self-employed, health insurance on a budget?

what are peoples experiences?

[Emma McCreary]

Health and dental insurance seem very expensive. What is the best way to get health coverage without going broke?

I've read that it's possible to get group-like benefits through professional organizations, either:
- design/illustration nat'l orgs
- self-employment nat'l orgs
- local chamber of commerce

I've also read that nat'l design orgs don't offer these plans because artistic field are a 'high-risk group', so maybe that's out.

What are people's experiences? Do you use any of the above, or an independant policy?

(I'm young, no pre-existing conditions or risk factors ie smoking, no kids to think about - highly insurable I would think!)

[littleman]

Health insurance is a real problem for the self employed here in the US. Believe it or not, my wife was just rejected from a major HMO because she has a hyper thyroid which really isn't a big deal medically.

My Father pays over $600 a month as a healthy man in his mid fifties.

IMO the system is broken.

[alarix]

I'm self-employed (with a business partner - we have an LLC). We were able to get health, dental and eyecare for about $260/month through workingtoday.org. we chose their HIP plan (in new york state)

[edited by: Travoli at 8:19 pm (utc) on Mar. 26, 2003]

[Conard]

I use a little known health insurance system in the US called an Archer MSA.
Basically you need a high deductible health Insurance plan, mine is 5K, and then you open a medical savings account where you deposit cash.
There is a limit to the amount you can put into the account each year, but if you do not spend it on medical bills, it stays there until you retire.
The money in the savings account is 100% tax deductible and acts just like an IRA account.
There are no HMO's, you choose what doctor you want to see and pay by debit card from the account, same with eye care, prescriptions, dental or even acupuncture.
I found a company in Omaha for the insurance and the family plan runs me $200 a month.
I bought the insurance after being diagnosed with cancer and since I didn’t use the insurance, only money from the MSA there was no problem getting the insurance.

[oilman]

I just joined my local chamber of commerce so that I could access their group health plan. I pay $250 a month for 80% coverage of dental and prescription as well as major medical and long term disability and a small life insurance plan. Granted I'm in Canada and it's a bit different up here but most professional orgs will have something offer - Rotary, Chamber, etc...

[jimbeetle]

alarix,

Thanks, thanks, thanks for the workingtoday tip. The better half's coverage keeps going up and up with bennies going down and down. Gonna jump on this one right away.

Jim

[4crests]

I tried the MSA route here in Washington State and found it nearly impossible. It seems MSA's only work in certain states. Yes, Washington was an eligible state, but I was unable to find an insurance company in the state that would work with the MSA plan. There have been a lot of Insurance legislation problems in Washington that have scared off a lot of Insurance providers. The MSA seems like a heck of a good deal if you are lucky enough to get one set up. It can be a good tax shelter. The nice thing about it is there aren't the same income limitations imposed as are for IRA's, etc. Lots of high income people use the MSA for investing rather than medical purposes. There is a lot of talk about getting rid of this program, so jump on it if you can. It has been a while since I looked into it, but I think there was a deadline for getting into the program.

I pay $600 a month for a family of four, and I would also like to lower my bill. I have looked into the National Association of Self Employed. They have some pretty cheap plans, but don't come near the level of insurance we have now. It seems NASE would only be good for my family for Major Medical. I have seen that Costco offers insurance in some states, but in washington at least, it only works if you have one or more employees.

Let me know what you learn.

[Robert Charlton]

Kaiser's not too bad if they're in your area. I joined a long time ago as an individual and think you can still do that.

[alarix]

workingtoday is great. i've also previously been able to get group health through joining artist's organization. this in DC some years ago, so I don't remember the name anymore. but the rates were pretty good that way too. or, if you join something like Graphic Arts Guild (gag dot org) or New York New Media Association (nynma dot com i think) you can get a good deal