Health Insurance Crisis

arnoldschnitzer · #1 05-27-2006, 07:15 AM

Any of you TB folks live in the Northeast and have access to info on affordable health insurance for the self-employed? We just received our yearly increase letter and our premium is getting close to our mortgage payment. We've been seeing increases in the range of 15-20% a year! I just don't know what self-employed people are supposed to do. I can see this bankrupting a lot of small and micro-businesses. I am currently a member of the Small Business Service Bureau, and get my policy (Aetna) through them. I've also looked at the N.A.S.E. material and have requested a quote. Funny how our politicians consistentently refer to small business as the "engine" of our economy, yet when it comes to providing health coverage for our families, we're just hung out to dry...meanwhile we can afford every destructive weapon the "scientists" can dream up. Pardon the rant.

christ andronis · #2 05-27-2006, 08:07 AM

Rant away Arnold....you're right!!!

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #3 05-27-2006, 09:13 AM

I'm right with you on this. Since I'm untenured at the University, I don't get the same deal as a full prof, which basically means same as self employed. The figure I was quoted last year for myself, wife and son was almost $900 per month. Thankfully, my wife is still working a corporate gig and we can get something of a break that way. Before I was married (when I was completely self employed and in business for myself), there were many years I simply did without. The state of the health care system today is a total joke. Don't even get me started on prescription drugs.

**Freddels** · #4 05-27-2006, 09:14 AM

I'm lucky in that my wife gets it through her employment. Some friends of mine will get it through the local chamber of commerce. Others will get a part time job (work enough hours to qualify) just for the health benefits.

Don't get me going on the gov't.

Wilbyman · #5 05-27-2006, 09:30 AM

Didn't you hear? It's all the trial lawyers' fault. Bastiges. Bowlus included.

W

bikerbassplayer · #6 05-27-2006, 09:53 AM

Hi all, well here is some info you may not be aware of.
I dont know how much time to go till you are senior
citizens but I am on medicare and have a AARP drug
plan. My medicare costs $45.00 a month and is taken
out of my SSI check automatically. My drug plan costs
$28.00 a month and pays for all but $100.00 of my
monthly meds. I take about 4 prescriptions a month so
I am in good shape financially but that is only because the
the feds and AARP are covering most of the cost. I do of
course realize that that's no help to you younger players
but just thought I would let you know what's going on
when you retire. Good luck to all and hope this gives you
a little peace of mind for the future.

Tbeers · #7 05-27-2006, 11:05 AM

I worked at a health insurance broker for a while last summer. A client called saying she couldn't get medication for her son, and asked why she wasn't insured. I then asked my boss, who said that the client didn't get coverage because she made a mistake filling out her enrollment form, and that it was too late to do anything about it. I went on the United Healthcare website, enrolled the woman for health coverage anyway, and then quit my job.

I f**king HATE the health insurance business. It is a huge group of corporations and people with one goal: to screw you. I'm convinced nobody could accidentally or coincidentally be that unreasonable. It could only be a gathering of the most despicable and unpleasant people in the world, to combine and create a system so riddled with inequity and cost overruns and (sometimes) downright cruelty.

Arnold, you're seeing a 15-20% increase? Last summer, when I was re-enrolling clients for their coverage, some of their premiums rose 40%! There's probably nothing you can do about it. Bite the bullet....

I pity anyone who voluntarily works in the health insurance business. I'd rather starve than contribute to something so categorically deranged.

mje · #8 05-27-2006, 11:46 AM

When my emplyers was laying off a lot of people, I called around to see what health insurance would cost through the provider I was already covered under. I found that by buying a policy with a large deductible, I could save a tremendous amount.

One reason health care costs are so high is that too many plans cover EVERYTHING. We all need yearly checkups, flu shots, shots for the kids, and a dozen other things, so why filter that through your insurance company? It adds another 30-50% to things we she be buying directly. There are an increasing number of cash-only medical practices that take no insurance, and offer drastically lowered fees, as their overhead is so much lower. We should be insuring against catastorphes, not everyday expenses,

Another cause is state laws that mandate that insurance must cover a wide range of things, like substance abuse or psychotherapy. Sound good when your employer is footing the bill, but when you['re the employer or buying your own insurance, you end up paying a lot more. People need more flexability.

Another reason is that people demand the best availible care. That sound reasonable, doesn't it? But Sometimes the very best availible costs 10x what the usual costs. And there's alwasy the chance a lawyer will be asking a doctor or insuraer "so why did you prescribe/approve tratment X, when treatment Y is even better? You did it to save money and line your pockets, didn't you?"

Last, insurance in the US costs a lot becausue the level of medical care is so good. We don't have to ration health care like most government plans do- yet. For example, the US has 29.5 CT machines per million citizens; Canada, 103; France, 9.7; the UK, 6.3.

arnoldschnitzer · #9 05-28-2006, 08:51 AM

My wife has a serious chronic disease, so high-deductible plans are not an option for us. Also, many of those plans have a very low maximum coverage amount, so if you get cancer or have a serious heart or organ problem, you can say good-bye to your home and other worldly posessions. This is a huge problem for self-employed folks and small businesses! Our new premium is almost 50 bucks A DAY for only two adults! OK, guys, I figured it out...this month only, special at my shop; new fingerboard, nut and bridge...only $5,000!!!! (This offer only good for TB members born outside the USA weighing less than 200 lbs with balding head and arthritis)

tombowlus · #10 05-28-2006, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilbyman

Didn't you hear? It's all the trial lawyers' fault. Bastiges. Bowlus included.

W

Painting yourself with that brush, are ya?

Trevorus · #11 05-28-2006, 12:26 PM

What is interesting it that my insurance company basically tells me how screwed I'd be without them. I had a test for carpal tunnel/tendonitis. It would have cost me almost 1500 dollars, and it was a 10 minute appointment. My insurance company ended up paying less than 400 dollars for it. Absolutely insane.

mchildree · #12 05-28-2006, 01:13 PM

I had the unique position a few years back of working for a large health insurer, as a claims examiner. Later I moved to a division which marketed practice management and electronic health claims filing software to individual practices and hospitals. I routinely had the occasion to minutely examine the records and business practices of all types of health care providers. As you can see, I have viewed this issue in depth, from both sides of that fence.

I can assure you that there are some highly inaccurate and misguided generalizations being made here. You might wanna look elsewhere if you wanna place blame for high health care and insurance costs, as the insurers are only part of the problem.

Josh Ginsburg · #13 05-29-2006, 03:20 AM

http://www.workingtoday.org/
http://www.ins.state.ny.us/website2/hny/english/hny.htm

tombowlus · #14 05-29-2006, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilbyman

Didn't you hear? It's all the trial lawyers' fault. Bastiges. Bowlus included.

W

I don't do medical malpractice, BTW.

arnoldschnitzer · #15 05-30-2006, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Ginsburg

http://www.workingtoday.org/
http://www.ins.state.ny.us/website2/hny/english/hny.htm

Thanks, Josh. The workingtoday site shows some potentially promising options, and I'll check them out. Healthy NY is a joke. In this part of the state, you'd have to be essentially destitute to meet their income qualifications.

Wilbyman · #16 05-30-2006, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tombowlus

I don't do medical malpractice, BTW.

I've actually got one going on right now....

Josh Ginsburg · #17 05-30-2006, 11:09 AM

Yeah I didn't think Healthy NY would be good for you, but maybe someone else looking could find it useful.(especially someone with a largely cash income...) Working Today has probably the best rates going otherwise, and is better insurance.