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  1. #1
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    Health Insurance cost question...

    How much do you guys pay in health insurance per month?

    I'm in big trouble here because I do not have health insurance because I foolishly allowed my mother to convince me that health insurance is a waste of money a few years ago so I never bothered to get it. I have NEVER had health insurance... neither has my mother who is about 58 yrs old now.

    But then all of a sudden I get dianosed with mutliple sclerosis about 5 yrs ago and am drowning in THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars worth of medical bills. I could strangle my mother for never getting me health insurance when I was younger! What kind if idiot does not have health insurance. If she gets into an accident or illness (especially now that she's getting older) she will lose everything... doctors and treatments are too expensive to afford without health insurance unless you're a millionaire!

    She always used to tell me health insurance is a waste of money and so this made me think it wasn't really necessary to have it so I never bothered with it. I wish I had never listened to her and had gotten it before getting dianosed with MS. Now I cannot get it because I have pre-existing condition and the rates are extremely expesnive. I'm not even sure how health insurance works because I've never had it!

    How much do you guys pay per month in health insurance? Is it about $200 per month? And if you get sick or diagnosed with something and you rake up a medical bill of let's say $10,000 for example... would this mean that you would NOT have to pay ANY of that $10,000 and the insurance company would pay for it?

    Sorry for the ignorant question...

    Last edited by Frosty; 12-01-2006 at 03:08 PM.

  2. #2
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    Health insurance varies greatly depending on the company you get it through (how good are they at paying their claims? what doctors are in their networks?), what type of policy you get (HMO's are more restrictive than PPO's in allowing you to visit a specialist) and what amount of coverage you want.

    In most cases you have a deductible, for example $1,000/yr. Once you have paid that amount out of your pocket in medical bills that would be covered by the policy, then the coverage begins. The insurance company will pay a percentage of the bills in most cases, like on an 80/20 plan the insurance company will pay 80% of the bill and you'll have to pay 20%.

    If you don't have insurance through your employer you can expect to pay quite a bit for your own individual policy, and it also varies by your age, existing health, and even where you live.

    Search on google for instant health insurance quotes and you should be able to get some ideas. Good insurance companies are Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Assurant, Humana, etc. Make sure you go with a reputable provider, or else your policy will DEFINITELY be a waste of money because you'll be paying them and they will never pay you.

  3. #3
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    Yeah but now I have a pre-existing condition (multiple sclerosis). So my rates will be way too high and there would be no point in having health insurance in that case.

    Somebody mentioned to avoid this I could get insurance under my business? Since I am self-employeed and run 2 businesses and that this way if I open the insurance under my company then I could get away with it or something... ever heard of this?

    I do not have an employer and never will, have always been self-employeed.

    I think the best way is to just call those health insurance conpanies and of course not tell them that I have a pre-existing condition and simply inqure on how to get it under my business... this is what a couple of doctors suggessted that I do but wasn't sure if it would really work or not.

    But if I've never given my SSN# number to any of these doctors (I never do, nor is it required by law)... how would the health insurance companies see that I have a pre-existing condition?

  4. #4
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    You have multiple solutions at this point:

    1) Get health insurance. No matter the cost, it's worth it at this point and consider it a lesson learned.
    2) File for bankruptcy. That might be easier but good luck getting rid of that stain on your financial history.
    3) Ask for help. Many, many people would be willing to support you, especially if you got health insurance now to show your commitment to recovering financially.

    Ah, forgot one:
    4) Move to Canada and mooch off the government. Downside: Governments are the slowest entities on earth. You might have to wait a few more years for treatment after becoming a permanent resident.

  5. #5
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    GamePhreak,

    Oh gosh heck no... noway I would not file for bankruptcy! I'm not in debt... not even close. ALL of my bills are totally payed off. I'd have to be crazy to file for bankruptcy.

    BUT I cannot keep paying such high medical bills in the future right now so I MUST get some sort of health insurance asap. That is for darned sure.

    I was born in canada and have a canadian citzenship and am also an american citzenship AND a swedish citizenship. I have all 3! I have 3 passports. I can receive FREE health care in canada or sweden. I am lucky in regards to that because recently they passed a law whereas you can only have ONE citzenship unless you already had more than one and are simply re-newing them. You can no longer apply for more than one.

    But this is still no help... I cannot fly back and forth to canada or sweden each time I need to go to the doctor! This is no solution and would be very expesnive. I would have to live there and there is noway I'd move.

