Who else doesn't have health insurance?

I'm kind of curious about it.

Not having insurance sucks. When you think about it, it's like, not living in the developed world for chrissakes. I don't have a doctor!

Double yoo tee eff.

Actually, I'm also interested in how anyone (if anyone) has managed to get insurance (that's not insanely expensive) who's self-employed, like I am.





Waaaaait a second... did I just start a thread about insurance?

I had to do that for about a 10 months a couple of years ago. Freakin' scary. The best thing to do is to just not think about it and take care of yoursel.

Oh, and cover yourself in bubble wrap.

O, I totally already did that. Thanks tho.

Have you tried NASE (National Association of the Self Employed)? I can't really recommend the company that provides insurance for them, however...But mainly because my needs were very specific, and they were not suited by the company.

What do you consider "insanely expensive"? I don't know for certain, but my guess is that it's all gonna be insanely expensive (to me, $2800 a year is insanely expensive, YMMV, though). I think the trick is in making the most of the expense. That is, most obviously, to find the best deal for the loot your dropping. And again, quite obviously, while this is a basic caveat, it is much harder to achieve than it sounds. I'm not saying anything you prolly don't already know.

I feel like I kinda got screwed with mine because they didn't cover what I needed the bloody insurance for in the first place. And that's really my point. They covered the doctor's office visits (co-pay stuff), but not the sleep studies and the CPAP machine I need. There were a number of expenses that they should have covered, but I had to argue with them to get them to admit that they should be covering those things.

It sorta balanced out as far as the machine went, because I was able to find a slightly used one...the previous owner returned it within a month, and hardly used it in that time...but the price was drastically reduced.

I ended up dropping them because I got hit very hard at tax time. Couldn't afford that expense anymore. So, right now, my insurance comes down to not getting sick. Which ain't working out as well as I'd like. I tell ya, insurance companies sure don't like sick people...

Hmm, thanks. I'll check that out.

Those numbers aren't outside of possibility, good to have a point of comparison.

Thanks for the tips. I hope it works out for you. I find it kind of nuts how difficult it is to find insurance for a fledgling company. I mean, I understand the economics of it, but there is also economic risk for failing to help make starting a small company feasible.

Meh.

I'm self employed and have a high deductible policy through Blue Shield where I pay just under $200 quarterly ($800 per year). The catch is that I'm pretty much on my own financially for doctor visits and prescriptions unless I spend more than $2400 a year (the limit of the deductible) on medical expenses. However, if I were to have something catastrophic happen (accident, cancer), I pay the $2400 deductible and Blue Shield covers me for everything else for the specific accident, AND anything additional for the year. Worst case scenario, I'm out $3200 (ins. + ded.) for the year.... which is probably about what I'd pay for a month to month full coverage insurance policy anyway.

...at least that is my understanding of how my policy works. It's a very minimal policy, but I feel like it's got my back in case the shit really hits the fan. On top of that, I've discovered that some doctors (assuming they have control over their own billing) will actually give you an uninsured discount and take a nice little percentage off of your bill for you if it's all coming out of your own pocket if you ask or inquire.

Yeah... so, I've lived like this for almost four years now. It's not glamorous, but it's better than nothing and cheaper than the alternative.

Thanks UncleDunkel, I'll check out the Blue Shield site. To be honest, I didn't even consider them as a possibility, since I associate them with huge contracts (government agencies, etc).

By the way, your user name is fun to say out loud.

UncleDunkel,UncleDunkel,UncleDunkel!

Thank you National Health Service

Aren't you in the UK?

As for me, I was without Health Insurance for 6 years. Not a good feeling.

My parents were pissed at me once and dropped me without letting me know. I broke my wrist less than a week later and had to pay with a CC before they would even admit me.

*raises hand* Yep. First world nation without a national health care plan....

I'm looking foreward to my first major on the job accident. It's been a few months since anyone's broken or severed anything.....!

my work does not offer insurance and i cannot just "get by" without it, so i am currently on cobra through my previous employer

$315 a month, not to mention $1000 out of pocket up front

insurance sucks...just thinking about it makes me crazy

I just got insurance a few days ago after not having it for about three years. And now that I do have it I plan on doing a lot of dangerous stupid stuff so I don't waste it.

Its sad that America doesn't have a national health service. I assume that, like all the other countries that now have it, the people who first suggest it are called communists.

*raises hand*

I haven't had insurance since I turned 18.

Have you tried saying it in "chipmunk voice" yet?

I'm really scared about getting a job out of college. I have epilepsy and I *need* health insurance to get my medication.

For anyone in California between the ages of 19-29, there's a new health insurance provided by Blue Cross, it's called Tonik, and appears to be pretty straight-forward.

Rates apparently are $64 to $123 per month based on the three different plans that they offer.

I'm not sure what other states do, if there is anything comparable offered.

I don't, I like to live dangerously.

I honestly don't know any more. I had insurance through my parents' work when I was a student but now that I've graduated and moved I don't know when my coverage expires. Whee.

I'm self-employed and have insurance through blue cross/blue shield for about $170/mo.

It's a shitty HMO with high copays, but every hospital in the area accepts it, they actually pay the doctors more or less on time (so you actually get taken care of, instead of being given the runaround and getting jammed for payment upfront).

When shopping around, be sure to ask your local hospitals and doctors which plans they accept, and which ones pays them with a minimum of hassle and paperwork. It'll help you get better care in the long run.

I have to remember this next time I get fired