Wellness

[OfCourse]

@Carmie  Has he priced plans directly from insurers?  My plan through Blue Cross was $550 a month with a $3,300 deductible and a $6,600 total possible yearly out-of--pocket from me before BC/BS covered everything.  I'm not sure what it would cost on the exchanges.

If he has those kinds of assets, he doesn't need me to tell him he can't go without health insurance.  An unexpected hospitalization can be very expensive.  I know what you mean about the upper middle class.  They don't get assistance putting their kids through college and pay big taxes.  On the other hand, the middle class is hurting with stagnant wages and high unemployment for quite a few years.  It's a bad situation all around.

[OfCourse]

@SilleeMee  If they don't have one on staff, they will likely refer you to one at another organization.  Good luck.

[kitcat51]

@CelticCrafter You're right, I made a mistake & Thanks for correcting me. The link was sent to me by a neighbor who just lost her pension & of course the included health care  benefits so have been trying to help her & I should have been more careful. Losing your pension is so stressful so I'm happy to help but boy does it bring up all the awful times since it happened to me...if you have a pension be grateful, losing it is a financial & emotional diaster.

[Maudlynn]

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@OfCourse wrote:

@Carmie  Has he priced plans directly from insurers?  My plan through Blue Cross was $550 a month with a $3,300 deductible and a $6,600 total possible yearly out-of--pocket from me before BC/BS covered everything.  I'm not sure what it would cost on the exchanges.

If he has those kinds of assets, he doesn't need me to tell him he can't go without health insurance.  An unexpected hospitalization can be very expensive.  I know what you mean about the upper middle class.  They don't get assistance putting their kids through college and pay big taxes.  On the other hand, the middle class is hurting with stagnant wages and high unemployment for quite a few years.  It's a bad situation all around.

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I think it's a crock. The highest priced plans are the platinum plans and only 1% of obamacare plan holders purchase them. They pay 90% of expenses. Maybe her son had one of those? But I sincerely doubt it if he's willing to risk any assets (if there are any) and choses to be uninsured.

[Carmie]

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@Maudlynn wrote:

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@OfCourse wrote:

@Carmie  Has he priced plans directly from insurers?  My plan through Blue Cross was $550 a month with a $3,300 deductible and a $6,600 total possible yearly out-of--pocket from me before BC/BS covered everything.  I'm not sure what it would cost on the exchanges.

If he has those kinds of assets, he doesn't need me to tell him he can't go without health insurance.  An unexpected hospitalization can be very expensive.  I know what you mean about the upper middle class.  They don't get assistance putting their kids through college and pay big taxes.  On the other hand, the middle class is hurting with stagnant wages and high unemployment for quite a few years.  It's a bad situation all around.

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I think it's a crock. The highest priced plans are the platinum plans and only 1% of obamacare plan holders purchase them. They pay 90% of expenses. Maybe her son had one of those? But I sincerely doubt it if he's willing to risk any assets (if there are any) and choses to be uninsured.

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No, he does not have a platinum plan... he has the cheapest of the two that were offered to him for 2017. 

He is only 38 years old and single, never married and has never been sick.  I often went without health insurance e many times through my lifetime.  I have three children and only the youngest’s birth was paid for by insurance.

the two oldest children’s birth were paid for by my husband and myself...one was an expensive c-section.  Our combined bill for his birth and hospitalization was more than our annual salary at the time.  

Also when my kids were younger, we had to pay for all preventative care out of our pocket...no coverage for immunizations.  And we paid for all sick office visits too, as we could never reach the deductible amounts. 

Many people live without insurance.  There are other bills to pay and you have to eat. 

Nothing is a crock...it depends on where you live.  Some,places have affordable coverage and you have choices...other places have very little to offer at expensive prices.

 Okay, so I looked in the blue cross shield.  He can buy insurance of about $560 a month with a $7300 year deductible.    That still is awlful, but I’ll run it past him.

[ccassaday]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

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@Mint2 wrote:

Thats why my husband and I don't retire, the insurance. 

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@Mint2  Wouldn't your health coverage continue after you retire?  My Husbands retirement plan  covers his health care completely ..and My cost per year on his coverage as his spouse is about $350 a month.  