    I live i the USA and need something in the USA... health insurance but don't know exactly how when I have pre-existing condition

    My neuro-opthomologist told me to get insurance under my business and that this way it doesn't matter if I have a pre-existing condition. He says he is about 90% sure this would work except that it would be slightly more expesnive but still a LOT cheaper than getting it as an individual with a pre-existig condition.

    I guess I should just call and ask the insurance companies how much it whould be to get it under my business and I was told by my doctor to not mention my pre-existing conition in that case since it would be under my business. Do you think this would work?

    Also, I cannot get health insurance "no matter what the cost"... it could cost me over $600 per month with this pre-existing condition! That would be insane and would defeat the entire purpose since in that case the insurance would cost MORE than my actual medical bills!
    Last edited by Frosty; 12-01-2006 at 07:43 PM.

  6. #6
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    One thing to look at, health insurence companies like you when your healthy if you are not healthy they will not accept you. I applied to over 7 before i would find one that would and it was only due to heart palpitations. I pay $130 a month on a 80/20 PPO and my agent comes to my house for chats and paperwork.
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  7. #7
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    Steven,

    Do you have your own business? have you ever heard of what my neuro-opthonologist mentioned about egtting it udner your business? I wonder if he was correct...

    And how would they be able to find out that I have pre-existing condition if I have never given my SSN# to the doctors?

    And right now my right eye has been attacked by this idiotic disease and treatment is $5,000 dollars! I cannot afford it

    So if I had health insurance which was a 80/20 plan... I would have only had to pay $1,000 dollars right? Shoot
    Last edited by Frosty; 12-01-2006 at 07:49 PM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frosty
    Steven,

    Do you have your own business? have you ever heard of what my neuro-opthonologist mentioned about egtting it udner your business? I wonder if he was correct...

    And how would they be able to find out that I have pre-existing condition if I have never given my SSN# to the doctors?

    And right now my right eye has been attacked by this idiotic disease and treatment is $5,000 dollars! I cannot afford it

    So if I had health insurance which was a 80/20 plan... I would have only had to pay $1,000 dollars right? Shoot

    The doctor is partially right you have to do it right however. Sometimes you have to have more then one person on the plan to qualify as as small business insurance. most need at least one employee besides you.


    Depending on your state you may be able to obtain assistance from them if you qualify as low income.

    Some states also have a "high risk" insurence its usually expensive 500-600 dollars per month and you still have to pay out of pocket for some things.

    Ive been through a lot of trouble seeking treatment for my illness and its finally getting under control.
    Last edited by Steven; 12-02-2006 at 03:09 AM.
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  9. #9
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    Hospitals don't want you to know that medical bills are negotiable. Is there a financial counselor at the hospital?
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  10. #10
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    Well there are local hospitals that will offer health insurance for example Johh Peter Smith hopsital offers health insurance for $60 / month which is good. Its not the best of hospitals, but in this day and age health insurance can be expensive.

    Thankfully i'm lucky that i'm in a union at Kroger where they must provide some form of a healthcare package. In fact my benefits start January 1, 2007. In my package for $5 / week i'm getting prescription assistance, Dental, Vision, Life, and AD&D.
    Kerry Jones

  11. #11
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    Maybe an HSA will work for you? Basicaly you can deposit $2750 annually into a saving account that is to be used for health care, and you also need a high deductibility insurance plan. The setup I'm going for is supposed to cost me $42 a month, and coverage start after a $4000 deductible. After that it pay for 100% of the costs. You'll probably be paying quite a bit more, but it's probably going to be worth it, because your health is guarantee to deteriorate as you get older.

    I'm a diabetics, and I've calculated that even with my condition, and HSA will still work for me. And I have that $6M insurance plan if I get hit by a truck or come down with something nasty.
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  12. #12
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    I suggest you contact someone at:

    http://www.unitedamerican.com

    I get my insurance through them and they insure people who are deemed uninsureable through other health insurance companies.


    I have a local field agent maybe you can call him and see if he knows of one in your area. Pm me if you would like his contact
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  13. #13
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    Multiple Sclerosis must be a hard disease. I wish you the best of luck.

  14. #14
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    Thanks for all the responses. This is a pain!

    I was healthy as a horse (very active in gymnastics... NEVER sick my entire life)... then 5 yrs ago get this horrible disease out of nowhere. It has attacked my right eye and now I'm blind in it for the past entire week because my body has attacked the optic nerve in that eye. Going blind is my worst fear. It should heal in about a month and then I will get normal vision back again once it repairs itself. I just hope it doesn't keep attacking my eye because after too many attacks the nerves can't keep repairing themselves.

