Need some input for private health ins. Anyone have suggestions?

[FINFAN]

Hi..we may be needing to get our own private coverage next monthas the COBRA plan is outrageous, but am overwhelmed with all the different ins. co. that are out there. We have always had Blue Cross/ Blue Shield PPO...just luck I guess that all the different co.'s DH or I have worked for used them. Anyone have ind. ins. and like it? We are a family of 4 and looking for basic coverage, with least outrageous premiums, and live in Il.
TIA,
Pam

 

[nancy679]

DH is self employed so we carry our own health insurance. I think it all depends on what you can afford and what kind of coverage you need. Once you get quotes, you will be better able to make up your mind.

Personally, for us, we have a very high deductable, other wise our premiums would be close to a mortgage payment. When we had coverage thru employers, we were spoiled (ie: no deductables, just a small copay)

Luckily we are all healthy and very rarely go to the MD, usually only for checkups, so we chose to go with a high deductable to keep our monthly costs down.

Make sure you know EXACTLY what you new plan covers so there are no surprises when you make a claim.

Good luck, it was very confusing for me too.

 

[Michelle]

I am self-employed and have an individual policy for myself and my daughter (my husband's group policy from work is not as inclusive, and I wanted a PPO and not an HMO).

The company I use is pretty much for the Western U.S., so that won't help you. You really need to get on the different insurance company websites and compare individual and family plans between the different insurers...there are some huge differences.

The other thing I recommend is that you figure out how much you can pay out-of-pocket so that you can find a plan that is affordable for you. If you're willing to accept higher deductibles and a bigger co-pay you can definitely find affordable coverage.

Good luck, I know it's a daunting task but you definitely want to get coverage lined up before your COBRA runs out!

 

[mamajoan]

my only suggestion is DO NOT drop any of your coverage until you are covered by another insurance.

Insurances can deny coverage of a previous condition ie. ADD or Diabetes if there was a lack of coverage btwn insurances.

you can try checking out private carriers that you current doc accepts.
I was always happy with our CIGNA HMO. We had COBRA for 4 months.. YIKES!!! now we have BLUE CROSS HMO.. the coverage is different than it was for CIGNA, esp. meds.
Best of luck!

 

[Lynn CC]

We carry our own health Insurance BCBS, we are both self employed. Our premium is $777.79 per month.

The good news is that you can deduct it 100%, which is up from 70% in 2002.

Good Luck finding something.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

DH is self employed and I work where I have no benefits.

We have BC/BS of Maryland that covers our family of 4. As someone else mentioned, we have a high deductible; $2500 per person/ $5000 for the family. We pay somewhere around $900 per quarter. And it covers well visits, mammograms, things like that, at a $10 copay. And, I can chose my own doctors. I am happy with it.

 

[FINFAN]

Thanks everyone for such quick replies! Yep, I know the new coverage can take 30-60 days for application acceptance, so we need to choose a.s.a.p. We have already met this years deductible and it stinks that we will be looking at paying that out again.... but I am mostly concerned over major medical, (auto accident, kids at emergency room etc. )Luckily we have no pre-existing conditions (that we know of!) so am hoping to afford to stay w/BCBS as we can continue w/current MD's and the hosp. 2 miles away is in the plan. The premiums can go up during the appl. process, so I am keeping my fingers crossed they don't.
LynnC.C., thanks for the tax tip...I was unaware that we could deduct it at all, let alone 100%! Good thing DH does the taxes Great tip, thanks!

 

[CarolA]

I looked into this last year and I get my car insurance and home owner's from Farm Buera and they had a good deal on healthcare also. No maternity, but I don't need that.

 

[Eeyore2U]

You may want to check on the deductible. Many insurers will credit you if you had paid it with another carrier.

 

[Mishetta]

If Blue Care Network (Blue Cross's HMO) is available in your state, you may want to inquire about their rates.

Good luck!