Insurance

[NoExcuses]

OK, there are two types of insurance:

Group insurance and Individual Insurance.

Group insurance you typically get when you work. It's where the company offers insurance to anyone and everyone at the company (some may say they won't cover you 'til you work for 6 months, or only if you work more than 30 hours a week). <b> it's against federal law to deny anyone, for any reason (pre-existing condition included), on a group insurance plan </b> So as long as you find a company with health insurance, you're covered girl

Individual insurance is where you contact the insurance company yourself and say hey, I'd like to buy insurance (unrelated to work). My dad, for example, so is self-employed, as to do this. And the insurance company can give you a physicial and ask all about you before they decide they want to cover you. Obviously most CFers don't qualify for this.

Hope this helps. Don't freak out. It's 100% do-able for sure.

Many insurance companies have out-of-pocket maximums per year. For example, the first year I worked I was hospitalized. I looked at my plan and FREAKED OUT because it said I was responsible for 20% of all hospital visits. Well guess what? My average hospital visit costs $100k. I nearly passed out becuase I was about to pay $20k.

Then I figured out that my insurance has a maximum $1000 out of pocket (for in network) per year. So my hospital visit could have been whatever, I would only pay $1000. There is this little thing called lifetime maximum but not to worry.... you can always figure that out later by switching jobs, appeals, etc.

 

[NoExcuses]

OK, there are two types of insurance:

Group insurance and Individual Insurance.

Group insurance you typically get when you work. It's where the company offers insurance to anyone and everyone at the company (some may say they won't cover you 'til you work for 6 months, or only if you work more than 30 hours a week). <b> it's against federal law to deny anyone, for any reason (pre-existing condition included), on a group insurance plan </b> So as long as you find a company with health insurance, you're covered girl

Individual insurance is where you contact the insurance company yourself and say hey, I'd like to buy insurance (unrelated to work). My dad, for example, so is self-employed, as to do this. And the insurance company can give you a physicial and ask all about you before they decide they want to cover you. Obviously most CFers don't qualify for this.

Hope this helps. Don't freak out. It's 100% do-able for sure.

Many insurance companies have out-of-pocket maximums per year. For example, the first year I worked I was hospitalized. I looked at my plan and FREAKED OUT because it said I was responsible for 20% of all hospital visits. Well guess what? My average hospital visit costs $100k. I nearly passed out becuase I was about to pay $20k.

Then I figured out that my insurance has a maximum $1000 out of pocket (for in network) per year. So my hospital visit could have been whatever, I would only pay $1000. There is this little thing called lifetime maximum but not to worry.... you can always figure that out later by switching jobs, appeals, etc.

 

[NoExcuses]

OK, there are two types of insurance:

Group insurance and Individual Insurance.

Group insurance you typically get when you work. It's where the company offers insurance to anyone and everyone at the company (some may say they won't cover you 'til you work for 6 months, or only if you work more than 30 hours a week). <b> it's against federal law to deny anyone, for any reason (pre-existing condition included), on a group insurance plan </b> So as long as you find a company with health insurance, you're covered girl

Individual insurance is where you contact the insurance company yourself and say hey, I'd like to buy insurance (unrelated to work). My dad, for example, so is self-employed, as to do this. And the insurance company can give you a physicial and ask all about you before they decide they want to cover you. Obviously most CFers don't qualify for this.

Hope this helps. Don't freak out. It's 100% do-able for sure.

Many insurance companies have out-of-pocket maximums per year. For example, the first year I worked I was hospitalized. I looked at my plan and FREAKED OUT because it said I was responsible for 20% of all hospital visits. Well guess what? My average hospital visit costs $100k. I nearly passed out becuase I was about to pay $20k.

Then I figured out that my insurance has a maximum $1000 out of pocket (for in network) per year. So my hospital visit could have been whatever, I would only pay $1000. There is this little thing called lifetime maximum but not to worry.... you can always figure that out later by switching jobs, appeals, etc.

 

[NoExcuses]

OK, there are two types of insurance:

Group insurance and Individual Insurance.

Group insurance you typically get when you work. It's where the company offers insurance to anyone and everyone at the company (some may say they won't cover you 'til you work for 6 months, or only if you work more than 30 hours a week). <b> it's against federal law to deny anyone, for any reason (pre-existing condition included), on a group insurance plan </b> So as long as you find a company with health insurance, you're covered girl

Individual insurance is where you contact the insurance company yourself and say hey, I'd like to buy insurance (unrelated to work). My dad, for example, so is self-employed, as to do this. And the insurance company can give you a physicial and ask all about you before they decide they want to cover you. Obviously most CFers don't qualify for this.

Hope this helps. Don't freak out. It's 100% do-able for sure.

Many insurance companies have out-of-pocket maximums per year. For example, the first year I worked I was hospitalized. I looked at my plan and FREAKED OUT because it said I was responsible for 20% of all hospital visits. Well guess what? My average hospital visit costs $100k. I nearly passed out becuase I was about to pay $20k.