    This is the first time this disease has ever really affected me except for a minor attack I had years ago... otherwise I cannot even tell that I have it. That sure didn't last long

    I'll check into insurance on monday... hopefully I can get it under my business somehow.

    pixelized,
    Yes I have received some help but not enough. They gave me a free MRI yesterday which usually costs about $700. And I can also get medication which normally costs $1000/month for a much cheaper price for the next two years. But this isn't enough... I still cnanot afford to pay $5,000 for the IV steroid treatment I need right now for my eye which has been severely attacked by my own stupid body. How ridiculous is that? My own body is attacking itself.

    But how much do you guys pay per month in health insurance? What is the norm? I'm just curious... isn't it about $200 or $300 per month? And then I guess it would usually be something lke a 80/20 plan with $1,000 dollar deductible?

    Just want to compare so that when I'm quoted an outrageously high price I'll know by comparing it to normal pricing without pre-existing condition.

  15. #15
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    FluffyTigger,

    So with your plan you would still have to pay almost $4,000 worth of medical bills each year before they will kick in and pay for things?

    That is a really high deductible

    So if you had a lot of medical bills you could end up paying $4,000 each year before they will start paying...

  16. #16
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    HSA is designed so you can bypass your insurance for basic services. For every health care provider, there are 3 staff in the health insurance industry, mostly it's billing, and claimings. It's a huge hassle every time you go to your doctor and it get charge to insurance. HSA is designed to bypass that step. Instead of normally paying $200-$400/mo for full coverage that take care of all of that small stuffs, I pay for that out of pocket for all the normal preventive care. It just cost more to go through insurance, many offices actually has 2 different price set for services, cash and insurance, cash is cheaper. All the money that insurance has to pay for those routine preventive care are just taken right out of your monthly premium, plus administrative costs. That's why my coverage is only about 1/4 what standard coverage cost and still has the same coverage if I have any major medical problem.

    HSA isn't for everyone, you have to look at what you use annually. It might not work for you. For me, I've calculated that all my diabetics needs including doctor visits, blood test, medications, come out to about $2600. Which is barely within the $2750 tax deductible amount allowed by the government. So in the long run that work out well for me. Eventually we want congress to make special allowances for people with cronic conditions so we can contribute more to the HSA account. You get tax free on HSA interests, so if you're not sick all the time, you can build up a small reservore in your HSA for when you get older. My goal is to get about $50,000 in there by the time I get to be 50.
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  17. #17
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    Frosty, I believe what you need is a group insurance plan. You can start one and offer health insurance to your employees, but you actually need to have employees to offer the insurance too. I believe that you cannot be denied coverage through a group plan. However, because you do have MS you rates will be pretty high.
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  18. #18
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    I'm really sad to hear about the MS... maybe you could include your mom on the group plan, she needs to work for you but I guess if she could be registered part time with you (you'll probably have to pay taxes on those but it could be a good way of getting the group plan and insurance for your mom at the same time.
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  19. #19
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    Thanks for all the responses. I am really kicking myself for never getting health insurance years ago and allowing my mother to convince me it's a waste of money. I thought I would always be healthy... never in a million years thought I'd come down with this.

    My grandmother lived until she was 96 yrs old with NO health problems! Everybody in my family lives a really long time and no health problems except for me. I thought I was supposed to have good genes!

    I'm beginning to think maybe I was adopted? Nobody can be this unlucky. Come to think of it... both my parents were black and I'm white.

    Okay, that last sentence was a joke

    Yes, my mother does own her own diabetic supply business and she does have an employ. She actually wants to put her business under my name because she has started a another new business and wants to give me her diabetic business. So this should work, right? That way I could get insurance under the diabetic business since I would then take over my mom's one employee.

    But if I do it this way... they will still see that I have a pre-existing condition so my rates will still be very high? But I thought doing it this way was supposed to void that and get me normal rates as if I didn't have a pre-existing condition? That's what my neuro-opthomologist told me... unless he was wrong... he wasn't sure...

    On monday when I start checking for rates/plans... should I immediately tell them that I have MS... or not tell them at all? I was told to not tell them if I'm checking about getting it under my business (group).

