Family Health Care

[I See Red People]

I provide the only income for my family, and pay $800 a month for family health premiums through my work. It's becoming almost impossible to afford anymore. However, I can't afford not to have it. The cost of my plan has doubled in the past 5 years. I am going to have to look outside of work to find a cheaper plan, or something else will have to give. Anyone know of some options?

 

Also, does anyone else feel like all of their income goes towards health care? Ridiculous premiums every month, and yet I still am left with thousands of dollars in medical bills after having a child. Not to mention the co-pays and prescription costs that go with everyday doctor visits. Our new kiddo has been spitting up a lot so we mentioned it at his 2 month checkup, doc prescribes something, and I picked it up tonight and it was $50! 8 pills for fifty bucks, and the $4000 I've paid in premiums this year won't cover it.

[sarge87]

I provide the only income for my family, and pay $800 a month for family health premiums through my work. It's becoming almost impossible to afford anymore. However, I can't afford not to have it. The cost of my plan has doubled in the past 5 years. I am going to have to look outside of work to find a cheaper plan, or something else will have to give. Anyone know of some options?

 

Also, does anyone else feel like all of their income goes towards health care? Ridiculous premiums every month, and yet I still am left with thousands of dollars in medical bills after having a child. Not to mention the co-pays and prescription costs that go with everyday doctor visits. Our new kiddo has been spitting up a lot so we mentioned it at his 2 month checkup, doc prescribes something, and I picked it up tonight and it was $50! 8 pills for fifty bucks, and the $4000 I've paid in premiums this year won't cover it.

I don't know exactly what you make per year, but you may qualify for SCHIP to supplement your insurance for your child. Might as well apply for it since you pay in with tax dollars.

 

The program only covers children, but it does help with doctor visits, dental care, prescription medicines, and hospitalizations.

 

http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

[bennychico11]

I'm not sure how Wal-Mart's prescriptions work...but I think they offer $4 prescriptions on generic meds. Is the medicine you picked up offered in a generic?

 

I'm lucky my company pays 100% medical. I only have to pay a little bit into dental each week. But I know what you're going through...my sister just told us she was pregnant (unplanned...and she's young/unmarried). Unfortunately it came at a time when she had/has no insurance and just started a job at Home Depot. We're not sure if she's going to be able to be approved for medical since it may qualify as a preexisting condition.

 

Sometimes you wonder what the point of insurance really is...when it's not really covering what you feel like it should.

btw, anyone seen Sicko?

[huskertim]

I feel for you ISRP, I don't know how I'd deal with it myself. I can suggest looking into catasphic health insurance with higher deductables but that may or may not work for you, I know I wouldn't for me.

 

As for Sicko, come on man, if life in Cuba were the workers' paradise the Hollywood crowd wants you to believe why would these poor SOBs keep strapping water wings and a paddle wheel to the back of their 57 Chevys and making a break for cringoland.

[bennychico11]

As for Sicko, come on man, if life in Cuba were the workers' paradise the Hollywood crowd wants you to believe why would these poor SOBs keep strapping water wings and a paddle wheel to the back of their 57 Chevys and making a break for cringoland.

 

have you seen the movie? Cuba was a very small part of it (mostly for the shock factor of the movie). There were other countries that he spent the majority of the time in.

 

whether or not you like Moore and his movies, watching interviews of individuals claiming they paid nothing when they walked into the emergency room and left the same day is quite interesting to fathom from our point of view. I think you'll be hard pressed to locate an individual walking out of an emergency room here in the US claiming, "our insurance coverage is amazing! we expect to pay nothing for our visit here!"

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I know what you mean ISRP, while me and my wife probably pay only around $300.00 a month of so. Between all the OBGYN visits for her check-ups with the babies, the bills that are coming when they are born, and the different things we get billed with, we are shelling out thousands of dollars and it irritates me. Between all the infertility treatments and the final birth and everything I'm sure we'll be around $20,000 or so over the past 1 1/2. It'll be worth it when they get here, but why am I paying for this insurance again?

[SOCALHUSKER]

I provide the only income for my family, and pay $800 a month for family health premiums through my work. It's becoming almost impossible to afford anymore. However, I can't afford not to have it. The cost of my plan has doubled in the past 5 years. I am going to have to look outside of work to find a cheaper plan, or something else will have to give. Anyone know of some options?

 

Also, does anyone else feel like all of their income goes towards health care? Ridiculous premiums every month, and yet I still am left with thousands of dollars in medical bills after having a child. Not to mention the co-pays and prescription costs that go with everyday doctor visits. Our new kiddo has been spitting up a lot so we mentioned it at his 2 month checkup, doc prescribes something, and I picked it up tonight and it was $50! 8 pills for fifty bucks, and the $4000 I've paid in premiums this year won't cover it.

I don't know exactly what you make per year, but you may qualify for SCHIP to supplement your insurance for your child. Might as well apply for it since you pay in with tax dollars.

 

The program only covers children, but it does help with doctor visits, dental care, prescription medicines, and hospitalizations.

 

http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

 

Might as well take advantage of something you are already pay into!! The way I see it, the faster we take back what's ours, the faster they'll go broke and the better off we'll be!!

[Spartness]

Sorry I am so late to replying to this. I haven't checked this area out for a quite awhile. How's the insurance shopping going, "I See Red People"? I am an agent in Omaha. There's no easy answer, especially if you have a family member or two with pre-existing conditions. There's one carrier (not sure if I am allowed to give out the name on this board) that has pretty decent rates with its Health Savings Account plan, but this outfit has a tendency to either exclude pre-existing conditions, rate you up, or easily decline you.

 

When you are shopping, make sure the health plan reads major medical. There are now several limited medical plans that are guaranteed issue. They look good on the front end, but are terrible on the back. I was online sometime back, and someone was inquiring about one of these plans. A former employee of this particular company replied and said a policyholder got stuck with a $36,000 impatient hospital bill as a result owning a plan from this company. Major medical plans are not perfect, but is protects you well from the big hospital bill. In order to lower the premiums, expect to have annual out-of-pocket expenses at least in the $5,000-$10,000 range.

 

I am not here to commercialize this board, so if you have further questions, you can p.m. me. Good luck.

 

-- Spartness

[I See Red People]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I finally got my family into a Blue Cross Blue Shield major medical plan that is saving us $400 a month. Amazing how I can get into a plan by myself that is better coverage than my companie's group plan, and has greater benefits (lower deductibles and lower premiums). The great thing is if I change jobs, my insurance will not change. With no pre-existing conditions and everyone in good health, it was a perfect time to get into a plan. I'm glad the shopping is over, and I can begin saving money!