Health Insurance (bare bones)

Quote from Brian1 : The doctor bills you whatever they're going to bill you, but either before or after the visit you can tell them you're paying cash and try to negotiate a lower price. Correct.

Thanks for the clarification.

You could potentially save a lot of money on premiums up front, but if you wind up needing a lot of medical care over the course of the year you very well may shell out the same amount of money (or more) than having low deductible insurance. Seems simple enough/buyer beware...

A few more questions:

1)Is there any downside to having a high deductible insurance, in terms of insurance companies judging you differently in the future for some reason?

2)I wonder what the ratio is: people who are happy with high deductible insurance and the prospect of "saving money" vs. people who wish they were on a plan with a lower deductible

Quote from impact1400 : Thanks for the clarification. You could potentially save a lot of money on premiums up front, but if you wind up needing a lot of medical care over the course of the year you very well may shell out the same amount of money (or more) than having low deductible insurance. Seems simple enough/buyer beware... A few more questions: 1)Is there any downside to having a high deductible insurance, in terms of insurance companies judging you differently in the future for some reason? 2)I wonder what the ratio is: people who are happy with high deductible insurance and the prospect of "saving money" vs. people who wish they were on a plan with a lower deductible

HSAs are great for people who are in generally good health or are on the other end of the spectrum with lots of bills.

As far as how future insurance companies view you, that's one of the beauties of having an HSA. You own the plan. The plan stays with you for the rest of your life regardless of if you own your own business or if you change jobs 20 times.

The tax benefits of an HSA are absolutely outstanding. If you think it might be interested in one, I'd encourage you to look into one as they are not only great for health insurance, but also can be used as a retirement account.

I've had both high and low deductible at my work.
When I had the high deduct ($6000 per person) and was single it was great. I went in for a few things, paid about 300$ in total for medicine and check ups. Didnt feel great shelling out 300$, but I knew I was saving tons of money. I was saving almost 800$ per month that went into my paycheck. I did this for about 2 years, making almost $20,000 in health care savings.

After I got married and thinking about starting a family, i switched to the low deduct. 300$ annual deductible. I dont get the extra 10k anymore, but my liabilities are higher now that my wife and potential child are on my plan. 6000 x 3 = 18,000$ potential per year and if this happens to fall between the end and start of the year it would be 36,000$.

I could save the money and hope for no injuries, but with a family, i prefer to reduce my surprises.

Quote from jaqnabox : I've had both high and low deductible at my work. When I had the high deduct ($6000 per person) and was single it was great. I went in for a few things, paid about 300$ in total for medicine and check ups. Didnt feel great shelling out 300$, but I knew I was saving tons of money. I was saving almost 800$ per month that went into my paycheck. I did this for about 2 years, making almost $20,000 in health care savings. After I got married and thinking about starting a family, i switched to the low deduct. 300$ annual deductible. I dont get the extra 10k anymore, but my liabilities are higher now that my wife and potential child are on my plan. 6000 x 3 = 18,000$ potential per year and if this happens to fall between the end and start of the year it would be 36,000$. I could save the money and hope for no injuries, but with a family, i prefer to reduce my surprises.

Are you sure you were looking into an HSA? I haven't heard of an HSA that increased your family deductible with each addition of a child. That doesn't mean it's never happened anywhere before - I've just never heard of it. If you were, in fact, looking into an HSA you may want to reconsider because there are plenty out there who don't add to your deductible with each additional child you have on your plan.

standard high deduct. health plan offered by my employer

Quote from Brian1 : Are you sure you were looking into an HSA? I haven't heard of an HSA that increased your family deductible with each addition of a child. That doesn't mean it's never happened anywhere before - I've just never heard of it. If you were, in fact, looking into an HSA you may want to reconsider because there are plenty out there who don't add to your deductible with each additional child you have on your plan.

Same here. Been in the field for 11 years and have seen thousands of insurance plans. Usually just the individual deductible and the family deductible. Meaning if its $3k for individual, family is $6k and once family is met, no deductible for anyone.

Quote from Samstag : You can get a rough quote on ehealthinsurance.com. Around here costco is more expensive than some of the major individual providers.

Thanks for this -- great for doing research. Do you know of any other sites comparable to ehealthinsurance?

Quote from impact1400 : Thanks for this -- great for doing research. Do you know of any other sites comparable to ehealthinsurance?

Sorry that's the only one I've used. Usually it's the only one other than costco I see recommended.

Quote from impact1400 : Thanks for this -- great for doing research. Do you know of any other sites comparable to ehealthinsurance?

http://www.quickquote.com/individ...ealth.html

Right now, it says the site is "experiencing difficulties" and to try back later. Hopefully, you'll be able to try it soon.

Quote from impact1400 : How exactly does an office visit work under a high deductible insurance? Would you be billed X dollars (pre-determined by insurance company -- ex. $200 dollars for checkup), or whatever amount the doctor bills for his services? Going one step further...let's assume I had a $5K deductible. I just had my first office visit that was billed at $500 for a blood test and strep throat culture. I would pay $500 and my deductible would now be $4,500 -- am I missing something here? And co-insurance wouldn't kick in until I had been billed the remaining $4,500 for various services over the course of that policy year?

Typically, the insurance company will also have reduced negotiated discounts for HSA users. Depending on the service the discount can range from 25%-50% from what the doc would bill a cash paying walk in user without insurance. Also, typically "Well" checkups are covered at a higher percentage and maybe even at 100%. For most healthy people, these are the only times you probably see a doctor during the year.

With your 500 example, your insurance will most likely have a negotiated discount for the service, so depending on the discount percentage. Lets say you have a 20% for the particular service, you would pay $400 and have this subtracted from your annual deductible.


Most plans low or high deductible have an individual and family to be meet. My current HSA plan is 2500 per individual and 5000 for family. Well checkups covered at 100%(kid visits, OB, physicals, regular labs), maternity 90%(baby), and company lump sum deposit every year for choosing high deductible plan.

I've had both plans the past 6-7 years and can say so far I am liking the HSA versus the Cadillac low deductible plan.