Lazyweb: dumbness prevention request

[prog]

Is $260/month a decent price for health insurance for a self-employed 33-year-old? I've never had to do this myself before, so I really don't know.

It is one of the cheapest offered by the folks I'm talking to, with a nice office & checkup co-pay, but no meds and a crap deductible. I currently do not take medicine, though, nor am I prone to expensive procedures, so it seems like a good place to start.

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Yes, you may infer from this that I've decided to stick with the indie-contractor lifestyle for the time being. I like it.

Comments

[doctor-atomic.livejournal.com]

Full coverage for an individual is usually $400-$500, so I think it is fine.

[jtroutman.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a good deal. The questions are, what is the deductable and co-pays?

If you don't plan on being sick, and plan on having a small pile of cash around, a $1500 or $2500 or even $5000 deductable makes sense -- then you are covered in the event of Something Bad happening, and just get your normal checkups and stay healthy.

If you had some sort of chronic illness (like Lupis or Diabetes) you would want a much lower deductable, but they also probably wouldn't take you because you would be sure to consume more resources than what your monthly payment was.

Also, have you checked up on the company offering the plan? I once had a self-employment plan (1999-2000) through the National Association of the Self Employed, which was really just a front for the MEGA life and health company. And when it came time to pay medical bills for a Something Bad, they refused repeatedly (claiming pre-existing condition) leaving us with a $14,000 bill to pay. http://nasesucks.org/

The last time I bought a small plan Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan, it was about $350/person for individual coverage, and that was with a $1500 deductable and a $20 co-pay. The full family coverage I have today through my employer costs me about $400/month out of pocket, and costs the company about $500/month.

[prog.livejournal.com]

This is through NASRO, which came recommended to me by another friend

I think I will move ahead with the cheapie starty-outy plan.

[taskboy3000.livejournal.com]

Harvard Pilgrim HMO plan w/o prescription drug coverage: $350.

So, you're doing better than me. Of course, I don't go to doctors unless I can't move. :-)

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I was paying about $300/month, with prescription drugs included. $260 seems reasonable.

Going through MBA?

[prog.livejournal.com]

The plan is Harvard Pilgrim by way of NASRO. So I feel pretty good about it.

[cortezopossum.livejournal.com]

This is why I don't have any sympathy for anyone who cries about their co-pay going up from $25/month to $50/month.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Well, that is pretty crappy, actually. I'm talking about my premium here, not my copay. (Which would be $20.)

[xartofnothingx.livejournal.com]

i pay about $54 a month for Blue Cross/Blue Shield (i'll let you do the math)..

that's kinda expensive to me but then again i didn't pay it for over a year because my company covered 100%.

[prog.livejournal.com]

That's gotta be after your employer covers a chunk of the premium themselves, right?

[xartofnothingx.livejournal.com]

yup! my employer covers about 80%.