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Self-Employed Health Insurance

Twodose

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In the state of Pennsylvania does anyone know where to get Individual Health Insurance if you are self-employed?
 

Twodose

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I was thinking more on the lines of people on this forum that are self-employed and where they are getting their insurance.
 

Mr.Aap

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I hear good things about Blue Cross Blue Shield......
 

Twodose

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Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Very expensive plus the coverage is bad when you are not in a group.
 

Reds

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I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. They have a lot of different plans, but I have an excellent one that is very expensive. I cover my family and my oldest son who is now out of college. That allows me to have a group (more than 1). I had cancer a long time ago and due to lingering affects from radiation (to the head) I have to see the doctor quite often and they do some very expensive procedures on me from time to time. So all I have is a $25 copay and no deductible. I can go to any BlCr BlSh doctor which is most doctors (I go to U of P hospital). But it costs $1200 per month. It's a disgrace that we cannot band together in small groups of independent people and form a purchasing coop for buying health insurance at group rates.
 

Ben's Car Wash

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When I work in a local Philly Hospital... I got all of my insurance paid for, Health, eye glass, percription, dental and if I went to that hospital I had no co-pay. When I was "self insured" as a car wash owner, I paid BC/BS of Florida $1000 a month to cover my family & I ($2,500 deduct), $25 co-pay PPO just for health insurance (which wasn't bad unitl other cost sky rocketed)!

I went back to work at the hospital to get affordable health insurance. What American Family can afford $1000 - $1500 a month for health insurance? My home owners at that time went from $2500 year to $8400 IN ONE YEAR! !@##$ insurance companies are killing us!
 

pitzerwm

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Economy 101, make a reasonable profit. All insurance companies are public and you can read their books. natural disasters might have an effect on your rates. Paying $3K a year and needing your $350K house replaced ever couple years doesn't compute to me. I'm sure some of your customers think that you are raping them too. Who do you think paid for your free insurance at the hospital, I'm sure that the hospital just absorbed it. God, you are so naive.
 

Bubbles Galore

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Well said. We are all business owners, but it seems like some people can only see it from the consumer perspective. Since when are the companies that service us supposed to be exempt from receiving just compensation? Craziness!
 

rph9168

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One of my grandfather's favorite sayings which many use was "There is no such thing as a free lunch". Someone always pays the bill whether it is you or not.

As far as health insurance goes, I had a good friend in the collection business who dealt mainly with hospitals and doctors. He said that he always felt a little better when he collected a debt for them because he liked to think it meant a little less on someone's hospital, doctor's or insurance bill. In other words, we all paid for unpaid debts in some form - higher bills from hospitals, doctors or insurance companies.
 

Bubbles Galore

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I was always taught that you should take responsibility for yourself. I guess too many people feel entitled.

Anyway, I would call your local chamber of commerce and talk to some of the self-employed members and see what they do. I have been amazed at how much the COC has helped me with my wash. They should be able to point you in the right direction for a provider or someone that knows of one. Good Luck!
 

Mr.Aap

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I had to check on health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield and was quoted 175.00 a month.....Single under 40 2500.00 deduct....25.00 co-pay....The stock market affects health insurance more so than natural disasters.....
 

SCS

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Blue Cross Blue Shield is not an insurance company. It is an Association of different insurance companies in different states. Here in Arizona I am insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. That is a different company than the ones in the other states therefore you can not generalize. Every states Blue Cross Blue Shield has different rates, benefits and service. A statement like XYZ insurance company sucks is about as stupid as saying Ford sucks. Why do you think the millions who have elected a particular company choose it? Are they looking for a bad deal? Are they just consumers who are so stupid they don't know what they are buying? Are the executives running the "lousy" company of the opinion that they have a crap product but are counting on fooling millions of people for decades? Get real!!!

Never take a newstory, or a persons anecdotal experience as any indicator.

The profit in health insurance is around 3%-5% of your premium.

Best way to find good deal is to talk to independent broker who specializes in health insurance and represents all the major health insurance plans in your area.

Worst way is to respond to telephone solicitation, or internet solicitation or to rely on a trade group (ie chamber of commerce, business association, etc) and assume they are looking out for you and have done all the work to bring you the best deal.
 

SCS

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The majority of companies who compose most of the health insurance industry do not write property and casualty type insurance and therefore natural disasters have no relevance.

Insurance companies have very stringent reserve and capital requirements that are required by the State Department of Insurance. These prevent them from investing any significant amount of their capital in the stock market.
 

Twodose

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Yea , I ended up getting BC BS of NE PA. They are good, about the same price as I was paying before, $498 month.

Higher deductibles since I am not in a group anymore.

Geisinger is advertising a new plan for non-group but they wouldn't take me.

They get to pick and choose, good for them...they suck anyway, Everyone bitches about them, but allot of people have them because they are cheap. There rate would have been about 1/2 of what i will be paying in August.

The politicians what universal coverage for everyone, Who do ya think is going to pay for that??

I have been paying my own insurance for 30 years.
 

Jimmy Buffett

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If you are reasonably healthy and don't go to the dr. every time you sneeze I reccomend looking at a high deductible plan with a health savings account. That at least makes your contributions tax deductible.
 
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