What's new
What's new

Cost of health insurance?

mark costello

Stainless
Joined
Jun 25, 2001
Location
lancaster,ohio.43130
Company where I work has announced that if wife's company offers ANY kind of health insurance, she MUST take it as she is not eligible at my company anymore. This is company wide going into effect 3-01-05, not a personal problem. What could we expect to pay for a "standard" policy?
 
I am in Michigan. I pay 180 a month for coverage that only saves my ass if I get in a car accident or become ill. It's through BCBS. It does not cover prescriptions or office visits, but covers all tests, hospital costs, surgeon fees, etc. I recommend calling your insurance company and asking them how much it will cost to keep her on YOUR insurance. It is my understanding that if she is currently insured under your policy, they cannot take her off if you are willing to pay.

Look for another job too...

-Jacob
 
I worked for various government and state institutions over the years so I retired early and have benefits. If I didn't have those benefits, I would go work part time to either get benefits or to be able to buy them. Then the shop would be only part time for me.

I pay about $200 a month out of my pension to very full coverage.

Jerry
 
I have been retired from my fulltime job for 8 years and have Medicare Plus major medical thru BC . My wife Just went on SS but is not yet old enough for Medicare and our combined costs are $815.02 per mo.and that is thru a home builders group of 60,000. when she gets to medicare age I will be switching to BS plan which will reduce this to less than half but also reduced benefits. I would not switch earlier because she is a cancer survivor and with existing situation did not want to get out on a limb.
 
I'm sell employed and pay 430.00 a month just for me. This is all out of hand and nothing is being done about it. I went 2 years with no insurance when I started my buiseness and prayed a lot. First time in my whole life with no insurance. Had the kids covered, I had to but I was left hanging. This needs to be addressed by the goverment. I'm not a liberal at all but there are a lot of greedy people making money off the system. Just my opinion.
Bill
 
Bill is dead right. This is the largest expense in my small business. $1080 a month for me and large family. That is with deductables. They also make every mistake *possible* to save them money.

Simple math says at least 1/2 of health care costs is in Ins. Company "administration". That is why my doctor had 2000 forms (really!) at one time they had to be able to fill out.

If you have to pay it yourself, then tack "income & state tax" on top of it. Keeps going up - for what?

--jerry
 
Shop around. I pay 230 a month for me alone. It is an HMO but has pretty good coverage. I hace been quoted over twice as much for less coverage.

A lot of states have a subsidized healthcare provider which offers reduced price healthcare insurance to small bussinesses and individuals.

In AZ it is Healthcare Group.
 
I pay $182 a month. I am only 24 though, but its the best coverage I could possibly get. No co pay over $10, covers everything up to 5,000,000 lifetime limit.
Its BCBS. Other plans starting at $140 that are good too, just a $250 emergency deductable unless admitted then its 0.
Stay away from less common ones. I have had nothing but problems with them.
 
A side note,
I go to the doctor with one of those colds that just won't go away. I finally get to see the doctor. In five minutes he decides what is wrong writes a prescription and ushers me out to reception to cough up $75.00 for the visit. I pay the bill :mad: and head out to the truck to go home.
Next thing I hear him yelling to hold up a minute, he has a little widget in his hands and asks me if I can make this and how much it would cost. I thoughtfully look at his part, reach for the calculator and let my fingers do the walking. I tell him it is going to take four hours plus materials, so how much he asks. I smile and say $3800.00 and 200.00 of that is materials. I get this big eyed look from him :eek: and he says why so much. I smile once again and say thats the going rate when I have to pay 75.00 for 5 minutes of your time. He was not amused, but then again neither was I. :D

Scott
 
Be careful regarding your Blue Cross coverage. Here is the problem I ran into -- my policy only covered the first $1,500 (their payout) of Physical Therapy, the balance exceeding this was out of my own pocket. I don't know what other coverage limits there are, but I am going to find out!
 
My BlueCrass/BluShield runs 710/mo plus dues
to the association through which it is obtained
(an additional $800/yr). This is family plan,
me and the wife. Just me would be ~$350. Haven't
heard what '05 will be, but '02 and '03 were $650/
month. Local teachers assoc screamed bloody
murder at the governors proposal to raise BC/BS individual costs from $20 to ~$50/mo recently.
They have no clue. Best deal for an individual
who is healthy and on the younger side would be
an MSA set up where you buy high end coverage
for all expenses above (Variable limits) typically
$5000/yr. Policy costs $2-3.5k, you put $4000 or
so per year into a savings account or investment
acct similar to an IRA and pay bills out of that
account. If admitted to the hospital or sh*t
happens, the insurance company steps in and covers
expenses above the $5k limit. If nothing happens
and expenses are less than $4k you put away, it
rolls over, by making steady contributions you
build up an account and it is yours to spend as
desired on retirement (some limits) but it is
like an IRA. It is deductible as well under the
MSA. You have to take a close look at average
annual expenses which can include meds, any
and all MD ordered stuff or visits. Nice deal
for those that can afford insurance and are young
enough and healthy. Steve
 
