Individual health insurance?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

For the first time ever in my life I will neither be insured by my parents or an employer. From Sept 1 until I find amother job I will be unemployed and traveling around the US.

I wouldn't be too concerned about going without insurance since I am as healthy as I have ever been in my life, BUT I will be riding my mountain bike alot and the thought of breaking a leg in Utah or something without insurance kinda scares me.

Is out of pocket insurance that is good across the US even a thing? I am used to insurance only being good in the state you reside, etc. Clearly I know nothing about this stuff. I assume I am gonna pay a shitload of money for coverage as an individual 33 year old male.

[AK47bp]

the internet has some info.

Healthcare.gov.

If you qualify.

[digitaldeath]

why do you need health insurance

you sick ?

[Harry]

Your best bet is to do COBRA off your current plan.

You can buy short term non-ACA-compliant plans, but you will be subject to a tax penalty. These so-called "junk insurance" plans are very inexpensive, but they do not cover much, you have to do your own billing, and you pay the cash-price for most medical services, which is usually far more expensive. If you are young and healthy, and it is only for a short term, I say roll the dice and go for it. Age 30 is the cutoff to have a "catastrophic" plan count under the ACA as far as avoiding a tax penalty.

Also: under the ACA moving to a different city counts as a major life event so that you don't have to wait for the next open enrollment period. But it sounds like you don't know where you will end up, so not sure how that works.

[mall walker]

Just try not to crash bro

[Dantheman]

If you'll be away from your official place of residence and are only interested in coverage for emergency care, you should look into travel insurance. IIRC it's cheap and the medical coverage is generally pretty good. Injuries have to occur a certain distance from "home" but I think the minimum distance is usually around 100 miles.

That said, think very carefully before you voluntarily create a gap in your medical coverage. Rates really should not be that bad for a young single person.

[DBdude]

buy coverage in your current state through the state marketplace or healthcare.gov

[AK47bp]

Your best bet is to do COBRA off your current plan.

You can buy short term non-ACA-compliant plans, but you will be subject to a tax penalty. These so-called "junk insurance" plans are very inexpensive, but they do not cover much, you have to do your own billing, and you pay the cash-price for most medical services, which is usually far more expensive. If you are young and healthy, and it is only for a short term, I say roll the dice and go for it. Age 30 is the cutoff to have a "catastrophic" plan count under the ACA as far as avoiding a tax penalty.

Also: under the ACA moving to a different city counts as a major life event so that you don't have to wait for the next open enrollment period. But it sounds like you don't know where you will end up, so not sure how that works.

Yea. Just do Cobra man, you'll get the notice in the mail and have 60 days to enroll, that will allow you to keep your current plan for up to 18 months if needed. It will be expensive though, my company's plans are $740 a month for individual , it's a 90/10 plan with a low deductible though.

[digitaldeath]

accident insurance

thats what i have

its cheap and offers nothing

[KQ]

I wouldn't be too concerned about going without insurance since I am as healthy as I have ever been in my life, BUT I will be riding my mountain bike alot and the thought of breaking a leg in Utah or something without insurance kinda scares me.

Or getting hit by a texting/drunk/distracted driver, shit falling off a vehicle, high speed police chase, attacked by a rogue dog, stabbed by a crazy person, caught in cross fire, salmonella/listeria poisoning, undiagnosed cancer/tumor/disease, stroke, aneurysm . So many reasons to have health insurance. Things can change in the blink of an eye and without insurance not only will you be injured/sick but bankrupt too.

Your best bet is to do COBRA off your current plan.

.

Possible it's cheaper now that individual insurance rates are up but I've always found COBRA to be way more expensive.

I

That said, think very carefully before you voluntarily create a gap in your medical coverage. Rates really should not be that bad for a young single person.

This. Gaps can make it a pain to re-enroll esp. if those brainiacs in DC do away with the pre-existing conditions waiver.

