Health Insurance..up again

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I am not so much complaining about the costs as I am offering a warning to closely examine your plan. You may need to get supplemental insurance...I wish I thought of that a few months ago. My wife has been in the hospital since Dec 6th, and all of the little expenses that are not covered are adding up quickly. She is also getting special treatment that the insurance claims is not covered (we'll see about that!) so we are paying out of our pocket for that right now. the normal rate is over 4K a day, but we are getting a professional discount (wife's father teaches at this hospital) down to about $2500 a day. If we are lucky, she will be home in about a month. It is an unusual situation, and not something you might expect to happen to everyone, but some sort or catastrophic insurance coverage sure would have been good to have. Take some time and look into it for yourselves before something catastrophic happens to your family.
 
romexking said:
I am not so much complaining about the costs as I am offering a warning to closely examine your plan. You may need to get supplemental insurance...I wish I thought of that a few months ago. My wife has been in the hospital since Dec 6th, and all of the little expenses that are not covered are adding up quickly. She is also getting special treatment that the insurance claims is not covered (we'll see about that!) so we are paying out of our pocket for that right now. the normal rate is over 4K a day, but we are getting a professional discount (wife's father teaches at this hospital) down to about $2500 a day. If we are lucky, she will be home in about a month. It is an unusual situation, and not something you might expect to happen to everyone, but some sort or catastrophic insurance coverage sure would have been good to have. Take some time and look into it for yourselves before something catastrophic happens to your family.

no doubt...i am fortunate to have good insurance...when my son was born, he spent almost a month in NICU...I paid a total of $250 out of pocket for everything, from birth to when he came home...I honestly don't know how much the insurance company paid...but it was a lot...

romexking, sorry to hear about it...it's bad enough having to go through the ordeal...it's just compounded when you have to deal with this BS...
 
romexking said:
I am not so much complaining about the costs as I am offering a warning to closely examine your plan. You may need to get supplemental insurance...I wish I thought of that a few months ago. My wife has been in the hospital since Dec 6th, and all of the little expenses that are not covered are adding up quickly. She is also getting special treatment that the insurance claims is not covered (we'll see about that!) so we are paying out of our pocket for that right now. the normal rate is over 4K a day, but we are getting a professional discount (wife's father teaches at this hospital) down to about $2500 a day. If we are lucky, she will be home in about a month. It is an unusual situation, and not something you might expect to happen to everyone, but some sort or catastrophic insurance coverage sure would have been good to have. Take some time and look into it for yourselves before something catastrophic happens to your family.


I hope your wife comes home soon and safe...
 
BryanMD said:
The whole system is upside down.
Does anyone submit to their auto insurance for oil changes or a new battery?

Routine and chronic and even most minor ER visits should be out of pocket.
Maybe a savings plan deal to smooth out one bad year vs 3 ok years expenses; probably tax deductability for expenses.

All most people should need insurance for is the serious and catastauphic situations that NO ONE can afford.

The idea is not upside down, just the phrasing is wrong. Take away the word "insurance" and replace it with "cost coverage" and it changes the perception of what it is. Insurance should be used "in case of" and cost coverage is a negotiated fee that allows you to visit professionals to help keep you well.

And at the end of the day, don't feel sorry for any health care company...they ALWAYS make money. I've never been able to negotiate my rates without changing the coverage, and every year my provider shows a 22% profit on the premiums alone, not to mention all of the investment income that a large company makes. No, I don't feel sorry for them at all.
 
My wife, two kids (3 & 2) and myself with BCBS was $585.00 last year. This year it's $660.00.

$1100.00 deductible per person.

It would be less but we have maternity coverage just in case :)0

Has anyone looked at the National Association for the Self Employed ? They claim to have buying power when it comes to insurance.
 
stickboy1375 said:
:grin: actually I did quite a bit in the first 4 years of working in the trade, but if you want me to make you money you better have some houses lined up.. :grin:

no houses...dialysis clinics, hospital rehabs, retail, and a ton of service work....but no houses:D
 
romexking said:
The idea is not upside down, just the phrasing is wrong. Take away the word "insurance" and replace it with "cost coverage" and it changes the perception of what it is. Insurance should be used "in case of" and cost coverage is a negotiated fee that allows you to visit professionals to help keep you well.

And at the end of the day, don't feel sorry for any health care company...they ALWAYS make money.

Sorry, but it is upside down.
The semantics are just that.

Almost all of what folks use insurance for is common enough to be budgetable. How much of what is paid for insurance actually is spent on direct care? Damned little of it!

The way it's set up, what is called insurance is for 90% of the people
little more than an over priced lottery ticket.

And again, I too extend good wishes for a quick and complete recovery for your wife.
 
peter d said:
Sign me up, I worked under the leadership of Iwire, I'm qualified. :D

i'll have to get a reference...:D besides, i can't afford to pay 2 of us to do nothing but post here all day:D
 
stickboy1375 said:
Wont have any employees either... :grin: At least not this employee.
Why should it be the employers responsibility for your health insurance?If I want insurance it should be up to me to go get it negotiate the price and coverage I want.
 
emahler said:
no doubt...i am fortunate to have good insurance...when my son was born, he spent almost a month in NICU...I paid a total of $250 out of pocket for everything, from birth to when he came home...I honestly don't know how much the insurance company paid...but it was a lot...

romexking, sorry to hear about it...it's bad enough having to go through the ordeal...it's just compounded when you have to deal with this BS...

I'm suprised. Most insurers now inform the customers by way of a letter or multiple letters detailing services & dates, which doctor, what the procedure costs and what was paid. (And what, if anything, is due.)
 
I'm on my wife's health insurance. I don't have exact numbers but typically we pay about $10,000/year in premiums and have about $10,000/year that isn't covered, which I run through the corporation as a benefit.

I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's health problems Rich, I hope she's on the road to recovery. I'm also sorry to hear about the insurance company issues. We were with Fortis for a few years and claims were always denied. My wife would spend an hour or two arguing on the phone and then, yes, it was covered. It was obviously part of their business model to deny covered claims to increase profits. We're with Blue Cross now and she doesn't have to deal with the phone business anymore. Our joke is...WOW, THEY PAID! What, no hour long phone call before they pay?

Dave
 
Rewire said:
Why should it be the employers responsibility for your health insurance?If I want insurance it should be up to me to go get it negotiate the price and coverage I want.

Its not the employers responsibility, but good help is hard to find, so if you want to keep me, then you better ante up something the the next guy down the road wont, EC's are a dime a dozen, have to make it worth my while to stay.
 
stickboy1375 said:
Its not the employers responsibility, but good help is hard to find, so if you want to keep me, then you better ante up something the the next guy down the road wont, EC's are a dime a dozen, have to make it worth my while to stay.

I agree, they don't have to provide insurance just like they do not have to provide vacations, bonus programs, vehicles, free clothes, classes, license renewal fees etc. Those are all voluntary incentives provided to get good and reliable help.

I will say this, Scott's post really gives me a better appreciation of the deal I get through the company.
 
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