My question is about health insurance. I have read a few posts on here about it, but am sending out an appeal for any other information.
Basically, when we get back to Michigan, neither my husband nor I will have jobs with health insurance. We need a plan with dental and vision, and since we plan to *hopefully* have a third child while in Michigan, I also need maternity.
My sister is using BCBS. Is this the best option for an individual family plan?
I saw information on here about Ameriplan. But that's not actually insurance, right? How much are regular services really discounted? For example, how much would a doctor's visit with a sick kid cost? Also, the website mentions plans with dental and vision, but doesn't say anything about maternity...
Since healthcare in the States has gotten so screwy and expensive, I think if anyone has a serious long-term illness, we'll be on the next plane back to Japan!
Thanks for any advice and insight you can give me!
Sam
look into HAP they offer plans for families and single people..
my friend was able to buy a HAP plan for $99 a month it has a high deductible.. but it will cover him if something really serious happens.
Rather than looking at a Blue Cross traditional plan (or even a PPO), you may want to consider an HMO. I know many people think HMOs are evil but I actually like mine. Unlike most traditional insurance, an HMO covers well visits (that's the premisee behind an HMO - to try to keep you healthy so that you don't get sick) and my maternity costs were covered in full as well (with some small copays). Blue Cross would be more expensive because you can go to any doctor you want at any time and they tend to offer the most comprehensive coverage (which is good, but expensive). An HMO's network is a little more limited and you have to follow referral rules, etc, but I have Blue Care Network (Blue Cross's HMO) and they are accepted by almost all doctors in the metro Detroit area. I don't know if they offer individual plans or not but even if BCN doesn't offer one, you may want to look at an HMO. But that's just been my experience.
Hi There
I had BCBS and loved it but it was very pricey. It does cover an awful lot with quite low co-pays. They offer quite a few co-pay options that can bring the cost down. We were paying about $550 as month with a doctors visit only $10 co-pay, emergency room only $50. It did not cover dental or vision but they can be added. It did cover maternity. All prenatal visits were 100% covered and the birth was 80% covered. It covered preventative care for the kids too, such as shots etc.
Any good insurance is going to cost an arm and a leg. There's just no getting away from it. Look at the health insurance websites where you can compare rates and benefits.
Good luck, it's a minefield.
Hi there -
This maybe a little bit off-topic from your request, I'm not sure how you manage your freelance business. But you might want to check out the following website: www.MBOpartners.com. I'm a freelance accountant and recently signed up with them (through the advice of a friend). MBO is set-up to handle the "back office" tasks of independent contractors/consultants. Which means they will handle the billing of your clients (you are responsible for finding your clients still) and also provide you with access to a lot of benefits that independent business owners usually can't come by (ie: 401K plan, group health insurance rates, etc.) You also are provided a W-2 instead of dealing with the tax implciations of a 1099. Again, I'm not sure if this is something that would work for your business but thought I'd post the info.
R.
S.,
Best wishes for your impending move. A great person to talk to is Jan Sherman, "The Benefits Tamer." He's in Farmington Hills and can be reached via his Web site at benefitstamer.com or e-mail at ____@____.com you can also contact Tracie Brey of the Reich Agency in Bloomfield, at ____@____.com's researching options for me right now.
S. K.
Sam - I live in the detroit area - around Royal Oak. Two of my closest girl friends sell insurance and would be happy to assist you. They are knowledgeable about all sorts of insurance plans and companies. They work for a reputable group out of the Schecter Family.
Please email ____@____.com will help you (plus she is an MSW with lots of people skills)
Good luck.
There are multiple levels of insurance depending upon what co-pays and deductibles you want and what services you want. Health Alliasnce Plan is a good choice to investigate. My son has the cream of the crop policy which includes low pres. co-pays; $10 or $25 doctor visit co-pays dental and vision. He pays around $1100 per month which is rather pricey but includes almost everything. BCBS has a similar policy for similar costs. You just need to check around. Remember that if you have a pre-existing condition, no ins will take care of that condition for 6 to 12 months depending upon the policy. Good Luck. IT is not an easy/cheap decision to make.
S., I deal with a woman named Susan Preback who represents lots of different companies and does the research to find the right company and rates for you. Her number is ###-###-####. This is a "Mom Owned" business as well and she is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. She has gone so far as to call the doctors' office if there is a question about my insurance that I can't figure out...she is wonderful.
Good luck!
Blue Cross is one of the biggest, and most expensive. Without being in a group plan, your premiums could be sky high. Check out Hap, and U of M's insurance plan. YOu might have to get inon open enrolment, which is in the spring. There are about 30 plans out there, so do your research online. Look into joining some sort of group or business association so you can get in on a group plan.
Hi Sam,
I can understand your stress - affordable healthcare is a problem for so many today. I am actually a Ameriplan®
Independent Business Owner, as well as a member. I would be happy to explain the way the Discounted Plans work, so you will have a better understanding.
As an Ameriplan® member instead of paying fullprice for a service (ie - dentist,dr,Rx, etc..)you pay a discounted price for that same service. The discounts range from 25% up to 80% off of the regular cost (the discount % depends on the service)
There is no limits to the number of visits, there are no deductibles or copays, on going medical and dental conditions are accepted.
You go to one of our providers (500,000 providers nationwide) at the end of the sevice you pay the discounted cost - simple.
We have 4 programs - 1)Dental,Vision,Rx and Chiro - $19.95 mo for entire household. 2)Medical (Basic Health) 29.95 mo for entire household.3)Total Health (combo of both the above mentioned) 39.95 mo for entire household 4) Our combo(#3) with 3 non medical benefits - Roadside asstitance, Identity theft assistance and Legal.
Feel free to go to mys website to check out the plans that we have and to research further - if you have any questions please feel free to ask me
http://www.helpyousavenow.com
I hope this helps! Good luck on your move
Have a great day,
T. Rossilli
____@____.com
