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Old 09-02-2012, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
19,399 posts, read 27,703,839 times
Reputation: 36050

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As some of you know, in June 2012, I moved from Phoenix, AZ to Raleigh, NC almost exclusively to obtain health insurance. As a young retiree a decade away from Medicare and a history that cites me with pre-existing conditions, I was declined for individual insurance in Arizona.

I was able to obtain coverage with the AZ SBA by starting an online business then joining their group. Cost for a 55 year old, non-smoking woman was $996/month with a $5,000 deductible. My TOTAL medical costs in 2010 and 2011 were $950 and $750, respectively. In 2013, the AZ SBA does not expect to have enough people in the group to qualify for group coverage, so it was move to another state that had accessible insurance for individuals or go back to work for no reason EXCEPT health insurance.

We chose to move. We had the financial and emotional luxury to be able to do that. Extensive research showed that about three states had high risk pools with a residency requirement of 3 months or less and reasonable premiums (NC, AL, AR). Other states had guaranteed coverage or Romney-care and were impossibly expensive. Most states, like Arizona, had nothing unless you were poor and couldn't afford coverage - then you get Medicaid.

For those who are unaware, NC has Inclusive Health for those with pre-existing conditions who cannot obtain individual health insurance. Cost for same 55 year old, non-smoking woman for a $5,000 deductible = $341/month.

One other point: My auto insurance doesn't pay for my car maintenance like oil changes and new tires. My home owner's insurance doesn't pay for regular upkeep like repainting the house or a new hot water heater. Those insurance products cover me for catastrophic, unexpected issues. IMHO, health insurance should be for those catastrophic issues, not expenses that are predicable and expected (like regular eye exams, pap smears, flu shots and annual physicals), with deductibles for a range of financial situations.

Last edited by Jkgourmet; 09-02-2012 at 04:03 PM..
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Old 09-02-2012, 03:44 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
Reputation: 43659
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkgourmet View Post
...health insurance should be for those catastrophic issues, not expenses that are predicable and expected (like regular eye exams, pap smears, flu shots and annual physicals), with deductibles for a range of financial situations.
ding ding ding
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Old 09-02-2012, 08:19 PM
 
16,294 posts, read 28,470,166 times
Reputation: 8383
If the party of the rich gets in it will go from 1 in 5 without to 1 in 3.
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Old 09-02-2012, 08:31 PM
 
16,294 posts, read 28,470,166 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkgourmet View Post
Those insurance products cover me for catastrophic, unexpected issues. IMHO, health insurance should be for those catastrophic issues, not expenses that are predicable and expected (like regular eye exams, pap smears, flu shots and annual physicals), with deductibles for a range of financial situations.
The purpose of the annual physical, or even the flu shot is to PREVENT the catastrophic issues. The sticker price on my last physical (nothing special, just the routine stuff) was just under $900, a serious chunk of cash for many people.

But if it detects something easily treatable like high blood pressure and prevents a stroke that requires hospitalization and months of rehab saves 10's of thousands of dollars, in addition to time lost from work, and even paying disability to that person for the rest of their life, that physical is the fiscally the intelligent thing to pay for.
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Old 09-02-2012, 09:39 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native View Post
The purpose of the annual physical, or even the flu shot is to PREVENT the catastrophic issues.
The sticker price on my last physical (nothing special, just the routine stuff) was just under $900...
Setting the sticker price of what a given service should cost aside (a whole other can of worms)...
if you're on board with getting an annual exam of some sort do you see having an insurance
company in the middle of that as some sort of advantage to anyone?

As mentioned above... if you can plan it then you can budget for it too. Further, if you can reasonably anticipate a few hiccups here and there then you can budget for them as well.

Insurance is about protecting us against the things we can't reasonably anticipate...
or can't reasonably afford to pay for on our own. Or in many cases afford to even insure against.
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Old 09-03-2012, 05:58 AM
 
1,546 posts, read 2,542,442 times
Reputation: 1400
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD View Post
I'll bet they have an I-Phone, I-Pad and a hand full of lottery tickets every week. Who need insurance when the emergency rooms have to take car of you when your sick or injured?
You forgot to mention a Cellphone, Escalade with Chrome Rims and an EBT card.
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Old 09-03-2012, 08:56 AM
 
875 posts, read 1,159,356 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native View Post
If the party of the rich gets in it will go from 1 in 5 without to 1 in 3.

You mean Obama, Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Boxer and their supporters like Soros? I like how no one thinks a rich man should be president unless it was Kennedy or more recently, Kerry/Edwards.
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Old 09-03-2012, 09:31 AM
 
16,294 posts, read 28,470,166 times
Reputation: 8383
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
Setting the sticker price of what a given service should cost aside (a whole other can of worms)...
if you're on board with getting an annual exam of some sort do you see having an insurance
company in the middle of that as some sort of advantage to anyone?

As mentioned above... if you can plan it then you can budget for it too. Further, if you can reasonably anticipate a few hiccups here and there then you can budget for them as well.

Insurance is about protecting us against the things we can't reasonably anticipate...
or can't reasonably afford to pay for on our own. Or in many cases afford to even insure against.
A seemingly healthy person that feels fine is not going to even consider spending $800 - $1000 on what they as totally unnecessary. And for a couple, it becomes $2K.

But will call 911 and run up $100,000 in bills when they have a stroke.

There are many families that simply cannot "budget" that either, for they simply don't make enough.
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Old 09-03-2012, 09:33 AM
 
16,294 posts, read 28,470,166 times
Reputation: 8383
Quote:
Originally Posted by netbrad View Post
You mean Obama, Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Boxer and their supporters like Soros? I like how no one thinks a rich man should be president unless it was Kennedy or more recently, Kerry/Edwards.
Naw, the "tax cuts for the rich" and let's "deregulate the banks again", that worked out so well at the turn of the century.
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Old 09-03-2012, 10:06 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
Reputation: 43659
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native View Post
A seemingly healthy person that feels fine is not going to even consider spending...
There are many families that simply cannot "budget" that either, for they simply don't make enough.
But they're supposed to afford the expense of an insurance policy instead?

Quote:
But will call 911 and run up $100,000 in bills when they have a stroke.
Or more. But now at least you're getting to the sort of expense risk that calls for insurance.
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