I Need Insurance...

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

I raised my kids making "JUST enough not to qualify". It's not a fun place to be, since it's really isn't enough to afford usually.

The tax credit is used to reduce your monthly premium...such as it is. The deductible is high but the insurance coverage network allows you to purchase medical services at their negotiated cost...in effect you are paying insurance to buy discounted medical services with a cap, that is a maximum that you must pay for any accident or illness.

I isn't prefect...not even close but it is a start, a step toward socialized single payer health coverage for all Americans.

I spend 40 years in the accident and health insurance biz...your risk isn't illness but accident...on the job accidents are picked up by workers compensation....other stupid stuff that causes injury is on you.

Drop the health insurance and pay the tax penalty...with no pre existing conditions you can pick up health insurance any time...once each year during the enrollment period.

Good luck...we are all looked.
Cheers

Oh man I'm so tired of dealing with those people. I signed up for Obamacare (after like 8 hours on the phone and a bagillion hours on that nonfunctional hole in cyberspace the call a website). I had a temp job at the time and lost it because I was sick for a few days in my first month. So I couldn't pay it, so I applied for Medicare twice and got rejected both times even though I had $0 income. I found a job 2 months later but was outside the enrollment period and couldn't get coverage. But get this: if you don't have insurance, a visit to a cheap doctor (just the office visit) is usually $60-$70 around here. But if you HAVE insurance, the exact same visit costs $300. I found that out when a receptionist filled out my paperwork wrong. So it's genuinely pointless to have any health insurance with a deductible, because your cost of healthcare is actually higher until you meet the deductible. Who knows how long THAT scam has been going on. I prefer alternative healing anyway, and no insurance covers that. So I pay out of pocket and hope I never get in an accident. But if I did get an accident, I wonder if bankruptcy would help get me out of these horrendous unpayable student loans... Oh wait, I did look into that. Nope.

originally posted by: anotheramethyst
But if I did get an accident, I wonder if bankruptcy would help get me out of these horrendous unpayable student loans... Oh wait, I did look into that. Nope.

Most of the reason I chose not to go to college. I was one of the best students in my class. The principal even called me into his office to ask me why I wasn't planning on going to college.

Because to me... it looked like one big scam. Pay an exorbitant amount of money for a piece of paper that's supposed to get me a better paying job in the field I wanted to be in; Except I was already in the field I wanted to be in, and money isn't everything I know, but racking up that much debt in that short amount of time with no guarantee I'd make enough money to cover it... no thanks. Everyone I personally know that has gone to college has settled for a lower paying job and/or something completely unrelated to what they went to college for, so what's the big deal? I have more to my name than all these people I went to school with simply because instead of paying student loans, I could make car payments and take out a loan to build a house. Forget college.

originally posted by: syrinx high priest

originally posted by: Aldakoopa

originally posted by: syrinx high priest
see if you can get an HSA privately

I have been out of the business for years, but that is what I used to recommend for people your age

I'll look into it, but I didn't even know what that was, I had to google it...

health savings account. if you can get lucky and stay healthy the first year, you can build up an account to offset the out of pocket costs and hopefully keep pace in coming years

I don't even know if its offered anymore to individuals

what state do you live in ? North Carolina ?

this may be dated, but it looks promising

HSA

Yep, North Carolina. Thanks, I'll look into it.

originally posted by: JAY1980
a reply to: Aldakoopa

If your healthy for the most part you're better off waiting to see what happens after the election. I can tell you from experience that the current system is a nightmare. Been waiting months for a relative simple procedure...

I'm in the camp that feels certain Hillary is going to win no matter what and she'll never face any penalty for her email scandal, which would probably mean that absolutely nothing changes about healthcare laws (at least not for the better), so I'm not banking on that.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

I found this site to be pretty close to what your premiums will be.
The subsidy is paid directly to your insurer.....after the premium, you pay the deductible and co-insurance.

To keep monthly expenses down, I took Bronze....
Basically, it covers nothing. But I don't use it much...thankfully.
www.valuepenguin.com...

YOu might want to look into VSP vision coverage....not too expensive...and fairly goo coverage.
www.vsp.com...

Good luck...

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: Aldakoopa
The subsidy is paid directly to your insurer.....after the premium, you pay the deductible and co-insurance.

So does that mean I actually pay the amount after the subsidy? so that $300/month bronze plan that covers basically nothing would actually be free? Sorry, I'm just still not understanding things here.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

Yes...if your premium is $300 and your subside is $300...you should pay nothing per month.
Check that valu penguin link.
YOu find your state, your county, your age and your income....and it shows the companies and what the subsidies and costs to you will be.

In my state, the govt pays my subsidy directly to Blue Cross....and they bill me for the rest.
YOu should also know that premiums go up annually, both by age and across the board.

SOME ACTUAL HELP HERE.....

