had my way it would be BCBS

[xtac]

no health ins, self employed - drive bmw /truth

[TeRRoRiFiC35]

First I was under my parents plan which was Cigna (PPO). They weren't bad. At my first job I had Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO). My deductibles increased on all aspects except if I had to go to the emergency room. My prescription plan that was through them was insane. The best example I can give is my one inhaler for asthema, Advair. Under Cigna I was paying $30 per refill on that. Through BCBS I was about between $60-80 (it would fluctuate for some weird reason). I was paying roughly $130 a month through the company for the plan. BCBS also didn't like to pay for quite a bit of stuff when it came to going to the doctor, especially if they deemed it optional. Even generic brand prescriptions would cost in that range. At my new job I have Aetna (PPO) for medical and CVS for prescription. My prescriptions are now all $25 for name brand and $5 for generic. My deductibles have also all decreased across the board. I don't know about doctors bills since I haven't been to one since starting the new job. I pay about $90 a month on this one since I am a non smoker and receive a sizable discount for that.

[Brey335i]

I have Cigna and CVS for Prescription. My ex has Aetna. Both decent companies, although it always seemed to me that I paid less co-pay.

[Lizard1]

I'm a physician and see the other side of insurance companies unfortunately all too often and what they will actually do for a patient/subscriber

BCBS. Far away the best
united. Just about the worst. They will do everything they can to not cover services for the patient or adequate meds. They will only cover cheap generics. You can get a trade drug once you have failed 3 of their generics but when you renew your policy, you must start the whole process over
The others are getting close to behaving like United with Humana almost overtaking them as being the worst

Tricare - I've been taking just as a thank you for the military personnel but just recently dropped them. They are paying worse than Medicare in some instances so it ends up actually costing me money

Obamacare is going to throw all these uninsured in the Medicaid pool but hardly any doctor takes Medicaid anyway so it's good rhetoric but actually does nothing

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by Liazrd1

I'm a physician and see the other side of insurance companies unfortunately all too often and what they will actually do for a patient/subscriber

BCBS. Far away the best
united. Just about the worst. They will do everything they can to not cover services for the patient or adequate meds. They will only cover cheap generics. You can get a trade drug once you have failed 3 of their generics but when you renew your policy, you must start the whole process over
The others are getting close to behaving like United with Humana almost overtaking them as being the worst

Tricare - I've been taking just as a thank you for the military personnel but just recently dropped them. They are paying worse than Medicare in some instances so it ends up actually costing me money

Obamacare is going to throw all these uninsured in the Medicaid pool but hardly any doctor takes Medicaid anyway so it's good rhetoric but actually does nothing

Well, until they start tying medical licensure with taking a certain percentage of medicaid and/or medicare patients, or some other inane measure. At which point, doctors will be screwed. But that's a bit off topic.

It's really risky to drive without having health insurance!

my cousin got herself injured in an accident - she was driving BMW which is considered as safe vehicle.

She had health insurance hence she was not in that much financial risk. But her companion almost went broke after that accident.

Please Please have health insurance if you are driving by your own.

-raavan

[m3an]

Originally Posted by raavan

It's really risky to drive without having health insurance!

my cousin got herself injured in an accident - she was driving BMW which is considered as safe vehicle.

She had health insurance hence she was not in that much financial risk. But her companion almost went broke after that accident.

Please Please have health insurance if you are driving by your own.

-raavan

actually the best place to be w/ no health insurance is in a car as the car insurance w/ pay for the medical. It is outside of the car where the problem lies.

[kevinbahnz]

Originally Posted by talontid

actually the best place to be w/ no health insurance is in a car as the car insurance w/ pay for the medical. It is outside of the car where the problem lies.

LOlz. I've heard stories (urban legends) where bystanders or witnesses pretend they were part of an accident so they can get paid..

[Adolfo]

Because health insurance is a very important thing i personally think that it should be a part of our life we should definitely go for a policy when we afford it.
You have highlighted a good subject that should be done,I am right now through the bank of England

EMR NEWS

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Adolfo

Because health insurance is a very important thing i personally think that it should be a part of our life we should definitely go for a policy when we afford it.
You have highlighted a good subject that should be done,I am right now through the bank of England

[i dunno]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

*waits to see if someone posts they don't have health insurance but drives a BMW*

i tried to buy health insurance after i graduated college, and then they rejected me because of a pre-existing condition lol

[RambleJ]

Originally Posted by Echo M3

I would recommend choosing your healthcare insurer based on your city. Certain insurers are known for having wider or more expansive networks in certain cities.