Then I figured out that my insurance has a maximum $1000 out of pocket (for in network) per year. So my hospital visit could have been whatever, I would only pay $1000. There is this little thing called lifetime maximum but not to worry.... you can always figure that out later by switching jobs, appeals, etc.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[amysmom]

Emily, DON'T WORRY! There is always a way - it's just a matter of research. Amy was so afraid when she got out of school and was faced with paying all her medical insurance and doctor bills herself. But it has worked out better than either of us thought it would. This is completely do-able!


p.s. Michael Moore's documentary is very misleading and incorrect in alot of his information. Don't let it scare you. He has a specific agenda.

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[vmhoward]

Emily,

Alot of times the preexisting clause will only be in effect for a certain period of time, like 60 or 90 days. I know it sounds like a long time, but if you weigh the difference between that and not having insurance at all it makes a big difference. But many other companies will waive that clause and go ahead and give coverage from the first day.

We have been researching this for when my husband leaves the military because we know how hard it will be to get Garran on good health insurance...my credit report is covered with crap from the last time we didn't have health coverage(pre military re-enlistment). still working on paying that off....and I worked for the insurance company...how sad was that!

Anyway....I hope that Mike gets a good job with good coverage and things work out....

 

[LouLou]

Emily, Amy explained it quite well. As long as you get group insurance you'll be set. Sure some policies are better than others. Generally speaking the bigger the company is the better rates and coverage they get. Also bigger companies usually have multiple policy options for you to choose from.

The only thing I will add about the pre-existing clause bit is that if you go UNISURED you can be denied by even group policies. With the COBRA act of the 90's though, you are always elgible to continue your coverage for a certain amount of time. Don't ever go without insurance. It might cost you upwards of $600/mo to maintain insurance but then when you become elgible through your employment or Mike's you'll be able to get coverage right away...maybe even for free if the premium payment is covered by the company.

I graduated from college in '01 with a degree in product design (BFA Industrial Design). The exciting work is working at a design firm (hence small company) not big corporations that make the same products all day. I have worked for two consultancies. The first one gave us a stipend to buy individual insurance. As Amy mentioned this isn't a good move for cfers. If we can even manage to get coverage the % paid, copays, etc. are aweful. At the time I was between college and marriage. I could take this money though and apply it to any insurance policy. So I COBRA'ed my dad's insurance that I had in college until I married my husband at which point I became eligible for his awesome insurance through a big university. He was getting his Ph.D at the time. Then we moved and I got a job with a 25 person company. They have a Blue Cross policy that's quite good. They cover $350 worth of the premium payment which covers the employee but no family members. Again, my hubby was associated with a university and their insurance was as good or better than my small company. Since I could take my $350 and use it towards other fringe benefits, where my husband could only opt in or out of the insurance plan, we decided to go under his policy with my premium paid out of his paycheck. Another reason this was a smart move was because in a small company of 25 each person on an insurance policy effects the overall rates greatly. I knew my drugs alone are a big hit. When the company's insurance policy came up for renewal, due to my claims, everyone's rates would go up. Of course, the insurance dude isn't supposed to tell the plan administrator who the person that's making all the claims is but I wonder if this doesn't happen anyways. This is definitley one of htose places HIPPA has helped us out. Long story short, I would rather not jack everyone's insurance costs up in the small company.... and possibly deal with discrimination due to my high claims so whenever there's an option in our family for me to be on a big co. policy where I am one of many people making claims and don't have as large of a % effect on overall claims made, I'll opt for it.

 

[LouLou]

Emily, Amy explained it quite well. As long as you get group insurance you'll be set. Sure some policies are better than others. Generally speaking the bigger the company is the better rates and coverage they get. Also bigger companies usually have multiple policy options for you to choose from.

The only thing I will add about the pre-existing clause bit is that if you go UNISURED you can be denied by even group policies. With the COBRA act of the 90's though, you are always elgible to continue your coverage for a certain amount of time. Don't ever go without insurance. It might cost you upwards of $600/mo to maintain insurance but then when you become elgible through your employment or Mike's you'll be able to get coverage right away...maybe even for free if the premium payment is covered by the company.

I graduated from college in '01 with a degree in product design (BFA Industrial Design). The exciting work is working at a design firm (hence small company) not big corporations that make the same products all day. I have worked for two consultancies. The first one gave us a stipend to buy individual insurance. As Amy mentioned this isn't a good move for cfers. If we can even manage to get coverage the % paid, copays, etc. are aweful. At the time I was between college and marriage. I could take this money though and apply it to any insurance policy. So I COBRA'ed my dad's insurance that I had in college until I married my husband at which point I became eligible for his awesome insurance through a big university. He was getting his Ph.D at the time. Then we moved and I got a job with a 25 person company. They have a Blue Cross policy that's quite good. They cover $350 worth of the premium payment which covers the employee but no family members. Again, my hubby was associated with a university and their insurance was as good or better than my small company. Since I could take my $350 and use it towards other fringe benefits, where my husband could only opt in or out of the insurance plan, we decided to go under his policy with my premium paid out of his paycheck. Another reason this was a smart move was because in a small company of 25 each person on an insurance policy effects the overall rates greatly. I knew my drugs alone are a big hit. When the company's insurance policy came up for renewal, due to my claims, everyone's rates would go up. Of course, the insurance dude isn't supposed to tell the plan administrator who the person that's making all the claims is but I wonder if this doesn't happen anyways. This is definitley one of htose places HIPPA has helped us out. Long story short, I would rather not jack everyone's insurance costs up in the small company.... and possibly deal with discrimination due to my high claims so whenever there's an option in our family for me to be on a big co. policy where I am one of many people making claims and don't have as large of a % effect on overall claims made, I'll opt for it.

