WV health insurance is really expensive!! (Bluefield: home, income, live in)

[goat1of2]

I too, like so many of you, are looking into moving to WV. I recently checked the rates for individual health insurance, through Blue Cross, and nearly passed out! The rates were almost THREE TIMES what I currently pay here in NC for almost exactly the same type of coverage. And with almost 20 years until I'm Medicare age (provided that Medicare still exists by then), this is a serious serious impediment to moving to WV.

Does any WV resident have any advice? I live on a small fixed income but have a lot of savings. This usually makes me ineligible (and rightly so) for things like Medicaid.

[Janipoo]

Originally Posted by goat1of2

I too, like so many of you, are looking into moving to WV. I recently checked the rates for individual health insurance, through Blue Cross, and nearly passed out! The rates were almost THREE TIMES what I currently pay here in NC for almost exactly the same type of coverage. And with almost 20 years until I'm Medicare age (provided that Medicare still exists by then), this is a serious serious impediment to moving to WV.

Does any WV resident have any advice? I live on a small fixed income but have a lot of savings. This usually makes me ineligible (and rightly so) for things like Medicaid.

I would try looking at other companies as well. We moved here a little less than 3 weeks, I found that the home insurance was about $400 less a month but the auto went up $240 a year for both vehicles, which I was kind of shocked because our cars are 5 and 10 years old. Our health insurance is through my husbands job so we don't have to pay the individual rates.

[lchoro]

There's about a 4- or 5-fold difference in rates offered in individual rates depending on whether you live in Bluefield, VA or Bluefield, WV according to ehealthinsurance. If you're old enough for AARP, the rates for coverage in WV come down by about half. Definitely look at group coverage. Perhaps some of the cities have major carriers with better rates. My first query pulled up only one insurance company in both WV zip codes.

[confusedTee]

also vehicle insurance is alot higher than we paid in Fla...what a shocker!!!!!!!

I do know we have mt. bc/bs it is average coverage on well people..We had Aetna before and it did much better coverage........now if ya can find it VSP vision if you need it........IS so worth it........I love this vision insurance.........we get ours thru our co..dh drives otr out of WV...................