How much $$ is your health insurance
- Thread starter OzyMoto
- Start date
Fe_princess
LIFETIME SPONSOR
- Sep 7, 2001
- 519
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I pay $75 a month split between two checks and my boss pays the other $125, so in total it's $200.
My dental is questionable but free...
My dental is questionable but free...
zio
Mr. Atlas
- Jul 28, 2000
- 2,284
- 0
Y2Z, gotta burst your bubble- yours ain't free. That's one of the biggest reasons your taxes are so dang high.
Ozy- don't bother with that Blue Cross plan. Go for a Blue Shield plan called the Preferred Savings $2400. No copays for office visits or prescriptions, but a lot less per month. And for major medical stuff, your out of pocket limit is a lot lower.
No company will take you until you get a clean bill of health from your Doc. You can try a short term policy from CPIC if you want. Their Option 12 plans are renewable for up to a year. They won't cover pre-existing conditions, but that means they'll usually accept you as long as you don't have any other major health conditions like cancer or the Clap. But back to the Blue Shield policy vs. the Blue Cross one- here's the scoop: take the monthly premium, multiply it by 12 (better to get a year-long perspective than just one month). Then subtract the difference. On average, how many times do you go to the doctor? Figure a doctor visit on the Blue Shield plan will cost you roughly $55 (you don't have a copay, but you will get a discount if you use a Blue Shield doc). Do the same for prescriptions. And one more thing to consider is if you're self employed, you can use pre-taxed income to pay for medical expenses under the Blue Shield plan. MSA plans allow self-employed people or spouses of self-employeds to open up a special savings acct much like an IRA, except you get to spend the money on medical, dental, vision, etc. expenses. For most folks, the monthly savings in premium is enough to justify going with the cheaper plan. Remember- health insurance is intended to protect you from big financial losses, not pay for every splinter and sniffle.
Stay away from Health Net. They're not a bad company at all (In fact, they're one of my favorites for employer-sponsored plans) and their policies are as good as the next guy's. But their underwriting is the worst of any individual company out there. I have more trouble getting folks approved with them than anyone else.
You can shop around the net for prices. But when it's time to actually apply, I recommend using a good broker. It doesn't cost a penny more, and the good ones will help you through the whole process, and provide personal support for the life of the policy (help with claims & stuff). I haven't heard much good about the online brokers. Send me a pm with your location, and I'll give you the name of a very good agent, and i promise it won't be me).
And for the rest of you, make your agent shop around. Health insurance premiums are going to keep going up. Do a cost analysis like I mentioned above to determine if you really need to be spending so much per month.
For employers who have employees share the expenses- your agent should have you in a Sec. 125 POP plan so that they're paying their portion of premiums with pre-taxed dollars. The main purpose of this is to reduce the employee's taxable income, and to reduce your payroll taxes as well as your Workers' Comp costs (most Workers' Comp rates are based on taxable payroll). POP plans just got a whole lot easier to administer since the IRS removed the annual 5500 filing requirement. Now, you only have to do it once at initial plan implementation.
There. That's my health insurance 101 lecture. It's not often I get to give out helpful advice here on DRN. But I love it whenever I can help with insurance stuff. Come to think of it, if anyone ever has a question or claim issue, PM me & I might be able to help. I won't ever sell insurance to anyone on DRN. I just love helping people with this stuff for no other reason than it's hard to find someone willing to help without an ulterior motive. :|
Ozy- don't bother with that Blue Cross plan. Go for a Blue Shield plan called the Preferred Savings $2400. No copays for office visits or prescriptions, but a lot less per month. And for major medical stuff, your out of pocket limit is a lot lower.
No company will take you until you get a clean bill of health from your Doc. You can try a short term policy from CPIC if you want. Their Option 12 plans are renewable for up to a year. They won't cover pre-existing conditions, but that means they'll usually accept you as long as you don't have any other major health conditions like cancer or the Clap. But back to the Blue Shield policy vs. the Blue Cross one- here's the scoop: take the monthly premium, multiply it by 12 (better to get a year-long perspective than just one month). Then subtract the difference. On average, how many times do you go to the doctor? Figure a doctor visit on the Blue Shield plan will cost you roughly $55 (you don't have a copay, but you will get a discount if you use a Blue Shield doc). Do the same for prescriptions. And one more thing to consider is if you're self employed, you can use pre-taxed income to pay for medical expenses under the Blue Shield plan. MSA plans allow self-employed people or spouses of self-employeds to open up a special savings acct much like an IRA, except you get to spend the money on medical, dental, vision, etc. expenses. For most folks, the monthly savings in premium is enough to justify going with the cheaper plan. Remember- health insurance is intended to protect you from big financial losses, not pay for every splinter and sniffle.
Stay away from Health Net. They're not a bad company at all (In fact, they're one of my favorites for employer-sponsored plans) and their policies are as good as the next guy's. But their underwriting is the worst of any individual company out there. I have more trouble getting folks approved with them than anyone else.
You can shop around the net for prices. But when it's time to actually apply, I recommend using a good broker. It doesn't cost a penny more, and the good ones will help you through the whole process, and provide personal support for the life of the policy (help with claims & stuff). I haven't heard much good about the online brokers. Send me a pm with your location, and I'll give you the name of a very good agent, and i promise it won't be me).
And for the rest of you, make your agent shop around. Health insurance premiums are going to keep going up. Do a cost analysis like I mentioned above to determine if you really need to be spending so much per month.