 

[LouLou]

Emily, Amy explained it quite well. As long as you get group insurance you'll be set. Sure some policies are better than others. Generally speaking the bigger the company is the better rates and coverage they get. Also bigger companies usually have multiple policy options for you to choose from.

The only thing I will add about the pre-existing clause bit is that if you go UNISURED you can be denied by even group policies. With the COBRA act of the 90's though, you are always elgible to continue your coverage for a certain amount of time. Don't ever go without insurance. It might cost you upwards of $600/mo to maintain insurance but then when you become elgible through your employment or Mike's you'll be able to get coverage right away...maybe even for free if the premium payment is covered by the company.

I graduated from college in '01 with a degree in product design (BFA Industrial Design). The exciting work is working at a design firm (hence small company) not big corporations that make the same products all day. I have worked for two consultancies. The first one gave us a stipend to buy individual insurance. As Amy mentioned this isn't a good move for cfers. If we can even manage to get coverage the % paid, copays, etc. are aweful. At the time I was between college and marriage. I could take this money though and apply it to any insurance policy. So I COBRA'ed my dad's insurance that I had in college until I married my husband at which point I became eligible for his awesome insurance through a big university. He was getting his Ph.D at the time. Then we moved and I got a job with a 25 person company. They have a Blue Cross policy that's quite good. They cover $350 worth of the premium payment which covers the employee but no family members. Again, my hubby was associated with a university and their insurance was as good or better than my small company. Since I could take my $350 and use it towards other fringe benefits, where my husband could only opt in or out of the insurance plan, we decided to go under his policy with my premium paid out of his paycheck. Another reason this was a smart move was because in a small company of 25 each person on an insurance policy effects the overall rates greatly. I knew my drugs alone are a big hit. When the company's insurance policy came up for renewal, due to my claims, everyone's rates would go up. Of course, the insurance dude isn't supposed to tell the plan administrator who the person that's making all the claims is but I wonder if this doesn't happen anyways. This is definitley one of htose places HIPPA has helped us out. Long story short, I would rather not jack everyone's insurance costs up in the small company.... and possibly deal with discrimination due to my high claims so whenever there's an option in our family for me to be on a big co. policy where I am one of many people making claims and don't have as large of a % effect on overall claims made, I'll opt for it.

 

[LouLou]

Emily, Amy explained it quite well. As long as you get group insurance you'll be set. Sure some policies are better than others. Generally speaking the bigger the company is the better rates and coverage they get. Also bigger companies usually have multiple policy options for you to choose from.

The only thing I will add about the pre-existing clause bit is that if you go UNISURED you can be denied by even group policies. With the COBRA act of the 90's though, you are always elgible to continue your coverage for a certain amount of time. Don't ever go without insurance. It might cost you upwards of $600/mo to maintain insurance but then when you become elgible through your employment or Mike's you'll be able to get coverage right away...maybe even for free if the premium payment is covered by the company.

I graduated from college in '01 with a degree in product design (BFA Industrial Design). The exciting work is working at a design firm (hence small company) not big corporations that make the same products all day. I have worked for two consultancies. The first one gave us a stipend to buy individual insurance. As Amy mentioned this isn't a good move for cfers. If we can even manage to get coverage the % paid, copays, etc. are aweful. At the time I was between college and marriage. I could take this money though and apply it to any insurance policy. So I COBRA'ed my dad's insurance that I had in college until I married my husband at which point I became eligible for his awesome insurance through a big university. He was getting his Ph.D at the time. Then we moved and I got a job with a 25 person company. They have a Blue Cross policy that's quite good. They cover $350 worth of the premium payment which covers the employee but no family members. Again, my hubby was associated with a university and their insurance was as good or better than my small company. Since I could take my $350 and use it towards other fringe benefits, where my husband could only opt in or out of the insurance plan, we decided to go under his policy with my premium paid out of his paycheck. Another reason this was a smart move was because in a small company of 25 each person on an insurance policy effects the overall rates greatly. I knew my drugs alone are a big hit. When the company's insurance policy came up for renewal, due to my claims, everyone's rates would go up. Of course, the insurance dude isn't supposed to tell the plan administrator who the person that's making all the claims is but I wonder if this doesn't happen anyways. This is definitley one of htose places HIPPA has helped us out. Long story short, I would rather not jack everyone's insurance costs up in the small company.... and possibly deal with discrimination due to my high claims so whenever there's an option in our family for me to be on a big co. policy where I am one of many people making claims and don't have as large of a % effect on overall claims made, I'll opt for it.