Health Ins (health insurance, employment, bankruptcy)

[LexieAnn]

Hi I live in NY now and am moving down to the area in November. We have private insurance through the state for the family. Does anyone know if NC has the same kind of program? I want to make sure my family is covered.

[jeffs555]

No, NC has no state run or state subsidized health insurance programs. If you are young and and have had no previous major health problems, you should be able to get private insurance, but the premiums will probably be higher than your insurance through NY. If you are older or have had any major health problems, the premiums could be out of sight.

[saturnfan]

Originally Posted by jeffs555

No, NC has no state run or state subsidized health insurance programs. If you are young and and have had no previous major health problems, you should be able to get private insurance, but the premiums will probably be higher than your insurance through NY. If you are older or have had any major health problems, the premiums could be out of sight.

Even worse, you may be uninsurable.

[cstleddy]

Jeffs555 and Saturnfan are right - no state plan currently. However, there is information available on a state plan (North Carolina Health Insurance Risk Pool; "NCHIRP") that will go into effect January 2009. Here's a link... scroll down to the bottom of the page. Services for Consumers: Health Insurance Information (http://www.ncdoi.com/Consumer/consumer_health.asp - broken link). Also, here's their phone number (866) 665-2117. Good Luck!

[LexieAnn]

thank you

[jeffs555]

cstleddy,
Thanks so much for pointing that out. I had not seen anything about this risk pool legislation before. Still can't find many details, but hopefully it will help me. I have had heart problems in the past and the last premium I was quoted for private insurance from BCBS was over $3000 per month.

Jeff

[DanielleNC]

Gosh! And I thought BCBS quoting me $300 a month was crazy! (not full coverage, young and healthy)

[CarolinaCowboy]

I pay $70 per month for my coverage through NC blue cross. I have set a $10,000 deductible though. After the deductible, everything is 100% covered, as long as I use generic prescriptions. I know $10,000 is very high, but it will keep me out of bankruptcy should I get cancer or suffer a major illness.

There are other plans for around $200 per month that would only have about a $2000 deductible.


I do agree, something needs to happen though. Too many sick people with no coverage. Too many people loosing everything they have worked for in a moment of illness. Not right, in my opinion. I just don't think a blanket, national plan is best, not in these times.

[saturnfan]

The only way to fix it would be to require all employers to pay for coverage and to insure that it is affordable. A national plan supported by taxes on all employers would spread the risk making coverage affordable.

In the UK, you can hire any doctor as a private patient but have access through national health regardless of your employment status.

The fallacy of better access here fades fast for the 48 million uninsured.

[mbjjbtb]

We moved from NY about 3 months ago. We have our own business and in NY were covered by a plan through the local chamber of commerce. There is nothing like that here. Besides which, my husband is labeled with a pre-existing condition due to doctors negligence. I am healthy and have two sons, both healthy. We wound up putting my husband on one plan and the boys and me on another just to save a bit. I could not afford BCBS. We went with Wellpath for the boys and me. Again, they are a bit older and since I am healthy, we wanted the catestrophic coverage more than anything else. I have a $2,500 per person, $5,000 per family. I am paying $366 monthly for us. If you would like more info, just dm me and I'd be happy to tell you what I found out.