(SORRY I HAD TO SHOUT OVER THE POLITICAL STATEMENTS).

I had Obama care - so I can tell you how it worked for me.

I just paid my share of the premiums - the subsidy went directly to the insurance company.

There is a high deductible but remember doctors visits and prescription drugs are usually not part of it. (Meaning you can see you doctor for $25-50 without having to meet your deductible first). I

The most important thing you can do is estimate your income. This is were you need to do some research.

There's lower deductible plans for lower income. Also, it's USUALLY better to estimate on the low side. I temped so I never had a good idea of what my income would be every year. They took the previous years income, which was very low. I did end up making more money and I needed to make up the difference on my tax return. But it turned out my repayment was capped and I didn't need to pay the entire thing back.

Also, since you have a mid-year plan, check dental add-ons. Once I changed plans mid-year and it worked out really well for me. Dental plans are usually capped at $1,000 per year. I was able to max out the $1,000 in a partial year and then change plans at open enrollment and then max out that plan.

a reply to: Aldakoopa
Aldakoopa,

Go to the website NAHU.org... and click on the "Find an Agent" button. On the right side column, look at their "practice areas" and look for "individual insurance".

These individuals are brokers, not tied to any particular insurance company, and will help you understand the private and market exchange options and help you pick the right coverage for yourself. It costs you nothing to use them and you'll be glad you did as they'll help you with other problems throughout the year if need so be (i.e. claims, billing, etc.).

I know it can be really confusing, but a good broker will make it a much easier process.

Best of luck to you.

a reply to: schuyler

Welcome to one of the very few first world nations that doesn't have socialised healthcare because the turkeys would rather vote for Christmas than vote for something with the word "social" in it.

Man reading this makes my head spin.... My advice after reading the posts dealing with healthcare would be to apply for an apprenticeship with a skilled trades union. One you will enjoy.

Work typically 400 hours and you are covered. easy peasy, plus learning a trade and making money too.

originally posted by: Daughter2
(Meaning you can see you doctor for $25-50 without having to meet your deductible first).

Actually, that varies plan to plan, probably state to state.
Under my plan, I pay the full hit for all doctor visits until my outrageous deductible is paid.....and I have an HMO.

a reply to: schuyler

The penalty is cheaper to take than the 3 lowest we-pay-1st deductibles...so we didn't go with Obamacare.

Deductibles: $3000, $6000, $8000

So no insurance for us, the penalty and my costs are still cheaper for no insurance

The process of finding and obtaining insurance through the current system is a bit confusing. I myself, asked for help from a local insurance broker, who aided my policy decision.

Even after obtaining insurance, I have had several problems maintaining it due to several communication issues through the providers staff.

I'm teetering on cancelling if they continue to screw up again. After now 6 months of coverage NOTHING I have done has been covered. And all I've really done is an annual wellness exam and blood panel. And in 6 months I have paid a very fair amount of cash! I would have spent about 5% without even having insurance.

Oh well.... live and learn. If you're healthy and you know it, clap your hands!!

Why do you need it? I'm about to be 34 have gone without insurance for the last dozen years without a need for it. Don't pull your hair out, stress is the name for 1,000 diseases. You wanna go without health insurance don't go the route of stressing for no good reason.

Think this through. Most stuff people get med bills for are petty... most of the pills are not necessary, most of the treatment isn't necessary... it's only when stuff gets serious that you really need a doc, and when it's that serious the insurance usually won't cover it anyway. I dunno, I'm getting on insurance next year, but the risk I took while in my youth might be seen as a bit aggressive and foolish, but I think it was monies better spent elsewhere.

a reply to: forall2see

I hear that.
I called ahead when I went for my physical....no blood work was covered....except for one test.
So, I had whatever the wellness exam actually covers.....temp, BP, reflexes, not much else.

HMO's are not what they used to be, and catastrophic (hospital only) is not even available anymore from what I know

I am still paying off an MRI for my daughter from 4 months ago and I have been insured my whole life

our system really sucks

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe

originally posted by: Daughter2
(Meaning you can see you doctor for $25-50 without having to meet your deductible first).

Actually, that varies plan to plan, probably state to state.
Under my plan, I pay the full hit for all doctor visits until my outrageous deductible is paid.....and I have an HMO.

Yeah, that was the deal breaker for me too. An Obamacare SUPERVISOR told me that I would have to pay out of pocket for everything until the $12,000 deductible was met (for 2 healthy kids). Meaning I would be paying $200 per month ($400 - $200 subsidy) and STILL be paying out of pocket for doctor visits (including well visits) and vaccinations and such.

So I came to the conclusion "eff it, I'll skip the $200 per month and just keep paying out of pocket".

You just have to do the math according to your personal circumstances, including if your state expanded Medicaid/subsidies for Obamacare. Mine (Texas) didn't, so I'm screwed.

Thanks Texas!