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Health insurance woes

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    • Health insurance woes

      How do people without jobs get and afford health insurance these days? I'll luckily have health insurance until September 1, but after that, my teacher insurance runs out. If nothing else, at least I'll still be insured while facing the most difficult areas of the trail (I should make it very close to Katahdin before my insurance runs out).
      I checked out COBRA, the alternative offered for a few months from work. Um, no to $600 per month. Wut.

      I even checked out Obama care. They don't have open enrollment until November apparently. So I'm going to be doing something as risky as hiking the AT without health insurance for a few months?!? That can't be my only option! I've never been without insurance through a job, so this (like hiking once was. ;) is foreign territory for me.
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • i'm no expert on obamacare, although i know a little about it since i looked into it about a year and half ago.

      as i understand it, since you are losing existing coverage you do not have to wait til the open enrollment period. you can get coverage that starts when your current coverage ends.

      also, and i'm writing this based on memory, you get government subsidies based on income if you select a silver plan. the lower your income, the higher the subsidy. if you are lucky enough to have no income :) your insurance is dirt cheap. but don't lie or underestimate - when you file your income tax the subsidy is increased or decreased based on your reported income. if you got a $300 a month subsidy based on your estimated income that you didn't deserve you will have to pay the $3,600 back.

      i ended up going cobra. i'm old and don't like change. :)

      while i'm sure there are some insurance forums out there, i was able to get questions answered at a financial website i already belonged to. good luck.

      bogleheads.org/
      2,000 miler

    • You want to hear something crazy.
      I spent about 6 hours in the emergency room of our local hospital a few Sundays ago.
      They billed my insurance $9746.40. Yes you read that right, $9746.40.
      The plan paid $745.24. And the doctor is separate.
      I can't even begin to guess what that pain in my side is going to cost me in the end!

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      max is correct. Losing your job, quitting or retiring is a qualifying event for you to enroll in obamacare. I just did and saved over 50 percent as long as I don't go back to work this year.
      Great incentive to not go back, huh? :D

      LIhikers wrote:

      You want to hear something crazy.
      I spent about 6 hours in the emergency room of our local hospital a few Sundays ago.
      They billed my insurance $9746.40. Yes you read that right, $9746.40.
      The plan paid $745.24. And the doctor is separate.
      I can't even begin to guess what that pain in my side is going to cost me in the end!

      Interesting. IDamn, that sucks ass! :(

      I broke my thumb and suffered a compression fracture in my spine, spent my first two nights ever in a hospital, ran up a $40k bill, and have yet to receive a bill for my $3000 deductible...hoping there will be no future surprises. I still dread opening the mailbox, almost 6 months later.
      www.appalachiantrailclarity.com - Life on the A.T.

      Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

    • We did COBRA once for a year. I still have nightmares, 10 years afterwards. The INSURANCE was fine...it was the shell-game the company doing the BILLING DID. How about the time they CLOSED the office we mailed our monthly check to....without telling anyone? So a week into the month, returned mail....claims rejected! They did that stuff a lot. In the year we were doing COBRA, I think there were like 5 times where they shut off our benefits. "But we sent you the check on the 10TH of the month? What do you mean you didn't cash it until the second, one day late and now I have NO COVERAGE THIS MONTH!!!".

      There are lots of places to pick up health insurance. Once when I didn't have insurance offered thru work, I almost went with "The Texas Cattlemen Association" Based out of Fort Worth. Ranchers/farmers are independents. So their association offered (maybe still do) a Blue Cross policy. It was decent and fairly priced. But I don't own any cattle on my 1/2 acre? I said to the lady on the phone. "NO PROBLEM....see the box on the application? You are claiming you own ONE or ZERO....pay us the $35 to join and you are eligible...."

      Shop around. AFA is one option.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • I got Cobra papers in the mail last year and thought "WTH?" Then my manager comes to me and says... don't freak out, you were taken out of the system so it shows you're no longer employed. It turns out that a nurse with the same name who worked in a different city was terminated but they terminated me instead. How stupid can someone be? Didn't they check the employee ID or SSN? Not only that, her first name wasn't spelled the same. It took nearly 8 months to get my benefits reinstated. HR kept saying they fixed it but then I'd talk to the plan administrators and they'd say I wasn't an employee. I was too nice but finally lost it, was a total b****h on the phone, and it was fixed the next day.

      Around the same time, the user name and password for accessing my paycheck was changed by someone. So I'm pretty sure they screwed up and gave her access to all my info too.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      max is correct. Losing your job, quitting or retiring is a qualifying event for you to enroll in obamacare. I just did and saved over 50 percent as long as I don't go back to work this year.
      Great incentive to not go back, huh? :D

      LIhikers wrote:

      You want to hear something crazy.
      I spent about 6 hours in the emergency room of our local hospital a few Sundays ago.
      They billed my insurance $9746.40. Yes you read that right, $9746.40.
      The plan paid $745.24. And the doctor is separate.
      I can't even begin to guess what that pain in my side is going to cost me in the end!
      Interesting. IDamn, that sucks ass! :(

      I broke my thumb and suffered a compression fracture in my spine, spent my first two nights ever in a hospital, ran up a $40k bill, and have yet to receive a bill for my $3000 deductible...hoping there will be no future surprises. I still dread opening the mailbox, almost 6 months later.
      Wow, that really stinks! I fell on the ice a few years ago and hit the back of my head. I was headed to work and didn't feel right when I got there so my coworkers made me go to the ED. I don't think they even took a blood pressure but I got charged $1000. They asked me a few questions then pronounced me fine, which I was.

