Health Insurance Help

[NoOneButPaul]

So I've got to get my own insurance here in the next few months because i'm about to turn 26 and I guess my question to everyone is how in the world do you deal with these absurd premiums? I can't even get a catastrophic plan for less than $180 (including dental) and furthermore the plans that cheap do not have service providers in my area and the ones that do are about $290 a month! What kind of dumb ass created this convoluted bull$#@! (don't answer I already know)? I guess i'm at the point where I don't even see the point. I go for a yearly checkup and that's it - is that really worth 3.5k a year? - that's almost 10% of my $#@!ing salary!

I'm sure there are a good many of you out there older than 26 and have been dealing with this crap far longer than I have so how are you guys dealing with the absurd cost of healthcare? At this point it makes more fiscal sense for me to go un-insured for the year 2015 and try again next year and even at a 2k fine for 2016 it still makes more fiscal sense not to insure myself!

/rantoff

[phill4paul]

So I've got to get my own insurance here in the next few months because i'm about to turn 26 and I guess my question to everyone is how in the world do you deal with these absurd premiums? I can't even get a catastrophic plan for less than $180 (including dental) and furthermore the plans that cheap do not have service providers in my area and the ones that do are about $290 a month! What kind of dumb ass created this convoluted bull$#@! (don't answer I already know)? I guess i'm at the point where I don't even see the point. I go for a yearly checkup and that's it - is that really worth 3.5k a year? - that's almost 10% of my $#@!ing salary!

I'm sure there are a good many of you out there older than 26 and have been dealing with this crap far longer than I have so how are you guys dealing with the absurd cost of healthcare? At this point it makes more fiscal sense for me to go un-insured for the year 2015 and try again next year and even at a 2k fine for 2016 it still makes more fiscal sense not to insure myself!

/rantoff

Where are you getting the "2k" fine from? At your income you would have to pay about $95 if I'm not mistaken. I'd just take what I could afford and put it into a HSA. Edit: And by HSA I mean a personal one. Just money stashed away.

[tangent4ronpaul]

You haven't seen the co-pays and deductibles yet...

I was amazed they are demanding proof of citizenship in order to keep your health insurance. Bet there are tons of people that have lost their birth certificates and don't have a passport.

The application is very invasive, also. Demanding tons of info about everyone living in the house and obamacare forms at doctor offices are asking if you own firearms.

What a pile of BS!

-t

[Dianne]

So I've got to get my own insurance here in the next few months because i'm about to turn 26 and I guess my question to everyone is how in the world do you deal with these absurd premiums? I can't even get a catastrophic plan for less than $180 (including dental) and furthermore the plans that cheap do not have service providers in my area and the ones that do are about $290 a month! What kind of dumb ass created this convoluted bull$#@! (don't answer I already know)? I guess i'm at the point where I don't even see the point. I go for a yearly checkup and that's it - is that really worth 3.5k a year? - that's almost 10% of my $#@!ing salary!

I'm sure there are a good many of you out there older than 26 and have been dealing with this crap far longer than I have so how are you guys dealing with the absurd cost of healthcare? At this point it makes more fiscal sense for me to go un-insured for the year 2015 and try again next year and even at a 2k fine for 2016 it still makes more fiscal sense not to insure myself!

/rantoff

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but your yearly checkup will be paid by you even with Obamacare. Remember your deductible is around 6,000. PER YEAR so even paying the Obamacare premiums you have to pay the first $6,000. of your own medical expenses every year before Obamacare even kicks in. This is the biggest fraud and ponzi scheme under the "no insurance company left behind" Act ever levied against the American people.

[Carlybee]

You can't get one much cheaper. Unfortunately that's what it costs if you can't get it through work. My son pays 180 for a policy that's basically a catastrophic policy. It's ACA compliant but he isn't on ACA so no subsidy. The clinics on his plan are awful so he just goes to a better one closer to him and pays out of pocket for minor things.

My 2 cents...try not to get sick...look into building up your immune system with supplements. I haven't had a bad cold in a couple of years.

[Weston White]

A possible alternative is a program such as provided by Christian Health Ministries, there are other such programs available: http://www.chministries.org/programs.aspx

Other alternatives include filing a proper tax return (i.e., the core of your remuneration is merely converted capital not not properly taxable as derived 'incomes'), odds are that your true gross income is far below the exemption cutoff (which would also exempt you from federal health insurance requirements), but this will likely lead to tens-of-thousands of dollars in IRS frivolous penalties (This is of course unlawful on the part of the IRS, but they can do whatever they want, because what politician would ever dare challenge the IRS?); or otherwise foregoing health insurance and simply readjust your W-4 withholdings so that you are either right at or slightly over what you would owe in federal taxes and then just pay the difference at the close of the tax year (keeping what you own ready in your bank account)--i.e., the IRS cannot go after you for not paying your health insurance fees, but can deduct those charges from your refund.

[angelatc]

Where are you getting the "2k" fine from? At your income you would have to pay about $95 if I'm not mistaken. I'd just take what I could afford and put it into a HSA. Edit: And by HSA I mean a personal one. Just money stashed away.

This year the fine is either 1% of your income per uninsured family member or $95 - whichever is greater. (Kids are 50% off though.) It goes up every year though.

I am also opting for the fine.

[angelatc]

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but your yearly checkup will be paid by you even with Obamacare. Remember your deductible is around 6,000. PER YEAR so even paying the Obamacare premiums you have to pay the first $6,000. of your own medical expenses every year before Obamacare even kicks in. This is the biggest fraud and ponzi scheme under the "no insurance company left behind" Act ever levied against the American people.

Preventative care is FREE!!!!

[NoOneButPaul]

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but your yearly checkup will be paid by you even with Obamacare. Remember your deductible is around 6,000. PER YEAR so even paying the Obamacare premiums you have to pay the first $6,000. of your own medical expenses every year before Obamacare even kicks in. This is the biggest fraud and ponzi scheme under the "no insurance company left behind" Act ever levied against the American people.

Mine is actually 6,600... it really is amazingly bull$#@!. But I have been assured my yearly checkup will only cost me $40.

[roho76]

$#@! those retards. Go uninsured. We need to bring this mother down. Punish both the government and the insurance industry that lobbied for this trash.

[tangent4ronpaul]

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but your yearly checkup will be paid by you even with Obamacare. Remember your deductible is around 6,000. PER YEAR so even paying the Obamacare premiums you have to pay the first $6,000. of your own medical expenses every year before Obamacare even kicks in. This is the biggest fraud and ponzi scheme under the "no insurance company left behind" Act ever levied against the American people.

Through my entire life I have never paid more than $3,500 a year in medical bills. That was one year because of a ER visit. Normally it's $0-75 a year. WHAT A RIP OFF!

If you can find a credit union that offers medical savings accounts, do that. If you don't use it, you keep it and you can leave anything unused to your relatives when you die.

-t