Health Insurance in Maine (mortgage, pharmacy, deductible)

[AZHadley]

I am moving to Maine soon. I am self employeed and have a family - I have been told private health insurance is quite expensive with limited insurance companies offerning health insurance - Is this true? If so, any suggestions?

[Coaster]

Maine has one of the highest health insurance rates in the country, and self-employed is the very worst. Essentially one company, Anthem, writes the vast majority of private health insurance policies, and it's the last survivors of more than a dozen companies that used to write personal policies in Maine ten years ago. Blame state laws. The requirements the legislature has set on health insurance have driven many companies out of the state.

Frankly, in terms of health insurance costs, you'd be MUCH better off to live in New Hampshire. I had an agent tell me once that I and my family could move across the border to New Hampshire and save enough on our health insurance compared to Maine to pay the mortgage, and I've seen the same thing quoted in news articles.

[Bydand]

Last time I checked for a personal family health Policy that was only 1/2 decent, for myself, my wife and my son(he was under 1 year old) it was $1575 a month. That was 9 years ago. I can't even guess what it would be now because that was when we still had a better choice for companies.

[Submariner]

I use Martin's Point for our health coverage.

[mainer2]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I use Martin's Point for our health coverage.

what is that??????????????? etna? bc/bs? durigo? NASE?

[mainer2]

I'm a Health Agent in Maine. Best to take a high deductible policy and open a Health Savings Account along w/ a Hospital Indemnity Policy that pays YOU per day of hospitalization. You save money tax free w/ the HSA...Buy a health plan that has that high deductible and also get enough money to pay your mortgage if you're sick or hurt from the HIP plan. Sort of a perfect scenario for the self employed. The rates aren't high that way and your covered from all angles and gain interest in the HSA

[RMoore007]

Originally Posted by mainer2

I'm a Health Agent in Maine. Best to take a high deductible policy and open a Health Savings Account along w/ a Hospital Indemnity Policy that pays YOU per day of hospitalization. You save money tax free w/ the HSA...Buy a health plan that has that high deductible and also get enough money to pay your mortgage if you're sick or hurt from the HIP plan. Sort of a perfect scenario for the self employed. The rates aren't high that way and your covered from all angles and gain interest in the HSA

Thanks for the information. I may be moving back to Dover soon from the west coast. I've been self-employed for 21 years. My policy here is under $600. a month for me and my son. I certainly need alternatives like yours to look into.

My sister moved back to Maine from the west cost a couple years ago. Still not insured. I'll be sending her this information too.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by mainer2

what is that??????????????? etna? bc/bs? durigo? NASE?

?

Welcome to Martin's Point Health Care

Health care insurance company that is only located in New England. They have a list of doctors in each city of Maine, and they cover all Maine hospitals. Their mail-order pharmacy is really good too.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Maine's health insurance is 5 times higher than Connecticut for the same policy. How come? Connecticut has competition.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Maine's health insurance is 5 times higher than Connecticut for the same policy. How come? Connecticut has competition.

Well, yes, but only partially.

Governor Baldacci has a mission tha the is on to make Maine's Dirigo Health Plan a single payer health insurance policy for all Mainers. This is essentially the state getting into the health insurance business just as there was a movement during the 1970's and 1980's for the State of Maine to get into the workers compensation insurance buisness. Neither effort is intelligent nor in the interest of people: just in the interest of the State gaining greater control of the peoples' money by a different form of taxation.

In Maine there is NO rating of insured people. Thus people with chronic health problems are not placed into a specific high risk pool, with premiums reflecting the actual exposure. Thus EVERYONE, healthy, sick or otherwise, pay much more than they otherwise would. The insurance industry is basicallly opposed to doing nothing but losing money, so the insurance industry has effectively been forced to leave the state of Maine.

There are various proposals that have been presented to the legislature to overhaul this foolishness....these are proposals that you have not seen a lotabout in the news because they deal with complex issues and are politically out of favor. But the simple fact is if the insurance industry is not allowed to rate on the basis of risk, the industry will simply leave the state that is imposing rating restrictions. Maine periodically takes a position that it is some super powerful organization, and tries to impose its will on the insurance industry. The result is that the insurance industry moves out of the state, leaving rate payers to suffer with higher rates....that's you and me, folks.

It all comes down to a basic numbers game: we have 1.2 million people in the state, and that simply is NOT a big enough population to play actuarial games with if you are a governor trying to muscle insurance companies. this is the same thing that happens periodically when elected representatives....be they governors or legislators...run out of leadership ability: they try to hoodwink their constituents into believing that they are going to "beat up" on some insurance company and make it better for people. Baldacci has failed to realize that there are many people who are chronically ill, and need serious medical care. They should receive this health care from a special pool of resources and not make their health issues a burden for people who can pay for their own health insurance coverage. This effort at creating an unaffordable health insurance market is intended to enable everyone to have health insurance, and instead it has made it impossible for large numbers of Mainers to pay for health insurance at all.