Health Insurance

• wildcats20

  

  Not trying to bring politics into this so keep it clean.
  
  I've been without health insurance since October, turning 25 and being "kicked off" my dad's coverage through his work. My current employer does not offer coverage to part-time employees. Everyone, but 6 people, are part time employees. I've looked into some coverages and what not, but can't really decide what would be good for me.
  
  I'm 25, in good health, rarely go to the doctor, I need to have dental and eye coverage. Potentially going back to school this year, so might be able to get coverage through the school depending on where I go; but I'm not depending on that.
  
  Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations??
• Cleveland Buck

  

  There are people that sell health insurance. At least until the government puts an end to it.
• sjmvsfscs08

  My sister got cancer when she was 24 and in perfect healthy as an interning organic farmer. I wouldn't risk it very long. Fortunately my family was able to spot her the cash to get her insurance before she got it checked out.
• believer

  

  This is a tough one.
  
  As a part-timer in good health you can probably find a relatively inexpensive plan that will cover you for catastrophic health problems but won't do you much good for the more frequent routine doctor and dental visits.
  
  If you want a better plan be prepared to shell-out big bucks. It's a pay me now or pay me later scenario.
  
  As a young part-timer in good health, opt for a catastrophic plan until you get hired full-time with an employer who offers a good health plan...or until ObamaKare kicks-in whichever comes first.
• majorspark

  

  I would also suggest a plan with a high deductable and low monthly premium. If you can the money you save with a lower premium put in savings as an emergency fund to eliviate the financial burden if something unlikely occurred.
• WebFire

  The above 2 posts are spot on.
• Scarlet_Buckeye

  

  I'm in the same boat. Just turned 24. As of Jan 1 just got my own policy with Medical Mutual $3,000 deductible then it kicks in at 100% coverage. It will cost me $52 a month.
• McFly1955

  

  I sold health insurance a couple years out of college, and was in the same situation as you for a couple months as well...
  
  I got a high deductible plan that was very inexpensive, just to cover myself in a 'worst-case' type of scenario. Luckily I didn't use it at all, which kind of stinks because the premiums didn't pay off technically, but they paid off in the sense of giving me peace of mind that if something did happen I at least had some sort of coverage in place.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  wildcats20 wrote: Not trying to bring politics into this so keep it clean.

  Cleveland Buck wrote: There are people that sell health insurance. At least until the government puts an end to it.

  LOL... only took one post. WIN!
• se-alum

  

  Wasn't there something on the ballot this last time that would raise the age from 25 to 28 for being on your parents healthcare?? Or maybe it's something they were talking about for a future election? I'm not sure when I heard it, but I know the idea was out there somewhere.
• Shane Falco

  28? Still covered by mommy and daddy?
  Seriously?!?
  
  
  
  By the time I was 28, I had been married for almost 6 years, built a new
  house and had a child to care for!
• WebFire

  Shane Falco wrote: 28? Still covered by mommy and daddy?
  Seriously?!?
  
  
  
  By the time I was 28, I had been married for almost 6 years, built a new
  house and had a child to care for!

  Pretty sad isn't it. It's one thing to not be married, maybe even still in college pursuing something. But you should at least be able to support yourself.
• gut

  Scarlet_Buckeye wrote: I'm in the same boat. Just turned 24. As of Jan 1 just got my own policy with Medical Mutual $3,000 deductible then it kicks in at 100% coverage. It will cost me $52 a month.

  ^^^This.
  
  Really no reason not to be uninsured. $52 a month is one long night at the bar for a lot of guys.
• wildcats20

  

  believer wrote: This is a tough one.
  
  As a part-timer in good health you can probably find a relatively inexpensive plan that will cover you for catastrophic health problems but won't do you much good for the more frequent routine doctor and dental visits.
  
  If you want a better plan be prepared to shell-out big bucks. It's a pay me now or pay me later scenario.
  
  As a young part-timer in good health, opt for a catastrophic plan until you get hired full-time with an employer who offers a good health plan...or until ObamaKare kicks-in whichever comes first.

  majorspark wrote: I would also suggest a plan with a high deductable and low monthly premium. If you can the money you save with a lower premium put in savings as an emergency fund to eliviate the financial burden if something unlikely occurred.

  
  That's pretty much what I have been looking at. Mid to high deductible and a low premium. But I also don't want coverage that covers only extreme cases. I want to be able to go to the doctor if I feel it needed.
• Sage

  

  insurance is the biggest hustle in the world. I refuse.
• wes_mantooth

  

  Sage wrote: insurance is the biggest hustle in the world. I refuse.

  It is....no doubt.
  
  My father was in the hospital for months and some of the shit I saw was unbelievable. He had dozens of doctors checking on him everyday. He was a cancer patient and he had many specialists checking on him every hour. He had one particular doctor, a heart specialist, that would walk in the room.....ask him how he felt, dad would say "ok", and the guy would leave. He did this everyday and billed the insurance $115 everytime he walked in the room. This is why insurance premiums are retarded and the system is a joke in general. It happens everyday and it will never change.
• fan_from_texas

  Go with the highest deductible plan you can. You want to be covered for something catastrophic, but at your age, as long as you're reasonably healthy, there isn't much need for day-to-day coverage.
• dancinbear

  I went with Nationwide. Not sure where you live, but all I had to do was join the Farm Bureau and I got a good deal. It was something around $85 a month with prescription coverage and 4 doc visits a year. I think the deductible was $2500 for the major stuff and co-pays were low. It was low enough that if anything happened, my parents wouldn't go broke saving my ass, but it also didn't run me into the ground each month.
  
  Though, the gf might hit your wallet hard enough that you'll just have to go without
• Cat Food Flambe'

  

  Son Of Cat Food also had to get his own coverage (due to the decision to chill on the degree for a few months while he sees where the g/f winds up after her graduation in May - grrrr) .
  
  He has a six-month policy with 100% coverage after he meets a $1000 all-inclusive deductible for about $118 a month - there is no coinsurance or additional out-of-pocket to meet). It includes non-maintenance prescription drugs up to $200.00 per drug prescribed.
  
  Considering the average non-admitting ER visit in Ohio ran to $4700 in 2008, (the facility charge, the ER physician, a radiologist, etc.), it's not a bad deal at all. If you're a male in your twenties, you'll visit the ER about once every 37 months on the average.
  
  You'll have a tough time finding worthwhile stand-alone dental and vision coverage if you're looking for something that covers routine checks, cleaning, fillings, etc - because it's mostly "scheduled maintenance", cost are very predictable (you're not gonna get stuck with a three-week inpatient stay at the dentist's office). You might be able to find something that covers major dental work like extractions or root canals - but they'll work you over for pre-existing conditions like a horse on the auction block. It -may- be worth the cost just to get "in-network" rates from participating dentist rather than pay off-the-street rates for the big items, though.