[avacadotoast]

http://www.nj.gov/dobi/division_insu...crates2017.htm

.....

[MontuckyFried]

Meh. Just do it like lots of people do (ESPECIALLY in areas with massive illegal populations) and just roll into the ER for whatever, say you have no health insurance, and just make up everything on the paperwork. Name? Penn Dayho. DOB? 2-30-19xx. Address? 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, DC. Etc. Etc. Etc. By law, they have to treat you, and you'll never see a bill. Might not get any follow-up care though, but who cares if it's free?!

Although we've never wanted to lie, some things on the paper work really should be none of a doctor's office business. I like my wife's smart ass answer to Occupation. She likes to put down "domestic goddess."

[AK47bp]

Yea. Just do Cobra man, you'll get the notice in the mail and have 60 days to enroll, that will allow you to keep your current plan for up to 18 months if needed. It will be expensive though, my company's plans are $740 a month for individual , it's a 90/10 plan with a low deductible though.

Actually just realized your traveling all around. Don't do Cobra or you will likely risk paying out of network in more remote areas. Some BCBS plans are reciprocal across country but you'd need to research where they are and if it's in your travel path.




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[fastfred]

Meh. Just do it like lots of people do (ESPECIALLY in areas with massive illegal populations) and just roll into the ER for whatever, say you have no health insurance, and just make up everything on the paperwork. Name? Penn Dayho. DOB? 2-30-19xx. Address? 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, DC. Etc. Etc. Etc. By law, they have to treat you, and you'll never see a bill. Might not get any follow-up care though, but who cares if it's free?!

Although we've never wanted to lie, some things on the paper work really should be none of a doctor's office business. I like my wife's smart ass answer to Occupation. She likes to put down "domestic goddess."

yeah that's what I do, works out pretty good, they have to take care of you at the ER no matter what, follow up care is the only bummer

[fastfred]

on another note since mom and dad aren't paying for it, the gov't isn't paying for it, and you don't have a job that gives you those things called benifits

your now going to find out how fucked up the health insurance world is, get ready to get ass fucked have a dog shit policy that covers nothing, it's a big wake up call, wish everyone had to buy their own insurance, there would be a revolution at hand if people had to acutally get insurance themselves

ask away, been buying my own insurance for twenty years, I got alot to say and none of it is good

when the whole country goes bankrupt we'll finally get single payer health care, can't wait, hate subsidizing fat unhealthy over weight fucked up people who can't take care of themselves

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Yeah, I figured cobra may suck since it would be from Horizon BCBS of NJ. Although I may be wrong about the quality of their reciprocity in other states. Will have to look into it.

[Dantheman]

your now going to find out how fucked up the health insurance world is, get ready to get ass fucked have a dog shit policy that covers nothing, it's a big wake up call, wish everyone had to buy their own insurance, there would be a revolution at hand if people had to acutally get insurance themselves

I've been buying individually since I went off my parents' insurance in my early 20s, and I agree 100%. People keep complaining that premiums are rising. Guess what, they've raised my rates every. fucking. year. for over a decade. Twice this year actually, once in January and again in May when I turned 35. Nothing new, business as usual.

[Danno]

I've been buying individually since I went off my parents' insurance in my early 20s, and I agree 100%. People keep complaining that premiums are rising. Guess what, they've raised my rates every. fucking. year. for over a decade. Twice this year actually, once in January and again in May when I turned 35. Nothing new, business as usual.

I always laugh when people talk about "rising insurance rates under Obamacare", because wtf? They've been rising like crazy for pretty much most of my adult life.

[old goat]

Yeah, I figured cobra may suck since it would be from Horizon BCBS of NJ. Although I may be wrong about the quality of their reciprocity in other states. Will have to look into it.

I would be very surprised if you wouldn't be covered for emergency care anywhere in the US you travel. But definitely don't take my word for it.

