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Health insurance as an IC - anyone found a good one?

Posted: Oct 21, 2010

I am considering becoming self employed (after a fashion) as an IC. I have gone onto www.healthcare.gov and gone through the steps they advise when you want to take out private insurance. Holy cow, the insurance plans offered varied in premium cost from $600 to $4000 per month for a family of 4, but the thing that got me was two items: Maximum out of pocket for individual: 0$. Annual deductible for individual: 0$. Woohoo. This just seems too good to be true. Anybody actually switch from employer based health insurance (currently I pay $8000/yr in premiums with a $3000 deductible and $8000 out of pocket, which is just killing us as we have had a few health problems this year) to one of these, and can you attest to this deductible/out of pocket thing being $0?

I've so BTDT! sm - ScoobieDoo

[ In Reply To ..]
I searched high and low and opted for Aetna Individual. I chose the cheapest policy, pretty much, possible. I pay $107 a month. It's a 10,000 deductible, but I get 6 OVs for 45.00, free OB/GYN with free mammogram once a year and a free complete physical once a year. Not the best, but all I can afford. At least it's something. I've gone many years without anything. I would have like to have gotten more bells and whistles.

I do wonder what my rates will go up to next year once they find out I have migraines, heart palpitations, etc. Oh well, have to cross that bridge when I get there.

The really great policies are very expensive, something we just can't afford right now.

My kids are on the state insurance program. We pay $75 a month for them. It is great insurance. I highly recommend you look into that for your kids. I think most states have a program similar. It's not free, and it's not a handout. It is affordable insurance that you pay for based on your income.

This is my favorite soap box, so feel free to email me if you want. I have researched this for years!

Thanks, very interesting! - I think I might actually be

[ In Reply To ..]
Better off with self insurance than with the company insurance, now that the preexisting conditions are not such a worry (hopefully). My kids are older, one at college, so I will need to figure all that out before I choose which one. My problem with the deductibles and out of pockets is now we are awaiting a big hospital bill and scary knowing how to pay it and over how long they will let us spread it.

Kid's state insurance plans - Cathy

[ In Reply To ..]
Be careful with those state insurance plans for your kids. Make sure you have some money saved up in case your kids get sick. We used to have my kids on that when we were having some financial difficulties and just couldn't afford the insurance at DH's job (which was then $800 per month for the premium). My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 6 months earlier and we sent in all the paperwork for him to get an insulin pump (about $6,000 cost). The state insurance plan dropped our insurance the same day they got the claim. They lied and said they had not gotten some paperwork or something (we had had the insurance for 2 or 3 months and they had paid other claims). We had just run out of insulin that day as well and had no money to buy more without insurance. I cried my eyes out on the phone to the insurance rep. but it did no good. It was at that point that I decided I needed to go back to work as an employee so we could provide our kids with what they needed.

That is awful. Why am I not surprised? nm - ScoobieDoo

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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