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@SeaMaiden - my husbands pension package includes health insurance for both of us until he reaches Medicare age.

He's 6 months older than me, so once that happens I'm on my own and will either have to go with Cobra or find my own for 6 months.

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@CelticCrafter  Thankyou for sharing. I asked my husband about our coverage again

 Once he reaches medicare age( in two years) he said his medical coverage in his retirement plan continues after the age for medicare for both of us...

medicare will be our primary, and his work retirement package health plan will continue to be our secondary.

  I pay now   for the  secondary coverage at about $350 a month .  I am already on Medicare and pay about $140 a month for that as well) my husband pays nothing for his medical except for a  dental package. ( it is $80 a year for both of us).

It really is all very confusing and upsetting for so many people. So hard to keep track of.  I put my health as one of the most important things to work on... keeping healthy. It helps me to make healthy choices and do more things that will keep me feeling my best.

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Are you positive about that. I know all retirement packages are different but when my dad retired at 65 this year my mom was able to keep the same plan for the same price. She pays around $200 a month. She will then get Medicare in June next year when she turns 65.

[OfCourse]

@Carmie  If he has an accident or otherwise needs expensive medical care, that will be the best $560 a month he's ever spent.  Medicine is different than it was decades ago.  There's so much new technology and new treatments.  Things that people didn't survive no longer kill them.  That's a big part of the high cost of health insurance, though tort reform and eliminating some mandates would bring down premiums.

[goldensrbest]

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@LilacTree wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

My DH and I will lose our dental insurance in January.  I am picking up a dental plan through Delta Dental by being a member of COSTCO for $130 a year for the two of us combined.

There are other affordable plans available through Delta as well for non-members. Check out there website if you are interested.

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@Carmie

I have used a discounted plan for my daughter and me (1Dental).  It costs $129 a year for the two of us.  Of course you have to find a dentist who also participates in the plan.  I paid in cash the first time, the second time I used CareCredit at 0% finance charge and paid it off in under a year.

I don't know why more people do not take advantage of these discounted plans.  Glad to see you do.

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@LilacTree,I just don't understand this ,please explain.

[SilleeMee]

The dental plans in the exchange are mostly gone now. The ones left are not any I would be able to afford and some have very few dentists that participate in the plans.

[LilacTree]

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@goldensrbest wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

My DH and I will lose our dental insurance in January.  I am picking up a dental plan through Delta Dental by being a member of COSTCO for $130 a year for the two of us combined.

There are other affordable plans available through Delta as well for non-members. Check out there website if you are interested.

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@Carmie

I have used a discounted plan for my daughter and me (1Dental).  It costs $129 a year for the two of us.  Of course you have to find a dentist who also participates in the plan.  I paid in cash the first time, the second time I used CareCredit at 0% finance charge and paid it off in under a year.

I don't know why more people do not take advantage of these discounted plans.  Glad to see you do.

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@LilacTree,I just don't understand this ,please explain.

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@goldensrbest

Go online and google "dental discount plans," or "1Dental.com."  There are quite a few discount plans available.  What they do is discount the prices for the various dental procedures by sometimes 50-70%.  You join the plan for a nominal amount per year, as I said, mine is $129 for two of us.  These are not insurance companies.

You then fill in your zip code and they will give you a list of dentists in your area who participate in the plan.  You can then google these dentists and pick one you like.  You do have to pay the discounted amount in cash.  For my top bridge, I paid in cash.  For my bottom bridge, I used Care Credit, which works like a credit card, but gives you a loan for the amount you need (you do have to have good credit).  They do not add a finance charge if you pay within the required time.  I think mine was a year, but I paid it off before that.

I had a lot of dentists to choose from, but this is a busy Philly suburb, so there are a lot of medical/dental practices around here.  Individuals in a more remote area might not find as many dentists who participate.  The dentist I used completely guarantees his work.

If you do want to try it, I hope you will find a good dentist near you.  Good luck!

I saved about $3,000 on the two procedures . . . both of my bridges were totally replaced, and my dentist is excellent.  My daughter had work done and used the same plan.