For employers who have employees share the expenses- your agent should have you in a Sec. 125 POP plan so that they're paying their portion of premiums with pre-taxed dollars. The main purpose of this is to reduce the employee's taxable income, and to reduce your payroll taxes as well as your Workers' Comp costs (most Workers' Comp rates are based on taxable payroll). POP plans just got a whole lot easier to administer since the IRS removed the annual 5500 filing requirement. Now, you only have to do it once at initial plan implementation.
There. That's my health insurance 101 lecture. It's not often I get to give out helpful advice here on DRN. But I love it whenever I can help with insurance stuff. Come to think of it, if anyone ever has a question or claim issue, PM me & I might be able to help. I won't ever sell insurance to anyone on DRN. I just love helping people with this stuff for no other reason than it's hard to find someone willing to help without an ulterior motive. :|
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72 a month for one person. 50 deduct I believe. I work for a healthcare administrator so we have pretty good benefits. I have yet to use any of the coverage so I don't know how "good" it really is.
::
Found my card.
United HealthCare PPO
Office co-pay $15
::
Found my card.
United HealthCare PPO
Office co-pay $15
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- Oct 28, 2001
- 4,704
- 0
I pay $1,642 per year, or $137 per month for medical, dental, and accidental death/dismemberment for a family of 5. This is taken out of pre-tax dollars. I also set aside $1,600 in flexible health care spending account, also pre-tax.
The medical plan option I selected has the highest copay's and deductible, but lowest premium. Like Zio said, invest in health insurance to protect yourself against catastrophic accidents, not so that revolving visits to your GP are free.
I don't know my employer's share of health insurance.
My out-of-pocket premiums when up 61% between 2002 and 2003; I am not looking forward to 2004's open enrollment next month.
The medical plan option I selected has the highest copay's and deductible, but lowest premium. Like Zio said, invest in health insurance to protect yourself against catastrophic accidents, not so that revolving visits to your GP are free.
I don't know my employer's share of health insurance.
My out-of-pocket premiums when up 61% between 2002 and 2003; I am not looking forward to 2004's open enrollment next month.
dirtbikedad
Member
- Mar 24, 2001
- 110
- 0
Try the Army... 100% medical and dental for you and free coverage with small co-pay for your family members. You can't beat it. Did I mention that the medical and dental continue for free after you retire.
- Jan 25, 2000
- 1,822
- 0
Gotta burst your bubble, but yours is less free. The subject is not even an issue in Canada - if you have a problem, just check into the nearest hospital. Your automatically covered if you are a citizen or resident. Even if you're unemployed and not paying in, you're still covered.
Our company's last HMO had a clause concerning broken bones, "if the bone is not protruding through the skin, then it is not considered an emergency". Talk about cold. :silly: With the skyrocketing costs of healthcare and the aging of America, it won't be much longer before Americans will band together and stand up for their rights regarding health care.
Aetna HMO deductibles -
240 bucks if you check into a hospital
50 bucks if you visit the ER
15 bucks co-pay
But getting them to pay the hospital bills is a real battle.
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- Thread starter
- #36
Thanks for the info. My email address is [email protected]
I tried to PM you but the system here wont let me. Thanks
- Jan 25, 2000
- 1,822
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I spent the first 35 years of my life in Canada (born in Southern Alberta) and also made a few trips to hospitals in Medicine Hat and (the last time) in Calgary. When I went to the hospital when I was 28, the tests (numerous), the waiting period and even the hospital beds were identical to my most recent trip to SoCal hospitals. De Ja Vu (or however you spell it, pardon my French). And trust me, Cathy Bates is alive and well, and working in Parkview General hospital (SoCal).
I'm aware of the taxation situation in Canada (I was even a smoker once), but I much prefer it to the system in the US. Nobody said the system in Canada is perfect, but it's the lesser of two evils. Experience it first hand, and see if you like to be discriminated against because you have a pre-existng condition or your age (health care premiums jump dramatically when you get older)
I've heard that a few private hospitals are opening in Canada. Be careful, you might get your wish.
There may be a longer waitng period for tests in Canada for non-emergency situations, but I haven't experienced it personally. If you don't think that these negative reports on Canadian health care are mostly propaganda put out by US health insurance companies, health care organizations, etc., then you've had one too many Molson Canadians. :confused:
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Holeshot.....there's no such thing as too many Molsons.
You have a point about a possible propaganda campaign, and probably a lot more insight from being inside the system. Also, I suspect there are fringe benifits from being inside the system with regard to waiting lists and such. There are some cases where Canada's health care system works well. Simple breaks and accidents. Specialized and timely treatment of cancer are very poor in Canada. If you have cancer, and want to survive, get your butt down to the US, and buck up. Otherwise, save a dime, and buy a plot. As a side, note, my uncle has just been misdiagnosed for the second time with a retinal detachment in Medicine Hat, and Calgary.
YMMV.
You have a point about a possible propaganda campaign, and probably a lot more insight from being inside the system. Also, I suspect there are fringe benifits from being inside the system with regard to waiting lists and such. There are some cases where Canada's health care system works well. Simple breaks and accidents. Specialized and timely treatment of cancer are very poor in Canada. If you have cancer, and want to survive, get your butt down to the US, and buck up. Otherwise, save a dime, and buy a plot. As a side, note, my uncle has just been misdiagnosed for the second time with a retinal detachment in Medicine Hat, and Calgary.
YMMV.
