New to Health Insurance

[Token11b]

Insurance is great and a good "in case shit happens". I rarely get sick and haven't been to an actual Doctor in years. I ended up with severe chest pains from coughing and sneezing. Turned out I had bronchitis. one prescription alone was over 120$. After insurance I paid 15$ for 2 antibiotics, a steroid, anti nausea med and and ibus.

Health insurance is like car insurance better to have it and not need it and then need it but not have it. For what it's worth I use United ppo. For my spouse and I I'm paying maybe 150$ a month.

15$ copy for regular visits including mental health
45$ for urgent care visits
125$ for emergency room visits.

[Icanfaptothis86]

Being young and healthy your optimal plan is a high deductible plan with HSA. Particularly an HSA that allows you to rollover money

An HSA allows you to make tax free contributions which can be used to cover medical expensive and even buy bandaids or rubbing alcohol.

The idea is that you are young and healthy so wont be using your insurance too much. When you do you will be paying a larger deductible but you will be paying it with non taxed dollars which is a huge bonus.

IF you have a major medical emergency you will quickly meet your deductible at which point everything is essentially covered if in network. All the money you spent up till then is untaxed.

[LOLS2K]

[MonoRaven]

Deductible is one thing but that's just when the Ins starts paying, also be sure to look at the "Max Out of Pocket", that will be the most you will have to pay during the year.
I don't know if you already have a DR that you really like but if you do make sure they are a participating provider for whatever plan you choose.

[LOLS2K]

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by LOLS2K

Okay gotcha. I recently moved from CA to AZ so I'm completely new to everything out here. Not that I ever really visited a particular doctor (as an adult) back in CA.

Just move here and the problem goes away!

[LOLS2K]

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by LOLS2K

I'm just getting acclimated to this desert wasteland, coming from sunny Southern California.

Oh we have desert wastelands as well. They are just much, much colder!

[MrDinkleman]

Couple of questions:
Does your employer pay for all, part, none of your health insurance premiums?

I noticed your list only includes PPOs. Does your employer offer any HMO plans?

Generally, if you have to pay any portion of your insurance out of pocket, young, healthy people just buy the cheapest option since they don't go to the doctor very often. Then as they get older or less healthy people switch over to better plans.

BCBS is generally considered the "Cadillac of insurance" but their premiums reflect the great coverages they provide.

A lot of people poo-poo HMOs because some are very restrictive but they can be as good as PPOs depending on how they are structured. But (again) generally, in my experience, the HMOs that have their own exclusive hospitals and doctors aren't as good as HMOs that contract with various medical groups. But that is not a hard and fast rule so you need to ask your co-workers and read up on how good HMOs in your area are.

I happen to be in an HMO plan and the Medical Group that I belong to has a huge network of specialists and hospitals. My doctor does not hesitate to refer me to specialists outside of the network if he feels a non-network doctor would be better.

[LOLS2K]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Oh we have desert wastelands as well. They are just much, much colder!

Which is the best place to be?
Quebec seems to have the good food. I love food.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by LOLS2K

Which is the best place to be?
Quebec seems to have the good food. I love food.

They all have their good points and bad points (well except the Yukon which has very little going for it) so pick one.

[LOLS2K]

[LOLS2K]

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by LOLS2K

And that's the trick, finding out which of the good and bad points you can live with.

Well on topic, they all have "free" healthcare.