I personally prefer PPOs. They allow you to see specialists without a referral and allow you to see physicians outside your network (albeit for a slightly higher fee). They are usually more expensive than HMOs, however.

How much you pay varies TREMENDOUSLY, even within the young age bracket of this forum. Employer contributions, past medical history, etc. will all factor into your premiums.

This^
It soley depends on where you live. Someone in NY will pay different rates vs someone in Cali. Plus the plans benefits will vary as well.
There are a ton of plans to choose from in So Cal, so you need to go about this at a different angle, are you seeing any docs or specialist, taking any meds? If yes to either, find out which plan covers your docs and meds, that will help narrow down the decision,
If you are looking for a plan, let me know. I am a territory manager for health insurance agents in So Cal and am a licensed sales person for all 50 states and major carriers and have been in this industry for 11 years. So I will not try to pigeon hole you into a plan since I work with them all.

[RambleJ]

Originally Posted by i dunno

i tried to buy health insurance after i graduated college, and then they rejected me because of a pre-existing condition lol

As of Jan 2014, that will no longer be an issue.

[i dunno]

Originally Posted by RambleJ

As of Jan 2014, that will no longer be an issue.

I actually have coverage now, but I thought it was so ridiculous when it happened to me. thank you, obamacare

[Year's_End]

The type of plan and specific program you select will largely influence the benefits provided by your carrier.

I deal with insurance coverage with all kinds of policies. Selecting a carrier with a good rep like Blue Cross Blue Shield doesn't mean you'll have a good policy. PPOs are a good first step, as they give you a much wider selection of providers and you don't need referrals. HMOs are usually the most restrictive.

Depends on what kind of benefits/maximums you're willing to pay for in your monthly premium.

[justinnum1]

I pay 60 a month, so 720 a year. United Health through my employer.

[Titanium3er]

Originally Posted by kevinbahnz

LOlz. I've heard stories (urban legends) where bystanders or witnesses pretend they were part of an accident so they can get paid..

I've done more than just heard stories. When I was an insurance adjuster I used to handle injury claims for Cuban immigrants fresh off the boat.

The Cuban mafia would take them straight off the boat and put them all in a 10 person van. They'd then proceed, in a variety of ways, to get into a wreck. Florida PIP insurance is worth 10k per person so each van load was worth 100k to the mob and the shady doctors that did the billing. Whatever they could get from suing the poor bastard who hit them (if they were able to cause the wreck without being 'at fault') was a bonus.

Some were so brazen they'd just tow two previously wrecked cars to a staged accident scene put the people in the cars and call the cops.

Sickens me that we all pay for stuff like that.

[bbbbmw]

Originally Posted by Seminole

+1. I have their in network plan which is $2,300 a year ($1,700 after a healthy lifestyles credit) through my work. It's a really solid plan. I've yet to find a doctor that won't accept it. No yearly limit and only a $20 co-pay for an office visit is really the only expense with it. Hospital trips are 100% covered with zero deductible or ceiling on expenses. I'm in good health, so that comprehensive of a plan might be overkill, but I would rather pay a bit extra for the peace of mind. All the PPO plans that are offered at my work have a annual deductible (lowest is $300) which isn't that bad, but if you ever go to the hospital they only cover 90% of the bills. That might sound like a lot but if you have some type of serious accident that runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars even 10% could put a big strain on your finances.

Check your policy - you should have a "maximum out-of-pocket" amount. After you have met that amount (prob like $2500), your insurance should pay 100% of all medical bills.

[bbbbmw]

Originally Posted by i dunno

I actually have coverage now, but I thought it was so ridiculous when it happened to me. thank you, obamacare

Could you have perhaps joined on your parents policy? Individual insurance can reject you for a pre-existing condition, but group coverage typically doesn't.

Obamacare also mandates that employers offer health coverage. If they don't, they face a $2,000 fine per employee. The immigration bill currently under consideration exempts illegals/immigrants from Obamacare, and therefore the fine. So should the Immigration bill pass, it will be advantageous for employers to hire illegals, over citizens. And we will still have an uninsured class of new citizens.