health insurance... who buys their own?

[theavenger333]

when i was with Roundys i had dirt cheap, really good health/dental insurance. paid about 7 bucks a week for beyond full coverage. My new job offers coverage, but it's pretty expensive, and not even that great. who buys on their own, through who, how much? i'm single, 27, no health risks, non smoker. basically the cheapest one to cover.

[Prince Valiant]

Try ehealthinsurance.com or WPS.com.

Perhaps the most sensible thing to do at your age would be to purchase a very high deductible insurance, sometimes called "catastrophic plans" and pair it with a Health Savings account. Some of these plans will include one physical a year at no or low cost as continued health monitoring.

Until you build up the amount in the HSA to cover the deductible, there is the potential gap that you may suddenly be called on to cover. Some high deductible plans are as high as 15,000 or more, but I'm not familiar with WI state law and what it allows for maximum deductibles.

Each state has different requirements and accepted uses for HSA's, as well as maximum contributions, etc. But if done right and you're fairly healthy, they can be downright inexpensive once you have your deductible covered (and, you can continue to build beyond in HSA's). The downside of course is that the laws do change every couple years on how you can manage/use the HSA's, so there are little guarantees what you CAN do with it, or how it might benefit you in the future. Being tax deductible, they generally reduce your yearly tax bill, so it's almost like saving with a 30% immediate return on the investment.

[BoosTT]

Health insurance is a crock. I'm exactly the same as you and pay about $85/month. Best plan I ever had was an hsa...I paid like $90/month and got 80/month back in an hsa, this plan sky rocketed to $140/month after 1 year and the company dropped this plan.

[05caddyext]

what did you do with roundy's? I worked for them for 12 years. Also had sweet health care, I think I paid about $5 a week

[wrath]

Look into hospitalization insurance. It's almost free. In the end you're probably better off with the cheapest plan your employer has.

[SSDude]

Thanks to Odumbo care HSA's will be banned in 2013 or 2014

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk

[WilliamZ]

I had Golden Rule from United Health. $2,500 deducible. Around $100/month. $30/Month for Dental with their better plan.

[theavenger333]

what did you do with roundy's? I worked for them for 12 years. Also had sweet health care, I think I paid about $5 a week
i was a assistant manager. was through the HOP program, but that whole deal was a joke with the holding company in ownership.

i'm pretty healthy, i rarely have big things go wrong, but i've had a few lingering things i need to get taken care of, cyst removal, a stricture in my throat. so i do need decent coverage more then just emergency.

[CATNHAT]

We have Anthem, just went up to $800/month and $6000 out of pocket deductible and they are eliminating coverage on my wifes heart medicine. She has a heart condition and they want her to have a pace maker. Shes 43. Anthem has also decided to discontinue coverage for my sons medications also, he has Aspergers.

This doesnt include dental or vision or life insurance.

I would trust a politician before trusting ANY insurance company.

/rant

[Cryptic]

Sharing in case anyone wants to compare. Mine doesn't seem all that horrible after reading above.

Through my employer for "Me+1" coverage I am paying $144.17 Biweekly for my Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance.

UMR Select PPO
Delta Dental High Plan
Vision Signature Plan (sucks IMO)
500k in life insurance

Calendar Year Deductible
Single Membership $300
Family Membership $600

Deductible + Coinsurance
(Maximum annual out of pocket expense)
Single Membership $1,500 In-Network $3,300 Out-Network
Family Membership $3,000 In-Network $6,600 Out-Network

[brotherbenn83]

i was a assistant manager. was through the HOP program, but that whole deal was a joke with the holding company in ownership.

i'm pretty healthy, i rarely have big things go wrong, but i've had a few lingering things i need to get taken care of, cyst removal, a stricture in my throat. so i do need decent coverage more then just emergency.

Usually if you buy your own insurance this way, your preexisting conditions will not be covered. I have Golden Rule (United) also through ehealthinsurance.com. For My family with $2500/person up to $5000 max per year deductible with 100% coverage beyond that I pay $370/month. It also covers routine stuff for my wife and daughter, checkups/vaccines etc.

In your case, a high deductible with HSA would be a good way to go, an HSA allows you to put money into an account tax free and use it to pay for your medical bills; it would be good for paying for any non-covered preexisting conditions.

[theavenger333]

what i "need done" aren't mandatory, they're not classified as pre-existing conditions. So i can avoid all that mess. i paid 7 dollars a week for everything, and i had a HRA account. Got my free wellness visit each year, otherwise i paid a 30 dollar copay on a doctor visit. Regular dental checkups with no copay, and was allowed like one non cleaning visit dental per year. Otherwise my HRA account was 1500 per year, and in the 5 years i had it, i never emptied it once. I was mostly just looking for different sites/places to look.

[Prince Valiant]

Even in the case of pre-existing condition clauses, they're gone after 1 year...IE, if I entered into insurance with a known ACL tear, after 1 year of being insured, the ACL tear would be eligible for coverage if deemed medically necessary.

[michelle]

Definitely look into an HSA. You should be able to find a bank that will provide you one without any "start-up" or "administration" fees.