So how is health insurance in Phoenix?

[khuntrevor]

I pay 111 per month with United Health for a 2500 deductible. Mid 40s, male. I was very glad to ditch BCBSAZ. Moderator cut: snip

[Guitarmaan]

Sorry to hear about your situation Jkgourmet, especially since they have driven you to seek another state. Is the situation the same in neighbouring states like new Mexico or Nevada, or is NC your only option?

If the PCIP group is 40K instead of 250K, isn't that actually in it's favour? I mean there are far less people in the scheme to potentially claim. Therefore it's cheaper to run? I don't know how it works.

With no high risk pool in the state, would it make a difference if you weren't self employed then? I'm trying to get a good grasp of the problem. If you had insurance from an employer, would the employer also get hit with a higher cost (and perhaps even avoid hiring you)? Or does it make no difference to an employer?

However, the coverage is very expensive. Just last week, I received notice that this group plan would be getting a 44% increase in premiums for 2012. I am 55 years old, female, in excellent health, a non-smoker. My premium in January, 2012 for individual coverage (not family) will be $934 per month with a $5,000 deductible.

Well $934 per month is extortionate! Do you mind me asking whether it is that high for you due to the specific health issue you had? Do they consider you especially high risk for some reason? Howard mentions paying between $100 and $250 per month, and he has a pre-existing condition requiring current meds? I wonder why his case is different to yours.

In my case, I was ill from 1998-2000. No treatment, symptoms, tests, nothing since 2000. The AZ application asks about history for the last ten years, so my most recent application was 'clean' of all pre existing conditions. The underwriter requested my medical records and that was that. Declined. Again. Appealed with letters from physician. Denied. That was February, 2012.

I realise I am in a very similar situation to you. Back around 1999 I was diagnosed with a depressive condition. However after some meds I've had no recurrence for over 10 years now. So I fulfill their criteria of being clean for 10 years. But I wonder if they'd take issue with me regardless That's a little scary.

The impact of this could be I have to re-consider our plans for self employment in Arizona. I doubt our earnings would be high enough to cover $934 a month! It wouldn't make sense for us financially......

[Guitarmaan]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

My benefits were dropped at work so I decided to browse around for my own. Quaility of cost depends on each person and their income. I'm on the poor side. Everything with a deductible I could live with was well out of my price range per month. Some exceeding $300 per month.

So what did you do?

[Guitarmaan]

Some more thoughts on this......

Do all hospitals treat people if they don't have insurance? I don't know whether this is accurate, but I hear some will treat people and hugely reduce their bill to make payment possible. Either this is some hospitals in certain states, or all hospitals generally. An example is Cook County Hospital in Illinois.

Maybe I'm wrong, and people without insurance would simply lose their house as a result of a huge bill, exactly the same as those *with* insurance that didn't cover them properly.

With premiums so high and insurers so reluctant to pay out, I'm surprised people continue to pay them anything at all. In a free market, it's not a great product to buy is it? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[rational1]

>Do all hospitals treat people if they don't have insurance? I don't know whether this is accurate, but I hear some will treat people and hugely reduce their bill to make payment possible.

I have heard that usually hospitals try to bill at their list prices, and sometimes they reduce prices closer to what they actually bill insurance companies. That can still be a great deal of money.

You may also be interested in a recent NY Times article. Apparently some bill collectors are placing their representatives in emergency rooms, where they try to collect on previous hospital bills.

"Hospital patients waiting in an emergency room or convalescing after surgery are being confronted by an unexpected visitor: a debt collector at bedside..."

>Maybe I'm wrong, and people without insurance would simply lose their house as a result of a huge bill, exactly the same as those *with* insurance that didn't cover them properly.

The insurance provided by most large employers is good enough to make "losing the house" very unlikely. We are very definitely a two-class society: either you work for a major employer, and get good to adequate coverage, or you are in the individual market with less complete coverage (or without insurance altogether).

>With premiums so high and insurers so reluctant to pay out, I'm surprised people continue to pay them anything at all. In a free market, it's not a great product to buy is it?

If you have any assets and no insurance then all those assets are at risk. House, savings accounts,...

In the US medical bills are the biggest risk to your financial well-being.