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Medical Insurance

TNT

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In my begining of this quest of mine one thing I have found is that I have trouble finding medical insurance. I have some medical problems so I need the insurance. I was wondering what those of you that are in the B, I, and S quadrent do for this? Can you make any recomendations for getting it or any advice on where to look for good coverage?

Talmadge
 
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biophase

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I'm using Healthnet PPO. I don't know if they are any good. In fact, I used them for the first time today for a doctor's appointment. I had to pay $30 copay.
 

nomadjanet

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If you have pre-existing conditions you cannot be turned down or your conditions written out of the policy if you are part of a group policy. If you have no employees or structure to be part of a group you may find one through your professional organization. For instance you could join the local board of realtors as an associate member, this may cost you $500.00 a year or a little more but if you are a member you get to buy group insurance with their group. You also get networking opportunites, etc. Or if you are in some other business beside RE look to the organization geared to that group, most of them have some form of group health that you can buy into and thus avoid the pre existing condition clause.
 
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ProInvestor

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This is coming from someone who doesn't have to a HMO/insurance for health care (it just comes out of our taxes - see we see health care as a right, you guys see it as... something else... (and your health care costs are double ours per person.... but anyway....)).

I read that there are State insurers that have to cover people (even with pre-medical conditions) but as you can guess premiums are going to be a lot higher.

Check out - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Health_economics

Rgds.
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Diane Kennedy

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Typically the Chamber of Commerce has a plan you can join, if nothing else. I've found the insurance is a little spendy, though. We have a little group and that's how we were able to qualify.
 

Russ H

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TNT-

After Sharon (my wife) had our little one, her insurance skyrocketed to $1350/mo for mom and child (KT had complications on delivery and had to spend her first few days in the neonatal intensive care unit).

We had been looking at group policies as a "perq" for our full time innkeepers. So you can imagine our SHOCK when we got the rates back for a group policy.

Insuring me, my wife, and 2 other innkeepers was actually CHEAPER than just Sharon/KT's new policy, since group rates are so much lower.

So, if you can possibly get at least 4 people together as a business, you can get a group policy.

This would be the "B" solution you mention above.

It has to be a real business (w/wages, etc).

But at the rates for personal health insurance-- ESP if you are over 45, or have any health issues, group policies are going to be worth considering.

We have Blue Cross. They offer a number of different options for each employee.

-Russ H.
 

andviv

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Russ, I read this advice from a guy from the SBA about that topic (and also read the same in Entrepreneur magazine). He said that 'he heard' that a great idea was to insure Sharon only, not you, as employee. Then you are covered as the spouse of the employee, and that this way of doing it reduced the cost while providing the same coverage. Have you analyzed this strategy while doing your research?
 

Russ H

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andviv-

We did look at this. Cost difference was about $10 less per month if I insured as her spouse (or vice versa).

Remember: You need at least 4 employees to be considered for group health insurance. The way we're doing it now, we get 2 out of 4 just by insuring the two of us. We're half way there.

My comments only work for a group plan-- which is, as I point out, MUCH MUCH cheaper than insuring yourself.

-Russ H.
 
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AroundTheWorld

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Interestingly enough.... I've had almost the opposite experience with group rates.

Fortunately I was covered under a group policy (military) when I had cancer. Then, my husband left the military and we had another group coverage with his new job. They had to cover me with my pre-existing condition since it was group.

Then, when my husband left that job and we were out on our own - I "had" to have another group policy or cancer would not be covered. I was high risk but our group policy was about $600 a month the first year and $800 the second year.

By then about 5 or 6 years had passed and I was able to quality for an individual policy that did not exclude cancer.

By switching from group to individual - insurance for my family went from 800 a month to 230 a month!
 

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