      TW, you might want to call and check on your bill. Believe me, even if it's their fault and they're sending the bill to the wrong address or whatever, they will turn you into collections and it can end up costing you a lot more.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I got Cobra papers in the mail last year and thought "WTH?" Then my manager comes to me and says... don't freak out, you were taken out of the system so it shows you're no longer employed. It turns out that a nurse with the same name who worked in a different city was terminated but they terminated me instead. How stupid can someone be? Didn't they check the employee ID or SSN? Not only that, her first name wasn't spelled the same. It took nearly 8 months to get my benefits reinstated. HR kept saying they fixed it but then I'd talk to the plan administrators and they'd say I wasn't an employee. I was too nice but finally lost it, was a total b****h on the phone, and it was fixed the next day.

      Around the same time, the user name and password for accessing my paycheck was changed by someone. So I'm pretty sure they screwed up and gave her access to all my info too.
      The squeeky wheel always gets the grease...good for you, sorry this has been such a nightmare, I'd be livid.

    • I looked into some sort of insurance when I was planning on bailing out of the sandbox here and attempting a thru. Adventure insurance or some such. Covered you as long as you were either 150 or 200 miles from home. Presumably by September you'll be that far away from home.

      Let me look and see if I can find it later this morning.
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee

    • I didn't use it. I looked it up when I was planning. I bailed on the plans and stuck with the sandbox. Under $100 a month sticks in my mind, but I wouldn't trust that. I'll see if I can find it here in a bit. Just got back to my room after a morning/early afternoon full of BS.
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee

    • My company turned its health coverage to garbage - a year or two before ACA passed.

      A lot of my colleagues still blame Obamacare. Apparently the ACA reached back in time.

      I would have thought the poilcy cuts before the law passed would have supported the competing hypothesis that costs were already going up and coverage going down - as a general trend, law or no law.

      But they tell me that Obamacare did it, and I just don't understand.

      I suppose I don't.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      My company turned its health coverage to garbage - a year or two before ACA passed.

      A lot of my colleagues still blame Obamacare. Apparently the ACA reached back in time.

      I would have thought the poilcy cuts before the law passed would have supported the competing hypothesis that costs were already going up and coverage going down - as a general trend, law or no law.

      But they tell me that Obamacare did it, and I just don't understand.

      I suppose I don't.
      Same here, my company's health plan went to shite when Bush was still in office, but somehow people still blame the ACA. In reality neither President had much to do with it, my employer's healthcare costs had been going up at a rate of 10-20% annually since about 2000. They spent several years eating the cost in order to keep employees happy but it finally hit a breaking point when the economy collapsed and they decided to revamp the plans they offered and pass the the cost onto us.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • Didn't happen to me or the wife. But cost started inching up over the last few years prior to ACA. Some companies seem to have decided "to Heck with it" and just cut benefits, raised costs and such. 6 years back, my orienteering /canoe buddy retired at 58, with like 30 years with a MAJOR telecom company. Reason? The way they changed up Retiree medical, it would have like quadrupled his cost. Retire now (like September 2009) at like $200 a month for full coverage for him, wife and college daughter.....or retire the end of 2009 at like $500 a month......gee.....what does the company REALLY want.....
      that was well before ACA. But since then, his cost have continued to rise anyway....but he's still below that 2009 $500 a month costs.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      IMO, it's a good idea have a Health Savings Account these days. They reduce taxable income and roll over yearly, unlike an FSA that has to be used each calendar year.
      I wish they would relax the rules on them. Like at my company, you have to opt into the lowest cost/ least amount of coverage to get the Savings account card. Otherwise, you do the FSA, potential to lose funds etc.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • i had a fsa before i had a hsa. don't have the fsa anymore.

      the irs has changed the rules on the fsa. if your company permits it, you can carryover up to $500 into the next calendar year. this will eliminate the old "use it or lose it" rule for many. check with your hr dept if you have not heard of the carryover to see if it applies to your company.

      personally, i hated the paperwork associated with the fsa when i had one and i really appreciated the simplicity of the hsa.
      2,000 miler

