what do you "normal" people do for health insurance?

[325Projectz]

i have ppo through my work, and its awesome. i pay quite a bit for just myself but its way better then hmo - pcp.

i just had arthroscopy surgery on my shoulder, which totalled around $15k, cost me a total of ~$300, physical therapy included. rx drugs were another $20. i just had my wisdom teeth removed as well. the bottoms were impacted, that was $1900 for a anesthesiologist to do it. cost me only $165.

with my old insurance (hmo) i was paying copays out the ass, $25 here, $50 there, and that was before i even had any work done.

[James Crivellone]

Benefits package. Bling bling. Life, dental, health, optical.

+++ It's Awesome!

[Maluco]

$42 bi-weekly through employer - United Healthcare. They just paid 100% of my knee surgery. Also, if you know you will be using it, a flexpay acct is also very beneficial (pre-selected amount by you is deducted from your check pre-tax and placed on an acct to be used for medical expenses) I believe I saved $200 something by using it...

[browntown]

Benefits package. Bling bling. Life, dental, health, optical.

The truth, I bitch that I should make more $$, but the benefit package I have for myself and family is worth a lot of money.

[e30sd]

22 bucks a month for cigna ppo, work also signed me up for aflac for accidental coverage.

[StereoInstaller1]

Any of you guys who have any coverage need to count your blessings.

I got NOTHING, and am sole support of a family of 4.

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^

I do, its the main reason I have stayed in the trades for so long.

[Turf1600]

Any of you guys who have any coverage need to count your blessings.

I got NOTHING, and am sole support of a family of 4.

quit giving such good deals on r3v man!

[1991 318is]

If you are younger it is important to know that the main purpose of Cobra plans is to be continuously insured so as not to be excluded for a pre-existing condition. If you are young and have had no major illnesses or chronic conditions it is an easy thing to just let health insurance lapse. You are low risk and generally healthy. Add the cost of premiums, copays, and deductibles together and it is tempting to go out of pocket. Plus you have Workers Comp for on the job injuries and your auto policy med pay for accident injuries. But, once you have a major claim for an illness or chronic condition and then not insured due to layoff, firing, or financial considerations; you go into a new plan as a new policyholder without prior coverage. They will search your medical records and exclude the pre-existing condition. The main area in which health insurance companies compete is through cherry picking the policyholders. Competition in the private sector only provides good low cost healthcare for a limited number of people.
If I were young today I would be as clueless as many of you are about how to navigate through all this. For 60 years the hot ticket for the best benefits were unionized major industries or Fortune 500 companies. That has changed with the decline of heavy industry and the new corporate culture. Now it is a small number hi-tech companies but the world changes even faster now. The benefits of today will die at the hands of the global economy and competition from countries with universal healthcare. You don't have to provide benefits to the developing third world or countries where benefits are not tied to employment.
In the meantime, pay the Cobra. For the immediate future it's business as usual. Add the cost of healthcare to death and taxes.

[e30Matt]

Benefits package. Bling bling. Life, dental, health, optical.

+1 again. So nice to have all that shit taken care of for you.

[backtrail69]

Under my mother's policy/business since I am still in school full benis with low co-pays.

[Ryan Stewart]

You're kidding, right?

No, for the cheap shit its fine but for the real shit its far better here. Or maybe there is another reason people fly here to go to places like Mayo or KU Medical from other nations like Canada.

I have Medical+, dental, vision, short and long term disability, and 50k of life for $6 a month. Im single though, it jumps up a lot if you have to cover others.

[CleanAzzE30z]

Dont drink too much, smoke too much, dont do hard drugs, eat fast food (at all), and look at the bright side of things. I smoke too much, did every drug under the sun for many years, and I drink like a fish. The check is in the mail.


Mariano

[s0urce]

Covered by my work. Remember kids: PPO > HMO

[Kruzen]

The truth, I bitch that I should make more $$, but the benefit package I have for myself and family is worth a lot of money.

Definitely truth. I always forget to consider all of my benefits when thinking about how much money I make. Definitely adds on a hefty amount considering how often I use all of the free services I get. Free chiropractor and acupunture ftw. lmao!