Self-Employed: Has anyone joined NASE? (health insurance, corporations, financial, organization)

[carrot juice]

I heard you can get good health insurance rates through National Association for the Self Employed. Does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks,

Carrot Juice

[AsymptoticFaery]

I just checked out the link. Very interesting.

I am curious as well about other people's experiences with NASE and hope to see more comments.

[carrot juice]

I did a search on the web and the comments about NASE insurance were not very positive. As a self-employed person, I worry that health insurance premiums, which only go up and up, will eventually push me out of business. Just another way to push out the little guy. It's all big corporations now.

[Niners fan]

I don't have very good information to share but since no one else is jumping in...

I have a friend who is self-employed and I asked him about NASE a few years ago he said it was "a joke." I didn't ask him why but I do remember him saying that.

My brother is self-employed and he goes with a major medical policy and an HSA to supplement it.

My company offers health insurance to 15 of our employees. We also use HSAs with a high deductible plan also. It saved us about 40% when we switched from a $20 co-pay plan to the HSA plans. The employees also like it because we partially fund their HSAs for them and they get to roll over the money they don't spend from year to year. Plus they can use the HSA money on dental, chiropractic, orthodontics, etc.

Hope that helps.

[Southlander]

We own our own business and only have 6 employees. We belong to NASE in order to get the health insurance. Can't say I've ever used the NASE benefits (coupons and discounts).
The insurance through NASE is from Megalife. It's OK...it's not the greatest. It's only health (no dental, well they probably offer but it's too expensive for us). We have a $3,000 per person deductible, and only a discount on prescription drugs. My gp doesn't take Megalife...I could file myself, but it's such a hassle!
BUT...they did pay for my knee replacements, so I can't complain about that, and most of the hospital expense for my gall bladder hospitalization.
My husband and I are in our 50s...I have arthritis and he has asthma, so it is no fun trying to get health insurance anywhere else.

[npumcrisz]

Originally Posted by Niners fan

I don't have very good information to share but since no one else is jumping in...

I have a friend who is self-employed and I asked him about NASE a few years ago he said it was "a joke." I didn't ask him why but I do remember him saying that.

My brother is self-employed and he goes with a major medical policy and an HSA to supplement it.

My company offers health insurance to 15 of our employees. We also use HSAs with a high deductible plan also. It saved us about 40% when we switched from a $20 co-pay plan to the HSA plans. The employees also like it because we partially fund their HSAs for them and they get to roll over the money they don't spend from year to year. Plus they can use the HSA money on dental, chiropractic, orthodontics, etc.

Hope that helps.

Please explain what do you mean by HSA?

[npumcrisz]

Originally Posted by Southlander

We own our own business and only have 6 employees. We belong to NASE in order to get the health insurance. Can't say I've ever used the NASE benefits (coupons and discounts).
The insurance through NASE is from Megalife. It's OK...it's not the greatest. It's only health (no dental, well they probably offer but it's too expensive for us). We have a $3,000 per person deductible, and only a discount on prescription drugs. My gp doesn't take Megalife...I could file myself, but it's such a hassle!
BUT...they did pay for my knee replacements, so I can't complain about that, and most of the hospital expense for my gall bladder hospitalization.
My husband and I are in our 50s...I have arthritis and he has asthma, so it is no fun trying to get health insurance anywhere else.

That means alot if you ask me.

[AsymptoticFaery]

What about Aetna? Anyone heard of this resource? I've seen a few people mention this organization on other sites but I don't know much about it.

Could this be a better choice than NASE?

[npumcrisz]

I thought Aetna was a health insurance company and NASE a reseller/broker. I may be wrong.

[goodbyehollywood]

You can do better than NASE, if you shop around on your own. BC has a high deductible policy that's hard to beat pricewise, in many areas. For many self-employed people, especially SPs and partnerships, a high deductible plan with a HSA is usually the best bet from a financial standpoint. Check out one of the search sites and plug in your local info to find the best plans for your needs in your area.

Health insurance for the self-employed is insanely expensive and the tax deduction is of little help. For a nation founded by entrepreneurs, we sure don't treat them (us) very well. Good luck!