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.
There's no arguing that the out of pocket costs have risen, mine went up $4,000 this year. But where are people getting plans that cost $1,700/month with $13,000 out of pocket costs? I did a cursory look on the federal exchanges and the MOST expensive plan for my family was a platinum plan at $965/month with no deductible. If not for the dental and vision, a gold plan on the federal exchanges would actually be slightly less expensive than what my work offers.
I don't like paying it, but $325/month and $6000 deductible is waaaay less expensive than having no insurance.
The CHEAPEST one I found was $865/month with a 12K deductible. And it covers ****.
Hey TigerLily, you are in CA which I believe is signed on with the marketplace. Half the country is not in states that have a marketplace so theirs is higher I believe. Someone chime in.
I know in CA mine would be cheaper than AZ because AZ is not marketplace friendly.
For me it's higher because I own a business, so that also makes a difference. To tell you the truth, the whole thing is still so confusing for me I can't find the best deal. Trying to find a person to talk to that knows more than me has proven difficult.
I've just been laughing hysterically while I'm on the website. lol It's so much more for so much less than I had before healthcare.gov lent me it's helping hand. I use to have great insurance, which included so much more.
I'm in CO, but same deal I expect.
When I type in my zip code, there are near 60 plans available ranging from catastrophic to HSA to Gold with all kinds of deductibles, etc.
Granted many of these are duplicates as they count marketplace and non-marketplace plans separately even when they are the same plan.
Having much experience with employer provided health insurance, this isn't that daunting for me. I'm used to the language and I think I'm pretty good at determining the "sweet" spot between my out of pocket and reimbursement.
Right now, I am concentrating on those plans that exempt routine stuff from the deductible but I expect that in order to do that I will have to go with a provider plan and stay in-network. Fortunately they make it very easy to do that here - lots of health centers and more being built every day.
In any event, I continue to be astounded by the differences from one state to another and find that to be the biggest negative all around.
It does give me a better understanding of why it seems that people are constantly talking past each other when discussing their options though.
While the required coverage may be the same from state to state, how each state chose to make that coverage available has a huge impact on how we all perceive the value of what we are getting.
Financial advisors have always said "buy term and invest the difference". The problem with that is most people "bought term and spent the difference".
Yep. Whole life policies are almost always a loser for consumers. I can see if someone is older and doesn't have a significant savings/retirement investment, but the ridiculously high fees alone can make them a losing proposition compared to traditional investing.
Best bet? Set up a health savings account (which works like a 401k). Put half of what you would otherwise pay in insurance premiums in it. Adjust your income tax withholding such that you owe at the end of the year (no refund, which can be seized). Don't pay the Obozocare penalty. Er TAX. Pay for your own routine health maintenance.
We should do what Switzerland has done and mandate that 1) everyone carry insurance and 2) (this is the really good part) that all insurance companies be NON PROFIT.
If this had been done right it wouldn't matter what state you live in.
Agreed.
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.
