I'm self employed. I need health insurance. My main concern is a random ER visit that will put me in debt for the rest of my life, so I told my wife not to worry about deductible prices, since I only need to go in once every few years anyway.
She found something with a $4,000 deductible. And that was like $80/mo. The other ones were even more expensive. Is this price range right? Is this the only way to protect myself from crippling debt?
posted by brenton
on Apr 29, 2013 -
31 answers
My partner and I are considering going into couples counselling. The insurance plan we share does not cover this type of counselling "except when rendered in connection with services provided for a treatable mental disorder." One of us is in treatment for a mental disorder, so this seems worth investigating. Can you offer us any experience or advice about dealing with therapists and/or insurance companies in this situation?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 14, 2013 -
1 answer
I am an ABD grad student dealing with significant situational depression. My therapist has recommended I seek out a prescription for an SSRI (antidepressant). My insurance situation is a bit complex -- I'm on the university's faculty EPO plan, but don't have a primary care physician relationship established. Trying to sort out the right order of operations for making sure I get coverage, and get timely access to care.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 9, 2013 -
7 answers
How do I figure out the details on a tricky health insurance situation so I am not doing anything shady, but also don't accidentally end up many thousand of dollars in debt?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 5, 2013 -
10 answers
My wife's mom is a widow of advancing age. She lives alone in Eastern Europe, in a country with universal health care. (More or less... thanks, austerity!) As she is getting older, we're starting to worry about her living over there, both because of quality of care and because the day that she's no longer suited to live by herself seems approaching. We live in the US and would like to bring her over here permanently. Putting aside immigration questions, how do we get health insurance for her?
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posted by DirtyOldTown
on Mar 12, 2013 -
8 answers
My husband got a new job and it looks like his health insurance will be better and cheaper for us than what we have through my employer. Problem is, my office is tiny and if we drop off our insurance, only one person in the office will remain on the group plan and a group of one is not eligible for a group plan. If we drop off the plan, I want to ensure she doesn't get screwed over. Can you help me figure out what questions she and I need to ask the owners and our insurance broker and/or come up with creative solutions to pose to the owners of the company? (I realize that this is really the coworker's issue but we're a very tight-knit office and my coworker wants this help.)
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posted by adorap0621
on Feb 27, 2013 -
9 answers
I have mental health issues and I need to see a therapist, a psychiatrist, and have my medications prescribed/refilled regularly. I'm moving next month to be with my significant other (not married), but I'll lose my health insurance which is through my current state. Where do I get these mental health services at a reduced cost as an uninsured person in Tucson, AZ?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 21, 2013 -
8 answers
I need to buy health insurance in Portland, Oregon and I'm wondering if there are any professional guilds or Freelancer's Union-type groups that sell health insurance.
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posted by jeb
on Oct 23, 2012 -
1 answer
So this was me
commenting a bit ago about how some views toward health care actually damage the lives of real people.
And now I need advice, because the situation has grown so far out of my control and I think I’ll go out of my mind with worry.
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posted by bilabial
on Sep 26, 2012 -
52 answers
Where does one go for reliable information about any risks of using your health insurance policy?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 21, 2012 -
14 answers
Which address should I give when I go to the Emergency Room? This is turning out to be a surprisingly stressful and complicated question.
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posted by Ash3000
on Jun 2, 2012 -
12 answers
It's open enrollment time, and given the changes in all the policies, it's now a lot harder for a clear cut decision.
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posted by k5.user
on May 18, 2012 -
3 answers
Health insurance question: I got laid off from a small company a few months ago, and have been paying over $400 monthly for COBRA. This eats up a ton of my unemployment money. I'm wondering if I should switch to an individual plan.
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posted by emily37
on May 16, 2012 -
19 answers
I have recently
lost my health insurance. While it is possible I will be reinstated to
the plan I lost, which is provided in conjunction with my school, I need to be insured again ASAP, and I don't mind the possibility of doubling up on insurance for a short period of time. New Yorkers, do you know of any affordable (<$500 or so per month) plans I might be eligible for? I am a full time college student.
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posted by ocherdraco
on Apr 25, 2012 -
9 answers
Please help me understand COBRA and my family's options after it runs out.
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posted by meggan
on Feb 13, 2012 -
6 answers
Health insurance for vagabonds? (How can I purchase health insurance when I'm in between fixed addresses/states?)
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 20, 2012 -
5 answers
I'm in the middle of applying for individual health coverage in California and haven't been approved or rejected yet. Is it safe to use my current medical benefits, and get diagnosed, while applying for individual health insurance, or will they reject me?
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posted by elif
on Jan 10, 2012 -
2 answers
We live in California. My wife had to go to the ER in my Virginia hometown last year. She gave them her insurance info. Four months later, they sent an enormous bill for a small amount of care.
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posted by infinitewindow
on Jan 9, 2012 -
13 answers
I'm finally in a place where I can afford health insurance (catastrophic, at least) in Washington state. So far all I'm really doing is looking at plans on ehealthinsurance dot com...but if there are things to look out for or better ways to shop, I'd really appreciate the input. I'm healthy but nervous about being ripped off.
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posted by scaryblackdeath
on Nov 21, 2011 -
7 answers
Insurance coverage from previous job ended on Friday without COBRA. Insurance from new job starts retroactively on the following Monday. I have pre-existing health issues. How do we know if we need COBRA or not?
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 4, 2011 -
5 answers
My brother was scheduled to have knee surgery, but has just lost insurance coverage. How can I help him?
