Health Insurance Rates?

[ITG]

Okay, I'm curious (for those who feel comfortable sharing) what others' are paying for their health insurance. REason I ask is that it seems our school district's insurance goes up and up every year (some years it has doubled).
Currently it's about $178/month and will be going up to about $218/month for one person's coverage. For me to add my fiance it shoots up to over $700 to cover both of us. A family is just under $1000 a month. I know these rates surely can't be typical of most insurance. Also if you feel like sharing, I'd be interested to know what company you're with if it's indeed cheaper. I'm now in the market to find my own insurance I think.

 

[Samsa]

Mine is $113 every other month. Then again, that's with bare bones coverage - I don't get dental or vision, and who knows what else.

 

[ClassicIsBetter]

$52 a month for health, $5 for dental. No vision, had the lasik done 4 years ago, 20/20 vision since, there it's not needed now.

 

[ITG]

For both of you is that for individual coverage or with spouse or with whole family?

 

[Nathan Flowers]

http://www.eip.sc.gov/rates/2006/2006ACTIVERATES.pdf

I work for the state of South Carolina. Most employees go with the Standard plan. Full family for me is about $300.

 

[airfrogusmc]

I'm self employed; you don't wanna know and I have a $5000 deductable. And the insurance companies like the oil companies are posting record profits...

 

[CherryRed]

Okay, I'm curious (for those who feel comfortable sharing) what others' are paying for their health insurance. REason I ask is that it seems our school district's insurance goes up and up every year (some years it has doubled).
Currently it's about $178/month and will be going up to about $218/month for one person's coverage. For me to add my fiance it shoots up to over $700 to cover both of us. A family is just under $1000 a month. I know these rates surely can't be typical of most insurance. Also if you feel like sharing, I'd be interested to know what company you're with if it's indeed cheaper. I'm now in the market to find my own insurance I think.

My husband is a teacher here in Arkansas. The district pays most of his. He pays $20 a month to cover himself. If we add our son(any # of children are one price) is is about $260 a month. If we add me it is over $500 a month. We dropped everything but my husbands coverage, since we pay such high co-pays, it is better to put the money we would pay for insurance into a savings account and just pay the Dr bills when needed from the account. We did opt to insure the whole family with dental as that is $60 a month.

 

[Barry]

I have my own health insurance policy - not one through work. It's $450 a month with a high deductable. It does not include vision or dental.

Barry

 

[Rosie]

OMG, that's so high! Currently, I use HIP Prime which is the lowest available through the city's insurance. I pay nothing every month (since it's just me) and I pay a $5 co-payment when I go to the doctor, which all of my doctor's waive because I've been going to them for years and they see like 50% of my family. My deductible is $125. I get what is called a rider from the UFT which covers dental and eye I think I pay 15% of the dental with each visit under $100 but anything over, is taken care of. For the other, my eye exams are covered and I could get free glasses but they are those bug plastic ones so I usually buy my own though when I take that option, my lenses are covered. You guys are scaring me, I think I might stay in NY after all.

Edit: I have a friend (city worker too) who carries herself, her husband and their two children on her insurance, I believe she uses GHI, not sure, I think she pays about 100 a month.

My cousin works for the state and she pays about 30 a month but again, it's just her.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

basic package through Purdue is $24 a month out of my paycheck. That covers most optico bills too (exam - 1 per year - is pretty much free, maybe $5 or so; i think i need to pay 80% of lens costs).

bk

 

[Caledonia]

This is interesting because of the way our NHS (UK) is going. The NHS, sorry National Health Service, is in essence a wonderful method of providing "free" health care to everybody and was begun in the 1950s. I "..." it because we pay national insurance which is supposed to be our contribution. However, there are now loud noises from Government about encouraging people to "contribute" towards their healthcare. Personally I don't have a problem with that (I mean in terms of financial viability - they were very teensy weensy operations!), and while I totally support the NHS, and wish every country could have the same service, I have had to go private twice in the last three years purely because I couldn't wait the 18-24 months to sort the problem. The first time was on the recommendation of the NHS doctor (I'm not supposed to tell about that one!), the second time I was just in pain. I was also forced to go private for dental because here the NHS dentist availability is causing severe problems. I am kicking myself for not taking out private insurance after the first incident, because I had to sell my husband to make the payments (c'est la vie - I'm sure he's happier!). So, as I am currently checking out the insurance prices, please keep your experiences coming. The bottom line is, this thread is going to become a whole lot more interesting to UK Loungers very soon methinks.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

My wife and I are both self employed, we have Humana of Texas and pay $440 a month for me, her and our 5 year-old daughter. We have the highest deductible offered so save money. If something big happened it would only take one day in the hospital to reach it anyway. No dental or vision. And there is a rider attached so they will not cover my wife's migraines as a pre-existing condition, so we have to pay for that rx ourselves (which we may or may not order through the internet from a friendly place to the north).

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The NHS,

yes, i certainly wont be relying on the NHS when i return. It's sure to be cheaper to go private in the Uk anyway. They won't, for example, be asking $5000 a night for a bed like they do here!!! Bloodsuckers.

bk

 

[Caledonia]

You're kidding! But definitely go private as soon as you land. And all inclusive if you can. Medical, dental, eyes, claws, moulting. The NHS "will survive" - ahem with appropriate musical melody - but more and more people are going to pay to support it and then pay to go private! Sorry, a bit fftopic: to ITG's original thread (we must still source a friendlier Off Topic icon).

Back to the point.......

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I am -exceedingly- lucky in my employers comittment to coverage.

I pay 30 a month for ppo coverage, 15 co-pay, 250 deductible. This includes dental and vision coverage as well.

I could also elect to pay nothing on my side, for a HMO level coverage.That would also include dental and vision, just at different levels from different companies.

 

[crazylegsmurphy]

Up here in Canada we pay based on income. I pay about $100 every three months or something....I dunno really, since I have been a student I get it for free.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

So to summarize for our loungers outside the US:
If you have a good corporate gig you can be sitting pretty,
if you are an "entrepreneur" you are sol.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

So to summarize for our loungers outside the US:
If you have a good corporate gig you can be sitting pretty,
if you are an "entrepreneur" you are sol.

And if you're neither ... just don't get sick.

bk

 

[ClassicIsBetter]

I am -exceedingly- lucky in my employers comittment to coverage.

I pay 30 a month for ppo coverage, 15 co-pay, 250 deductible. This includes dental and vision coverage as well.

I could also elect to pay nothing on my side, for a HMO level coverage.That would also include dental and vision, just at different levels from different companies.

Similar to my policy. I wouldn't go the HMO route though. At the time of open enrollment, I had a choice of 80% PPO, 90% PPO, or HMO. I avoid HMO like the plague. I chose 80% PPO, b/c the extra that I would've had to pay for the 90% wouldn't save me any money. My co-pay is $20, no deductible. Dental is free, I go to any dentist I choose and pay nothing.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I don't have a job, and need really good coverage due to illness. I pay $450 a month and I have the Cadillac of plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield. It's definitely cheaper for me to pay for that than it would be to try an cover all my doctors visits, hopitalizations, meds and tests on my own. When I get a job I will probably have to pay for extra insurance for most plans don't work for me.