One thing we have to understand is that there is a difference between health insurance and health care. In a recent study only 9 cents of every dollar spent on insurance actually goes to the individual(s) providing that care. The lions share of the money spent on insurance goes to advertising - I think the number was like 33cents. Why can insurance companies get away with this? They are immune from antitrust regulations and other laws that everyone else must follow. The end result is that $75 that a previous guy complained about for 5 minutes of time likely translates to less than $10/hr. for the physician after the staff etc. is paid. What can you expect when the average wage of a Union dock worker is almost 3 times the average pay of a family physician. And who determines what you pay for the MD appointment? Yea - the insurance company - not the doctors office. And can the doctor join a union to fight for better conditions for himself/herself the patients and staff - not unless you want to go to jail. MD's aren't immune to antitrust laws and you can bet there is pleanty of money from our insurance rates for one hell of a legal team. Just my 2c worth
 
I find it difficult to understand that the U.S. a rich first world country does not provide some form of health care like almost all other first world countries. The answer of course is in what is mentioned in the previous post. The diffrence between health care and health insurance. There is so much money to be made in U.S. from health care that the insurance industry will do what ever it can including out right lies to maintain the system as it is
 
It's wacked. A $208 bill from a med "diagnostics" (ie, check your blood) then has the "insurance adjustment" applied - so the resulting bill to me was $3.48. It's all really wacked out.

--jr
 
Yea - most docs are really fed up. The numbers are meaningless so basically they just send out a bill and the insurance company determines what is "appropriate" If I were to tell my Plunber the $50 charge for the PHONE CALL was going to be reduced to $3.48 I would be in small claims court before the week is out. It is ashame you can't do an honest days work and expect an honest day's pay. I wouldn't have a problem if my doc had a "shop rate" of $75 or even $150/hour. I could deal with that. What hacks me off is that my fees are not going to the guy or gal I depend on to take care of my family - they are going to someone sitting behind a desk in a big glass building somewhere that I have never met. Doc's used to be able to do what was needed to help us out. Now if I am down on my luck and I ask my MD to give me a break or trade services - they can't. Yea it is against the law and they will loose their license if they decrease your bill. Pretty messed up.
Thane
 
I go to the doctor with one of those colds that just won't go away. I finally get to see the doctor. In five minutes he decides what is wrong writes a prescription and ushers me out to reception to cough up $75.00 for the visit. I pay the bill and head out to the truck to go home.
Next thing I hear him yelling to hold up a minute, he has a little widget in his hands and asks me if I can make this and how much it would cost. I thoughtfully look at his part, reach for the calculator and let my fingers do the walking. I tell him it is going to take four hours plus materials, so how much he asks. I smile and say $3800.00 and 200.00 of that is materials. I get this big eyed look from him and he says why so much. I smile once again and say thats the going rate when I have to pay 75.00 for 5 minutes of your time. He was not amused, but then again neither was I.

Scott
Scott,

I moderate the phase converter section of this board.

And, I am a physician (medical oncologist).

Your post, so far, gets my vote as THE BEST for 2005!!!

Bob Nelson
 
I’m in Northern Virginia, self employed(CNC machine shop) and have a family of five that includes one special needs 10 year old…he had a stroke at birth that left him with left side weakness and cognitive problems. I just dropped my health insurance,Care First, BCBS. It was right at 1k per month and each family member had a 2.5k deductible…which we never came close to using, even with our specials need guy. At 1k per month and the high deductible it was not a value. Now we have shopped around(lots over a ten year period) and with the pre existing condition finding a company that will even consider us is next to impossible. Actually that last sentence is not really correct…in the state of Va. an insurance company cannot refuse to write you a policy BUT THEY CAN (read they do) make it totally unaffordable. I just turned fifty and my wife’s not far behind so getting anything cheaper isn’t going to happen. I’ve considered the options…there aren’t many…and I’m investing the 1k monthly and will be paying my way from here out. I talked to my Gov’t employed neighbor and he was completely astonished that I was without healthcare…until I told him how much I was paying…he ran back into his house and kissed his Gov’t pay check!!
Carl

[ 01-07-2005, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: Cheenist ]
 
Communism or capitalism, Ideology that is not based on human welfare is a blasphemy to the creator. My annual payment to the state is AU$600; that gets me coverage for everything but dental.
 








 
Back
Top