[TheForge] Marginal Blacksmithing Question

[Ries Niemi]

On Thursday, January 6, 2005, at 09:56 AM, Phil wrote:

> Does anyone have a good source for health insurance
> for the self employed?  What should I expect to pay
> for a family of four?
>
>
>

Health insurance costs can vary wildly by location, age, and 
pre-existing conditions.
It doesnt do much good to get a "national" health insurance company- 
you need someone who is legally licenced in your state, and familiar 
with your local situation. A lot of those too good to be true national 
ads are just that.
I live in Washington State, I have 2 kids and a wife, and I used to 
have Blue Cross, with about a $1000 deductible- and when it went up to 
over $700 a month, I dropped it, and changed over to a Northwest HMO 
called Group Health. Now I pay $414/mo, with an even higher deductible- 
$2500 for the family, I think it is. This means I pay the insurance, 
and THEN I pay all my families medical bills, most years. Sounds like a 
waste of $5 grand a year, but really, its not, for several reasons.

1- I can usually deduct most of it from my taxes. This may vary, 
depending on your tax situation.
2-Even though I pay all the bills myself, most of the time I get a big 
discount for belonging to the HMO. I live way out in the sticks, so I 
dont go to their HMO hospitals or clinics- I go to my own doctor, and 
then they send the bill to the HMO, and the HMO says, wait, we dont pay 
this much for this procedure- its only this much. Then they send the 
bill to me, and I pay the lower, HMO cost. If I paid in cash at the 
doctor, I would be paying 20% to 50% more in most cases.
3- Every once in while, fate rolls you snake eyes. My son broke his arm 
while skateboarding- $2500 right there. And if something more serious 
happens, which with 4 people, 2 of us 50+, it could, the insurance will 
pick up the big unexpected tabs.

Its a racket, and I  hate it, but as a parent and husband, I have to 
pay it. Cant take the chance.
But in most areas, you really only have 2 or 3 choices- usually some 
variant of Blue Cross/ Blue Sheild, and maybe a HMO like Kaiser or 
Group Health. Some states have special programs for low income people, 
and there are a few local HMO hybrids out there. I would go and talk to 
your local doctors office, and ask them what companies they deal with, 
and which ones people have problems with- those ladies at the front 
desk of a clinic know a lot- as long as you dont go to some mega 
hospital, but instead a small clinic.

ries