Question for the Pack re: health insurance.

[AzzurriDawg4]

My wife is going to stop working in the near future and I need to get her insured. Anyone done any extensive research/pricing recently?

I am thinking blue cross blue shield is going to be my best bet.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

My wife is going to stop working in the near future and I need to get her insured. Anyone done any extensive research/pricing recently?

I am thinking blue cross blue shield is going to be my best bet.

Thanks in advance.

 

[fishwater99]

Obama is going to take care of all of us...

In Mississippi BCBS is probably the best bet, just depends on what kind of coverage/deductibles you want.

 

[therightway]

The obamacare bill is so great. They cannot turn you down so it will be like trying to get car insurance after you have a wreck to cover the damage to your wrecked car.

 

[patdog]

You have 60 days to decide if you want COBRA coverage from her work. So just wait the full 60 days, and if something happens during that time, you accept the COBRA coverage (and of course pay for it). If not, just decline it and buy your insurance from whoever you choose, effective at the end of the 60-day period. I don't recommend going uninsured past the 60-day window. I think you and fishwater is probably right that in Mississippi, BCBS is probably your best bet. But I haven't really looked at the market to know.

 

[DowntownDawg]

...think about an HSA. They work really well if the insured is really healthy or really sick. There are some nice tax breaks. If she goes to the doctor once/month, then it's probably not a great thing because you are essentially paying at 100% until you meet your deductible. If she rarely goes and just need an "in case of emergency" type plan, then HSA's are good. You can roll your unused portion from year to year and it can actually function like a retirement account - if you don't use the money, you can take it out penalty free upon reaching age 65.

 

[captaindawg]

I'm not sure if you have any type of military service. If so, then tricare recently became available for vets. 197/month for the entire family for great coverage. Its the best thing out there if you qualify.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

She is pregnant and may have to go on bedrest. Her family medical leave will cover until Nov. 1, but the baby is due on Oct. 24. Then she may not go back. So I will need coverage immediately, especially with the newborn, and she goes to the doctor A LOT - so I am not sure the HSA will work, but definitely something I was looking into.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

most companies would consider the pregnancy and child a pre-existing condition and not cover that, wouldn't they? Though I guess the new laws are supposed to help with that. But I'm not positive, I just know it's harder to get if she's already pregnant.

 

[DowntownDawg]

....in that case, I wouldn't recommend an HSA unless you can get the baby on your insurance? Babies go to the doc a lot, and that gets expensive after a while. We were in the same situation and did an HSA for a while. I like the concept of it, but it was tough to swallow financially. My wife eventually went back to work and we went back to her insurance. Does your employment not offer family coverage?

 

[mstateglfr]

most companies would consider the pregnancy and child a pre-existing condition and not cover that, wouldn't they?

Ill plead ignorance on knowing ugly details of health insurance. My work's care seems to be awesome since i havent had any problems on coverage, so ive never looked into details of other plans.
Is what you are saying correct?...anyone verify this? I have heard once a woman is pregnant she is F'd(more than literally) in terms of healthcare coverage if she wants to get it on her own. But oddly enough,i dont spend my time combing thru policy legal speak to see if this is true for many companies.

And if a pregnancy is a pre-existing condition that wouldnt be covered, then what about diabetes? Someone can come into my insurance with both and be covered. Is that really not common?
Or is it commonly acceptedfor work subsidized insurance but not allowed for most individual insurance policies?

People in my company come in with families that have medical issues like hypertension, diabetes, history of seizures and they are fully covered...its nuts that they would not be covered elsewhere.

And yet in the end, forcing people to enter into the stream of commerce is not only notthe answer, but its a gross insult to our freedom...though that is what is going to happen.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

Does your employment not offer family coverage?

Yes but it is garbage and I have to pay for it. They want like $500 a month for wife/child at a $3500 deductible. I told them to GF.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

Although I am not sure.

Again, thanks everyone, I will let this go for a bit longer and then I am going to lock it up.

 

[boomboommsu]

Especially when dealing with pregnancy. Letting coverage lapse and then getting unlucky and having a serious medical condition develop can quickly turn into denied coverage and bills deep into the 5 figures. or 6.

keep coverage current at all times during and soon after a pregnancy. try to have your wife technically still be 'working' (maternity leave), even if she knows she's not going back, until after delivery, so as to keep that policy. and get a clean bill of health for both in writing from a doc before switching insurance in any way (even with that you can still get hit with pre-existing condition BS).

i don't think most people grasp how risky switching health coverage during pregnancy is. Health care reform will fix most of it (no pre-existing conditions), but won't go fully into effect for a few years.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

Her family medical leave will carry her through the pregnancy - then it looks like it will be COBRA or BCBS starting Nov. 1. Regardless, she will get continued coverage through work or through COBRA until after the birth, no change will be made beforehand.

 

[boomboommsu]

"Or is it commonly acceptedfor work subsidized insurance but not allowed for most individual insurance policies?"

Pretty much. Work subsidized insurance has to cover everyone in that office, typically, for the same price. The added cost is just spread to everyone. The individual market is a racket aimed at selling a crappy product for high profit: insurance for healthy people only, that ceases coverage as much as possible if you actually get sick.

 

[SwampDawg]

would be for someone (for a fee) that could advise people like us about health insurance, coverage, lack thereof, and so forth. When we ask our insurance company rep, we may or may not get a straight answer, and they sure aren't any good about giving advice pertaining to other companies, overlapping coverage, overlapping with Medicare and Obamacare. I suspect my wife and I are paying too much for insurance, but I just can't find anyone to give advice.

 

[DowntownDawg]

....I don't think I could. That's basically a high deductible plan that would go along with an HSA.

 

[Shmuley]

from these legalized pirates called health insurance carriers. $500 for family coverage with a $3500 deductible? You better take that horrible deal right now, especially with the ongoing pregnancy. Don't be an idiot.

It would not surprise me to see quotes running $1500/month or more for a $1500 deductible with at least a 270 day waiting period on mama.

 

[kired]

I think it's against the law to classify pregnancy as pre-existing, or at least that what I was told when looking into in last year. My wife was pregnant& a teacher. Her due date was near the time when her contract & insurance would expire, so I would've needed to add her on mine. The way I understood she could've had the baby the first day of coverage & they'd still have to insure her.

edit to add: but I'm sure insurance companies can find loopholes around it

 

[gothreecar]

Pregnancy is not a pre-exsisting condition by federal law.It has been like that for years, not since obama. The main difference in details is that an insurance company can not refuse you on a group coverage basis, but can cherry pick on an individual basis. So, if you try and get individual coverage on her while she is pregnant you are going to get refused coverage as of now.(Obama Care will take care of that in a couple of years) On a group basis if she has coverage through her employer she has either a right to cobra(federal law) or State Continuation in Mississippi if her employer has less than 20 emplyees. There is no cobra if you employ less that 20. Cobra provides the ability to keep coverage for 18 months when an employee terms, and State Continuation only provides for 12 months. Just Guessing, but it will probably be cheaper for you to let your wife take cobra or state continuation and add the baby on to your group if you have a employee/child rate.
Hope this helps.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

for 18 months from the date when her employment expires.

That is approx $386 a month and is great coverage. That looks to be the best deal and covers a year and a half, and I will just move her over to ours at some point during that time. At least that is how I think it works. There won't be an insurance lapse during or right after pregnancy, thanks to COBRA and the fact she will be on family medical leave through Nov. 1, baby is due in October (my wife is also a teacher, kired) so she is still fully on her employer's plan through all of October.

 

[AzzurriDawg4]

nm