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downinflames68 · Nov 2, 2009, 06:04 PM

What do you use? Why? So far the best rates are blue cross/blue shield. Is there another company that is a lot better?

- Rob

nonhuman · Nov 2, 2009, 06:25 PM

There should be some sort of small business association or something in your area that will allow you to buy into their group plan. It lets you get discounted group rates without actually having to have an entire group.

besson3c · Nov 2, 2009, 06:40 PM

I use basic Anthem/Blue Cross/Blue Shield for catastrophic stuff.

Thorzdad · Nov 2, 2009, 06:44 PM

It's going to be expensive, no matter how you cut it, I'm afraid. Most of the advantage of a business association group plan, in my experience, is in the ability to get any pre-existing conditions covered. I've yet to find an association plan that was actually discounted to any real degree, at least not to a degree that made it a no-brainer choice.

I'm a freelancer and my wife's employer can't afford to offer coverage, so we've had to buy our own, too. We shop for a new plan roughly every two years or so, because the rates on whatever coverage we have get raised to an unaffordable level, so we have to move to someone else. We're running out of choices now. Currently, we're with Anthem/Wellpoint. It's pretty lame coverage, but it was the least lame that we could find, the last time we shopped. No dental or vision, either.

I'll stop now. We've been buying our own insurance for almost 8 years now and, if I get started on this topic, this thread will have to be moved to the Political/War Lounge.

nonhuman · Nov 2, 2009, 06:58 PM

Alternative plan: drive 30 mins to Canada.

downinflames68 · Nov 2, 2009, 07:17 PM

I basically just need some Asthma medication covered, or partially covered. Things like Allegra, and an Advair inhaler. Other than that I don't really go to hte doctor, EVER, except to get my prescriptions renewed.

Thorzdad · Nov 2, 2009, 07:34 PM

Yeah, that's the rub. In order to get your meds covered, you'll have to pay for full coverage. Asthma is one of those bright red flags for insurers, too.

besson3c · Nov 2, 2009, 07:36 PM

My gut feeling is that it will be cheaper for you to pay for that stuff out of your pocket, Rob. All the entry level health insurance packages seem good for is defraying some costs of a hypothetical 5 digit hospital bill.

Atheist · Nov 2, 2009, 07:42 PM

I went 4 years w/o coverage...one of the main reasons I hired back full time with my current employer was for the benefits.

downinflames68 · Nov 2, 2009, 07:47 PM

Hrm. **** this, I think I'll just rob a walgreens.

Thorzdad · Nov 2, 2009, 07:59 PM

Throw yourself on the mercy of your doctor and ask if he has any samples he can give you. Doctors are increasingly using samples as a way to help their patients out with the cost of medication. My own doc is really good about this. Even some specialists are getting in on the game. My son recently had to see an ear specialist and the doc sent him home with a sack-full of medications.

Of course, without insurance, you'll probably have to pay the full-rate for the office visit. $$$

Andy8 · Nov 2, 2009, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

Yeah, that's the rub. In order to get your meds covered, you'll have to pay for full coverage. Asthma is one of those bright red flags for insurers, too.

Exactly.

It was going to cost a fortune to cover my asthma meds with insurance, so in the end I just kept paying for it out of pocket.

nonhuman · Nov 2, 2009, 08:58 PM

You could also look for a 'job' with some sort of staffing agency. I know that we (Discovery Channel) hire a lot of our freelancers through various staffing agencies, and at least some of those agencies offer insurance after you've been with them for some period of time (6 months is what comes to mind, but I don't really know).

lexapro · Nov 2, 2009, 09:13 PM

Buy your meds online from Canadian or Israeli pharmacies. TONS cheaper and the same exact drugs.

Andy8 · Nov 2, 2009, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by lexapro

Buy your meds online from Canadian or Israeli pharmacies. TONS cheaper and the same exact drugs.

Even cheaper buying generic in bulk from India.

downinflames68 · Nov 3, 2009, 12:48 AM

Where do I do that?

Rumor · Nov 3, 2009, 01:00 AM

I have been without insurance for several years. The only reason I would get it (if I could afford it) would be for catastrophic issues.

Andy8 · Nov 3, 2009, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by downinflames68

Where do I do that?

I got a doctor friend from India to organise it in bulk.

