Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How long ago was that, how young were you, and how extensive was your coverage? When I was largely a freelancer and my wife was working her own business (which she still does now), I was quoted more than $1000 a month for a crappy plan for us and our two kids. More appropriate coverage was up to twice that.
It was back in summer of 2009. I don't want to quote specifics as I didn't sign up for it (he did all that work)..but I'm pretty sure we had it for only 6 months.. ish? He eventually found work and when he qualified for benefits we signed up. We had about ~2 months of being uninsured at this time. The plan wasn't great. It wasn't very friendly to go to the doctors, but it was decent for prescriptions (what I need the most) and hospital/ER trips.. which I always MAY need. (it's been about 4 years though ::knocks on wood:
Quote:
I live in NJ as well - I have for the past 25 years. We survive as well. I own a house, we have two cars. Medicines are prohibitively expensive if you pay retail, I guess you know that. NJ is the hardest state to get insurance in - the hardest. Prices keep rising as well, especially for those who pay on the retail market.
I agree. The prices now are ridiculous compared to what we had 2 years ago. But I'm sorry, I can't feel bad for people when they choose to allocate their money according to their wants and not their needs.
I learned something a few months ago. Being that we are low income, I was hoping we could qualify for a voucher when I got our female dog spayed. I'm a firm believer in being responsible and having all my dogs fixed. I was told, that since we aren't on any gov't program, welfare, food stamps, etc, that we couldn't qualify for a voucher. It appears to me that they reward those that are dependents and screw those of us that are making ends meet. It's not based on anything other than that.
I wonder if medical care works the same way. A broken leg is one price to those struggling on their own, and another price for those on gov't programs.
In other words, are we being punished for not being on the dole?
Find me a health insurance plan for $200 a month, and I'll sign up.
Yes, our Direct TV bill stings every month, but it's basically our only source of entertainment. It stays!
I got rid of my TV subscription five years ago. All I watch are DVDs now. I did not do it to save money, I spent about the same amount every month on DVDs. I did it because I could no longer handle the bilge that the networks were spewing. The vast majority of the talking heads on every network are complete idiots. Why should I pay for stupidity? I would much rather pay to be entertained. So that is what I do now.
One side benefit of not watching TV, my blood pressure has dropped by 10 points.
As far as a cheap insurance plan is concerned, look into what the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) offers. NASE is a PAC for small business, with around 300,000 members. As a result they can get insurance coverage and offer it to their members much cheaper than if you were to contact an insurance carrier directly.
I have different coverage today, but I was paying $187.00 per month for Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage through the NASE, plus $75.00 per year for my annual membership fees.
I learned something a few months ago. Being that we are low income, I was hoping we could qualify for a voucher when I got our female dog spayed. I'm a firm believer in being responsible and having all my dogs fixed. I was told, that since we aren't on any gov't program, welfare, food stamps, etc, that we couldn't qualify for a voucher. It appears to me that they reward those that are dependents and screw those of us that are making ends meet. It's not based on anything other than that.
I wonder if medical care works the same way. A broken leg is one price to those struggling on their own, and another price for those on gov't programs.
In other words, are we being punished for not being on the dole?
It depends what you consider punishment. You don't get handouts but you have your freedom and no one owns you.
My catastrophic health insurance policy was under $250/mo.($5K deductible) before Obamacare passed. Now it is nearly $320/mo. just because of Obamacare. By 2014 Obamcare will eliminate my insurance plan altogether and I will be forced to be uninsured, or accept whichever government plan HHS dictates I must carry. Winning the future my backside.
It depends what you consider punishment. You don't get handouts but you have your freedom and no one owns you.
My catastrophic health insurance policy was under $250/mo.($5K deductible) before Obamacare passed. Now it is nearly $320/mo. just because of Obamacare. By 2014 Obamcare will eliminate my insurance plan altogether and I will be forced to be uninsured, or accept whichever government plan HHS dictates I must carry. Winning the future my backside.
Well somebody has to pay for those 26 year olds on mom n dads insurance plan, soon to be on uncle Obama's plan. Just think of the expense of all those kids with ADHD, asthma, allergies, diabetes2, et al. plus the vaccines they'll be dishing out - what will we do when everybody's equal and there are no more rich to pay for stuff? We may have to redefine rich, 30k, 40k?
I got rid of my TV subscription five years ago. All I watch are DVDs now. I did not do it to save money, I spent about the same amount every month on DVDs. I did it because I could no longer handle the bilge that the networks were spewing. The vast majority of the talking heads on every network are complete idiots. Why should I pay for stupidity? I would much rather pay to be entertained. So that is what I do now.
One side benefit of not watching TV, my blood pressure has dropped by 10 points.
As far as a cheap insurance plan is concerned, look into what the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) offers. NASE is a PAC for small business, with around 300,000 members. As a result they can get insurance coverage and offer it to their members much cheaper than if you were to contact an insurance carrier directly.
I have different coverage today, but I was paying $187.00 per month for Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage through the NASE, plus $75.00 per year for my annual membership fees.
So if you had a $300 plan vs $200 cable bill, lemme guess, you'll choose direct TV and play victim?
We had Aetna. This was in 2009 for 6 months. Looking at old payments on our bank, it was actually $302.29. Yeah it sucked, but hey I do need insurance.
EDIT: Just did a quick search. Things are a bit more expensive now than in 2009 (lol thanks obama). The cheapest I saw to cover me + him is $357. Yeah it's high, but it's doable. I've made cuts to our cell plans, cable TV, car insurance (just lowered it), and overall food budget (eating out and grocery).
But then again, I'm responsible
You're responsible and self-righteous. You live in New Jersey, why do you even have cable at all? You can just put an antenna on your house. Of course someone living in Kansas couldn't do that. Because there aren't any TV stations broadcasting a signal locally. That's why cable started in rural areas, not in urban ones. And some people don't have a partner to help with costs. They already have a bare-bones cell plan, and a high-deductible car insurance. They already live on rice and cereal and what they grow in their garden. But I'm sure they could cut back on something. Maybe they could stop using toilet paper and deodorant, maybe stop washing their clothes, remove all the lighbulbs and use candles instead. Hmmm....
You're responsible and self-righteous. You live in New Jersey, why do you even have cable at all? You can just put an antenna on your house. Of course someone living in Kansas couldn't do that. Because there aren't any TV stations broadcasting a signal locally. That's why cable started in rural areas, not in urban ones. And some people don't have a partner to help with costs. They already have a bare-bones cell plan, and a high-deductible car insurance. They already live on rice and cereal and what they grow in their garden. But I'm sure they could cut back on something. Maybe they could stop using toilet paper and deodorant, maybe stop washing their clothes, remove all the lighbulbs and use candles instead. Hmmm....
A house in Kansas costs less than a new car. They cost more in the world.
A house in Kansas costs less than a new car. They cost more in the world.
LOL. Maybe if you are buying a mercedes Benz 550SL, but other than that I think you are a little off base there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