The thing about health insurance is--health care is expensive and someone is going to pay for it one way or another--the federal govt, states, counties, employers, hospitals, doctors, individuals. The cost can be shifted around a million different ways but it doesn't go away. Every dollar Congress saves the Federal govt and federal taxpayers if they manage to pass a bill will come out of someone else's pocket. We need to be figuring out ways to bring the cost down--if we could cut the cost we wouldn't be arguing so much about who pays. Single payer will help, getting rid of fee for service will help a lot, training docs to be cost concious will help a lot, educating the public about care is beneficial and what is not would be nice if the public was educable which it is not.

[AK47bp]

True. Emergency care on most plans is charged the same in or out of network.

[Dantheman]

The thing about health insurance is--health care is expensive and someone is going to pay for it one way or another--the federal govt, states, counties, employers, hospitals, doctors, individuals. The cost can be shifted around a million different ways but it doesn't go away. Every dollar Congress saves the Federal govt and federal taxpayers if they manage to pass a bill will come out of someone else's pocket.

This is discussed at length here: http://www.dancarlin.com/product/com...althy-numbers/

[MontuckyFried]

I always laugh when people talk about "rising insurance rates under Obamacare", because wtf? They've been rising like crazy for pretty much most of my adult life.

Well, pre-ACA, I was paying around $50/month as a single guy with a high deductible individual plan. Now I'm paying around a grand a month for an even higher deductible group plan covering 2 young adults and 2 little ones. All healthy and active with zero health problems. My perfectly healthy 2 month old daughter added about $300/month to the plan. WTF? You can't tell me that isn't due to current regulation. Government said health insurance is mandatory by law, so then the insurance companies licking their chops said "Oh, did we say $50/month? What we REALLY meant was $500/month." Epipen maker, Mylan, says "Oh, we were only charging $60 for an epipen and government's gonna help foot the bill? What we REALLY meant to charge was $600." This is the reality we live in.

[KQ]

Well, pre-ACA, I was paying around $50/month as a single guy with a high deductible individual plan. Now I'm paying around a grand a month for an even higher deductible group plan covering 2 young adults and 2 little ones. All healthy and active with zero health problems. My perfectly healthy 2 month old daughter added about $300/month to the plan. WTF? You can't tell me that isn't due to current regulation. Government said health insurance is mandatory by law, so then the insurance companies licking their chops said "Oh, did we say $50/month? What we REALLY meant was $500/month." Epipen maker, Mylan, says "Oh, we were only charging $60 for an epipen and government's gonna help foot the bill? What we REALLY meant to charge was $600." This is the reality we live in.

Insurance companies and their shareholders. Profit, profit, profit at any cost!

[MontuckyFried]

And for you guys talking single payer, think about it this way. Personally, I'd love to see some form of socialized health care, but until we treat medicine the way that much of Europe does, then we simply can't afford it. The US and most Europeans approach medical care SO differently. The way we treat births is a GREAT example. Look it up.

[Danno]

Well, pre-ACA, I was paying around $50/month as a single guy with a high deductible individual plan. Now I'm paying around a grand a month for an even higher deductible group plan covering 2 young adults and 2 little ones. All healthy and active with zero health problems. My perfectly healthy 2 month old daughter added about $300/month to the plan. WTF? You can't tell me that isn't due to current regulation. Government said health insurance is mandatory by law, so then the insurance companies licking their chops said "Oh, did we say $50/month? What we REALLY meant was $500/month." Epipen maker, Mylan, says "Oh, we were only charging $60 for an epipen and government's gonna help foot the bill? What we REALLY meant to charge was $600." This is the reality we live in.

That's not really how it works. No doubt insurance has gone up, and no doubt that the ACA was favorable to insurance companies, but your anecdote is comparing a single healthy adult with a family of 4.

You know, back when I was 25 and single I was paying a lot less for insurance. Now, 25 years later with a family and the ACA and I'm paying through the nose. Fuck Obamacare!