I got 12 months supply for about 25% the normal retail cost.

Trygve · Nov 3, 2009, 05:35 PM

I have a pre-existing condition and was declined by every insurer licensed in my state, so I moved my family and business out of the USA. I was able to buy private insurance from a UK company that is valid everywhere in the world except the USA. It costs about $200/mo total for my wife and I.

I've been out of the US for more than 7 years. If you have a mobile business I highly recommend it.

downinflames68 · Nov 16, 2009, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

I use basic Anthem/Blue Cross/Blue Shield for catastrophic stuff.

Well, I tried that, but they refuse to insure me "because i have asthma".

Wow. Really!? So the fact that I don't smoke, exercise, and am in general overall excellent health, they won't insure me because I have a prescription for an inhaler that I almost never use!?

WHAT THE ****.

imitchellg5 · Nov 16, 2009, 07:57 PM

Stuff like that is just wrong. It's not your fault you have asthma.

downinflames68 · Nov 16, 2009, 08:09 PM

What's even more wrong is they'll insure some fat **** who's pounding down fried foods all day long smoking some cigs, but they won't insure me, even though I work out, eat healthy, don't smoke, and stay active... but oh no, I need a prescription for a ****ing inhaler that I use like once ever 4 months. Jesus ****ing christ. This doesn't make any sense.

CharlesS · Nov 16, 2009, 08:22 PM

What about our health care system ever does?

lexapro · Nov 16, 2009, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by downinflames68

What's even more wrong is they'll insure some fat **** who's pounding down fried foods all day long smoking some cigs, but they won't insure me, even though I work out, eat healthy, don't smoke, and stay active... but oh no, I need a prescription for a ****ing inhaler that I use like once ever 4 months. Jesus ****ing christ. This doesn't make any sense.

The system is fine and government getting involved with only make a perfect system become a failed system. /sarcasm

andi*pandi · Nov 17, 2009, 02:33 PM

I didn't know they'd block someone because of ASTHMA. I mean, that's a pretty common thing. I have asthma, and I have insurance.

Good luck.

lexapro · Nov 17, 2009, 02:42 PM

andi, they will reject you for anything. A friend of mine is 25. She had strep throat. She applied for an individual policy and was rejected based on the recent strep throat. How is it possible that insurance gets to reject you based upon a community acquired bacterial infection? Easy- they have no regulation and simply don't care.

Thorzdad · Nov 17, 2009, 03:18 PM

It comes down a variety of situations as to whether you are denied or not.

If, for instance, you take a job at an employer, you will usually get full coverage under their group plan, no matter what your pre-existing conditions may be. And, if you move from one employer to another, your as subject to what they call continuing coverage. That is, there is no lapse in coverage. And, in fact, under HIPAA, they cannot decline coverage when you go from group plan to group plan.

Things are entirely different in the private coverage market. Any and all pre-existing conditions are open to denial. Additionally, if you are jumping from a group plan to a private policy, they do not have to cover your pre-existing conditions. Many will, anyway, just because that's a good business move. But, those conditions can certainly make the policy horribly expensive. And, they may impose an initial 6-month (or longer) period where your coverage for that condition is not in-force.

And, god help you if you have a lapse in coverage. Like being without insurance for 3 months or so. Then, you are like chum to a pack of sharks. Having a lapse in coverage is a mortal sin to insurers and you WILL be punished for it. It's akin to how lenders treat you after you file for bankruptcy.

As I said earlier, we've been in the private market for several years and we've been subjected to all sorts of insurer peccadilloes when it comes to coverage or denial of coverage. Often, they don't deny coverage outright. Rather, they will insist on you assuming extremely high deductibles AND high premiums for coverage. And, even then, the coverage on particular needs will be severely restricted. For example...a couple of years ago we were, once again, in the position of having to shop for a new policy due to cost increases (this happens about every two years or so) We were about ready to go with GoldenRule when we noticed something odd about the mental health coverage (buried deep inside the 100+ page policy they sent) Now, our son sees a counselor and is on medication, so this is, obviously, an important part of any coverage. It seems they wrote HIS mental health coverage so that it was subject to something like a $5000 lifetime benefit...including medications. That's right, they excluded his medication coverage from the normal family prescription coverage and bundled into the pathetic little lifetime mental health coverage.