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frosty
    Yes, my mother does own her own diabetic supply business and she does have an employ. She actually wants to put her business under my name because she has started a another new business and wants to give me her diabetic business. So this should work, right? That way I could get insurance under the diabetic business since I would then take over my mom's one employee.
    That's perfect, you should be able to get it and my guess is the more people there are the more "diluted" your MS will be if they find out. I suggest you don't tell them anything about it, either way other than that eye problem you're healthy (hope you will stay forever btw).
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  21. #21
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    You definitely should tell them. They have a right to cancel your insurance if they find frauds on your application. They could keep taking your premiums while it's profitable, then one day when you have something big and actually need major coverage, some sort of mysteriously audit will find that you didn't disclose a chronic condition and they cancel your coverage.
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  22. #22
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    First and foremost, I am very sorry for your condition.

    On another note, I am also concerned about the people in this thread actually suggesting to commit a criminal act--can we say insurance fraud anyone?

    Quote Originally Posted by Backyard Billy
    That's perfect, you should be able to get it and my guess is the more people there are the more "diluted" your MS will be if they find out. I suggest you don't tell them anything about it, either way other than that eye problem you're healthy (hope you will stay forever btw).
    That's the most rediculous suggestion in this entire thread. Are you that ignorant? People like you cause my insurance rates to go up. She can get accepted into any insurance company if she states she has no pre-existing conditions (obviously). But once she starts claming treatment for her MS, the insurance company usually needs diagnosis proof--which is something she can no longer get from any (reputable) doctor. She was already diagnosed 5 years ago!

    There is no way to "beat the system" here trying to get normal rates when you already have a pre-condition.
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nich
    That's the most rediculous suggestion in this entire thread. Are you that ignorant? People like you cause my insurance rates to go up. She can get accepted into any insurance company if she states she has no pre-existing conditions (obviously). But once she starts claming treatment for her MS, the insurance company usually needs diagnosis proof--which is something she can no longer get from any (reputable) doctor. She was already diagnosed 5 years ago!
    I did not tell her to lie, just to withhold information (I doubt it would happen anyway) under the group plan. I'm far from an expert on this topic, I'm canadian and we have a free universal health care here so I never had to deal with that and I do not affect your insurance rates. If they directly ask her of any pre-existing conditions, she has to say the truth (otherwise it's criminal I agree with you 100%).

    That being said if your rates keep going up it's because insurance companies want more profits, not because people are cheating the system. If you've seen the amount of money these SoB do not to pay customers who have a legitimate claim you would rethink what you just said.
    Last edited by GoTek-JP; 12-03-2006 at 01:24 PM.
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  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Backyard Billy
    I did not tell her to lie, just to withhold information (I doubt it would happen anyway) under the group plan. I'm far from an expert on this topic, I'm canadian and we have a free universal health care here so I never had to deal with that and I do not affect your insurance rates.

    That being said if your rates keep going up it's because insurance companies want more profits, not because people are cheating the system. If you've seen the amount of money these SoB do not to pay customers who have a legitimate claim you would rethink what you just said.

    They will ask. To sign up for health insurance it specifically asks "do you have any current conditions", and wants exact times of diagnosis, whats to know what treatments, etc.

    Insurance fraud is directly related to increases in health insurance. Another thing you have to think about, many claims do get denied because they were not legitimate. For example if you have a preexisting condition, and you still get accepted many insurence companies WILL NOT grant you any benefits for 12-18 months for ANY thing that relates to the pre existing condition.

    Also many companies will not support independent lab work, for example I had a metanepherine test to see if I had a pheochromocytoma. Was not covered under the insurance because it was an independent lab that the original lab outsourced to.
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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nich
    People like you cause my insurance rates to go up.
    Quote Originally Posted by Backyard Billy
    I'm canadian and we have a free universal health care here so I never had to deal with that and I do not affect your insurance rates.

    That being said if your rates keep going up it's because insurance companies want more profits, not because people are cheating the system. If you've seen the amount of money these SoB do not to pay customers who have a legitimate claim you would rethink what you just said.
    Hi,

    I never specifically said "you". I was talking in general to the people who get insurance coverage under false pretenses (having a pre-existing condition) and having that kind of mindset. I've never stated that my insurance rates "keep going up". Why are you putting words in my mouth?

    Quote Originally Posted by Backyard Billy
    I did not tell her to lie, just to withhold information
    Are you kidding me? The point here was never about lying. It was about WITHOLDING INFORMATION which is the crime here.

    She should be upfront and fully honest about her condition. That's it and that's all there is to it. You sign a contract when you sign-up, and all the forms ask the same thing: "Please list any pre-existing conditions you have"
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