    • rhjanes wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      IMO, it's a good idea have a Health Savings Account these days. They reduce taxable income and roll over yearly, unlike an FSA that has to be used each calendar year.
      I wish they would relax the rules on them. Like at my company, you have to opt into the lowest cost/ least amount of coverage to get the Savings account card. Otherwise, you do the FSA, potential to lose funds etc.
      I find that the max I can put into an FSA is less than the deductible on my plan. And I always pay the deductible (my wife has a collection of chronic health problems.)
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      IMO, it's a good idea have a Health Savings Account these days. They reduce taxable income and roll over yearly, unlike an FSA that has to be used each calendar year.
      OK we did not have to do this in the past but now its mandatory to avoid crap due to the huge deductibles and that money doesn't earn interest. Or look at the slippery slope every time you go in you put it on a CC and that is clearly worse. IN fact we are in a program where we are going to pay part and the company pays part... now it feels like we are paying everything. WE ARE PAYING FOR LESS or prior we were paying a 90/10 now its more like 80/20 - Many things are not covered. Lets say you have a serious operation. The surgeon at a hospital recommends 1 month of Heparin. ABSOLUTELY not covered. Enjoy your blood clotted legs, its almost a death sentence. Hope you have the $500-$700 out of pocket. I am specifically talking about a family member on a Cadillac plan here in the last three months.


      Last Month I spent $1000 personally out of pocket of uncovered expense not related to the above comment.
      I am not looking for an argument - just putting this out there.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • The medical establishment is completely out of control as they completely own both Democrats and Republicans.
      Our system now is like the commercial where the guy picks things up and puts them down in the health club.
      We enter the front of the medical establishment, they take our wallets and quickly usher us out the back door to the alley providing us with nothing. I have to say we do deserve this system.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      socks wrote:

      Cut down on the bacon and red meat. Get away from obamacare, and get a job that has a good health plan.
      I hardly ever have bacon, red meat maybe once a week, no problem.But where do I find that job with a good health plan?
      John Wayne ate a lot of red meat... lived a long life only the ciggs got him in the end.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • that bacon looks really really good.

      but if you are posting that as support that eating red meat is good for ya...2 slices (who eats just 2???!!!) has 39 grams of fat; 14 of which are saturated. 1,100 mg of sodium.

      i just might go out and get a package. but it'll be the only package i get for 6 months.
      2,000 miler

    • max.patch wrote:

      that bacon looks really really good.

      but if you are posting that as support that eating red meat is good for ya...2 slices (who eats just 2???!!!) has 39 grams of fat; 14 of which are saturated. 1,100 mg of sodium.

      i just might go out and get a package. but it'll be the only package i get for 6 months.
      Glad you pointed that out - this bacon is shelf stable. Surprise you never eat it without soaking out the salt and sodium. You put a few slices in a cup and cold water overnight. Then pan fry in the morning. Yea raw bacon that doens't need refrigeration... just keep it in a cool place.


      Hense the RIDICULOUS PRICE
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • Do the math, and you will be shocked that typically your insurance doesnt pay anything until youve paid a significant amount in premiums and deductibles and copays, etc.

      All the BS, is to confuse you. Until youve spent 4000-6000 out of your pocket, you dont get a dime of "coverage". What you really have, is major medical coverage only, just like 40 yrs ago, but with a system designed to hide that from you, while making you think things are covered. Most are just paying for all their healthcare out of their own pockets.

    • muddywaters wrote:

      Do the math, and you will be shocked that typically your insurance doesnt pay anything until youve paid a significant amount in premiums and deductibles and copays, etc.

      All the BS, is to confuse you. Until youve spent 4000-6000 out of your pocket, you dont get a dime of "coverage". What you really have, is major medical coverage only, just like 40 yrs ago, but with a system designed to hide that from you, while making you think things are covered. Most are just paying for all their healthcare out of their own pockets.
      Most are paying for some effin freeloader's free sh!t. And in stating that is probably why Shellie wont let me talk about healthcare.
      Changes Daily→ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫ ← Don't blame me. It's That Lonesome Guitar.

    • I can't really say much to all the above.
      But if I had a serious incident requiring urgent medical treatment the cost would not be a concern.
      A number of years ago my daughter had Guillion Barre. 28 days on life support (tracheotomy etc) in Intensive Care.
      Didn't cost us a penny.
      There are definitely issues with your medical system.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • milkman wrote:

      muddywaters wrote:

      Do the math, and you will be shocked that typically your insurance doesnt pay anything until youve paid a significant amount in premiums and deductibles and copays, etc.

      All the BS, is to confuse you. Until youve spent 4000-6000 out of your pocket, you dont get a dime of "coverage". What you really have, is major medical coverage only, just like 40 yrs ago, but with a system designed to hide that from you, while making you think things are covered. Most are just paying for all their healthcare out of their own pockets.
      Most are paying for some effin freeloader's free sh!t. And in stating that is probably why Shellie wont let me talk about healthcare.
      I hate to say it, but I have a niece who is one of those freeloaders.
      I once asked her why she thought that some cowboy in Montana should have to provide her what she won't provide for herself.
      Her reply was that she didn't know anyone in Montana and didn't know any real cowboys. She explained how it was the government that gave her the methadone, the food card, the medical treatment and transportation. I was explaining to her how the government provides that by first taking taxes from other people when her mother cut me off.........and there lies the another problem, enablers.