lets talk about health insurance
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- 18 Responses
- kerus
those of you who are freelancers/contractors and not able to get in on the policy of a significant other.. what do you do for health insurance?
that is the ONE thing keeping me from commiting 100% to making the leap
thanks all
- lvl_130
i just have a policy that really only covers major medical. basically, i pay about $130 a month and pay up to $3k out of pocket per year...or something like that.
- uncle_helv0
Buy a canoe!
- jpea0
ditto to what lvl_13 said. overpaying for insurance is a crock if you're relatively healthy anyway. For the yearly checkup's, you're probably better off keeping the deductible in your bank account for the worst case scenarios than having it covered in your monthly premium.
- kerus0
my drama is that i have asthma and doctors make me visit once or twice a year just to get new scripts and shit. i get sick maybe once or twice a year tops as well.
but this year i broke my foot, i'd have been screwed if i was on my own =o
- I get all of these emails about great deals on prescription drugs, have you tried hitting up one of those sites? ;)JackRyan
- flashbender0
yeah, if you do a little reaearch you can find a plan for not that much more than it would cost through a small/medium company - in minnesota Blue Cross Blue Shield has some good, affordable plans. The one I was on was about $150/month.
http://www.bcbs.com/One thing with the asthma - whichever plan you choose be sure to give a careful look to see if they have a "pre-existing condition" clause that says they won't cover a know condition for a set amount of time.
- kerus0
fb: thank you for the heads up
- PonyBoy0
well... if you're able to get good coverage... do it... and don't lapse on it....
... about 3 years ago I was going through some financial issues(a family mooch actually)... and right around that time I had good insurance that I was paying for. Well - I got backed up about 3 months and they dumped me on my ass...
... this is at the exact time I was finding out about a heart condition I have that will require open-heart surgery...
... so I tried to rectify the situation (mind you... missed only three months in CHEAP PAYMENTS)... they wrote me back and said they would re-insure me... but not cover my new condition.
So it's been 2+ years and I finally found a job/situation I can move in to... and now have insurance again... prob is - it'll be one year before they cover my existing condition.
sooo... even if you're 'young'... it's not something you really should be without... your health can change in a single day. (not trying to scare anyone here... but what if you were in a nasty car accident that was your fault etc?)...
... I think everyone should be covered in one way or another (not a gov. mandate either... 'you' should just be smart enough to know that time and unforeseen situations befall us all).
- kkills0
If you're young and healthy and don't plan on getting fucked up or acquiring diabetes...save up until you can afford one.
I haven't had health insurance my entire life. it's a bitch when I get a cold and can't see a doctor, but if I drive safe and don't get hit by a car I'm fine.
unless you need meds, I don't think it's a big deal.
- i think i am reasonably safe driver. never got a speeding ticket in my life either. got in two accidents in the past 6 months.emokid
- months. both times it wasnt my fault. both times my car was totaled and i had minor injuries that required doctors attention.emokid
- moral of the story: insurance is important because shit happens.emokid
- *what emokid said. :)PonyBoy
- was helping my mom out with her bills a year or so ago, COBRA is some $$$ shit. like 6 hondo.mrdobolina
- tkmeister0
i wouldn't go without insurance. it's stupid not to have it. like emokid says, shit happens and when it does, you get hit by $10-20k medical bills. you can get a rare form of virus, tumor, cancer or any other diseases out there. it's got nothing to do with you being healthy or young.
you can join AIGA and they have a group rate. i pay about $400/month. it's nothing when you know you can really cash in doing freelance.
- Josev0
Health insurance is different from state to state. I pay $450 a month and have a $2500 deductible (meaning the insurance Co. pays nothing until I pay 2500 out of pocket first) here in Massachusetts.
- kerus0
i really only need it for about 9 months until i get married.. its just a "Shit Happens" buffer....
- designerror0
Here is an alternative policy for you.
Put away enough cash for a return ticket to a scandinavian country. Once you crack your skull wide open or brake your spine, book your flight ASAP, jump on the plane, walk into the ER once you land in Stockholmtown or Copenhagenville and get a treatment free of charge.
- Soler0
I pay $150/month in L.A. for Blue Shield, health and dental PPO plan. It's stupid to not have insurance in my opinion, for any amount of time. Also, it's not fair to your family who would no doubt pay out of pocket if something catastrophic were to happen.
- madirish0
- is that really jox?! damn he looks like a friend of mine here in minneapolis, haha!lvl_13
- Hahahah, that is not me. I wish it was though. Looks nice!jox
- I mean the setting.. not him.jox
- [INSERT GAY JOKE]jox
- http://www.qbn.com/t…madirish
- Goddamn you Maine!jox
- k0na!!!??Jaline
- kinda looks like me with longer hair. damn... brother?!?k0na_an0k
- f_s0
There's Connecticare Solo:
http://www.connecticare.com/prod…But if you're leaving your current job (ahem) you can just go on COBRA and pay exactly what your company was paying. It's usually good for 16 months.
Does your future wife have domestic partner insurance? A lot of big companies do. You just have to sign some paperwork that says you're committed to each other financially. Don't need to be married.