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posted by Vorteks
on Oct 26, 2011 -
16 answers
I'm in the open enrollment period (also newly married) and am considering switching health insurance -- for the first time ever. I understand the fill-out-the-forms part, but I can't wrap my head around what that means logistically. What's the process? What should I look out for?
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posted by Madamina
on Oct 20, 2011 -
6 answers
I can insure my spouse through my employer. My spouse can insure me through his employer. Right now we are just going with the better of the two plans. Is there any reason we would want to sign up for both?
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posted by thinkingwoman
on Sep 16, 2011 -
18 answers
About six weeks ago I went to a podiatrist for heel pain and was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. I was given instructions for treatment along with a night splint that I've been wearing every night. Today, I received a bill from the podiatrist's office for the splint: Blue Cross has paid $80 of the $280 (!) charge, and the podiatrist's office is now putting me on the hook for the $200 balance. What recourse, if any, do I have in dealing with this charge?
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posted by Kosh
on Sep 9, 2011 -
16 answers
What determines which residence is my 'primary residence' when applying for health insurance, etc?
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posted by mxmm
on Aug 31, 2011 -
3 answers
Uninsured American Health Care Problem: Should I have a somewhat large lipoma (benign fatty tumor) surgically removed before applying for private medical insurance, or would it provide the basis for application denial or drastically raised rates?
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posted by Auden
on Jul 29, 2011 -
10 answers
Using health insurance in US- possible skin cancer. Does anyone have any evidence/estimate/experience with how much premiums may/will increase if skin cancer is found/treated?
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posted by mightshould
on Jul 19, 2011 -
4 answers
I unknowingly went to a doctor that is not my primary care physician on my HMO plan. What's the damage going to be? What can I do for the best possible outcome?
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posted by hot little pancake
on Jul 11, 2011 -
13 answers
Help with choosing my health insurance. I just got a new job and I'm not really familiar with the American health care system. Please help me decide what's best for me.
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posted by carmel
on Jun 22, 2011 -
24 answers
My aunt will be visiting Canada on a tourist visa from India and she would like to purchase health insurance for the duration of her visit. Can you recommend a company I can contact to get more information about this, preferably an insurance company we can buy a policy from? Google is giving me a lot of sketchy SEO results.
posted by exhilaration
on May 2, 2011 -
9 answers
How to get basic outpatient mental health care when work-provided insurance does not cover it?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 29, 2011 -
9 answers
Help me find health insurance. Moving back to the States with wife and two kids after being away for 10 years. May not have jobs when we return. What is the best way to find health insurance? I have no idea where to start or what my options are if we return unemployed. Moving to Texas if that is relevant.
posted by jasondigitized
on Mar 17, 2011 -
22 answers
HealthInsuranceFilter: My wife will soon be eligible for benefits through a new (part-time) employer, but the coverage stinks as it has a $20k per year max benefit. Is excess/supplemental health insurance a viable option?
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posted by QuantumMeruit
on Mar 11, 2011 -
3 answers
I'm a health care professional, and I recently read on a physician's blog that a negative HIV test on your health record may affect life or health insurance premiums. I have a vague idea of why this might be, but if any infectious disease, insurance or other professionals could shed some light on this, please explain!
posted by cothebadger
on Nov 19, 2010 -
16 answers
Should I switch to a HMO? My company offers Kaiser Permanente's HMO, and it's a good bit cheaper than my current plan. People tell me that HMOs are evil, but the plan looks pretty good on paper. I'm in Washington, DC.
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posted by schmod
on Oct 27, 2010 -
21 answers
Should I apply to the Illinois high-risk insurance pool or try to get an individual policy?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 8, 2010 -
6 answers
My long-standing health insurer is making new information demands. Do I need to reply?
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posted by NortonDC
on Jun 10, 2010 -
13 answers
I am on a high-deductible health care plan and have maxed out my plan year out-of-pocket expenses. Our plan year ends in 2 months. Since it won't "cost" us anything more out-of-pocket, what additional elective procedures or tests does it make sense for me and my family to get in the next 2 months?
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posted by QuantumMeruit
on May 13, 2010 -
15 answers
Two questions related to the provision of the US healthcare bill related to dependents getting to stay on parents' plans until age 27.
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posted by ishotjr
on Apr 20, 2010 -
18 answers
My dept is becoming part of the National Division (home office in Georgia) rather than the Regional Division (where I now work at Regional Division Home Office in PA). I am not physically moving anywhere. My employer is now National Div, even though it is just the parent/umbrella of Regional Div. My insurance carrier will now be BCBS of GA instead of Highmark BS of PA. ADHD is covered by Highmark. It is not by BCBS of GA. I will end up paying about $4000 in out of pocket expenses due to this. Is this legal? What are my options? Supplemental insurance for MH does not exist. I make too much for any state aid and am ineligible for other state MH programs. (there is a TL;DR summary marked as such at the bottom)
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posted by sio42
on Apr 3, 2010 -
16 answers
What does it mean to be a UK resident for insurance purposes? I'd like to buy multi-trip travel insurance. However, I'm currently working on a contract in another country (France) until the end of May.
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posted by handee
on Feb 9, 2010 -
6 answers
Can I and/or should I be reimbursed for an employer-caused lapse of less than 30 days in group health insurance in Connecticut?
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posted by bunnycup
on Jan 19, 2010 -
17 answers
I'm about to purchase private health insurance in the US. How, if at all, should the impending health care reform legislation affect my decision-making process?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 17, 2010 -
3 answers
A complicated question about a specific medical condition, insurance, and pre-existing conditions.
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 2, 2009 -
10 answers
