<p>Whatever you do get, try to be sure there is coverage for pre-existing conditions. I hadn’t thought of getting insurance as an alum; neither of the schools I attended seem to offer that (both were OOS publics). The school our kids attend offers a gap policy once they graduate for 18 months if you want to purchase it at about $400/month. They also offer some other options for varying terms–about 26 plans to choose among (to really make your head spin). The website is usc.healthinsurance.com but its sold by some other company.</p>
<p>A phone number for insurance sold to various alumni is 888-560-2586. There are 26 plans to choose among and sell in various states.</p>
<p>I have read that the new healthcare plans being discussed are going to have minimum payouts, like 70% minimum coverage and deductible limits.</p>
<p>Okay, so I am self-employed, I have an MSA/HSA with a nearly $10k deductible and the ability to put a portion of my deductible in a health savings account, with pre-tax $.</p>
<p>So, if I pay $300-500/mo for that plan and put $3500-5000 into an HSA account, I can then use that money for meeting my deductible OR for non-covered items, like dental and orthodontia.</p>
<p>If the govt requires a small deductible plan, then my plan will go away. Will I then be required by law to by that now more expensive plan? For easy numbers, let’s assume that new plan costs about $3-5000 more each year, so the money I was putting into an HSA is now paying health premiums. But, now I cannot use it for non-covered items, so my situation is worse</p>
<p>Even worse, I currently am careful with my use of the healthcare system as it is MY money I am spending. If I lose my health savings account and spend that money on premiums, there would now be a motivation for me to use the health care system more, to get value for my dollar.</p>
<p>It seems to me that having every one have an HSA would lead to a more careful use of health care services! Of course, one still has to come up with the money to deposit into the HSA account! Maybe the govt plan would fund that for the low income populations?</p>
<p>I do not know all or many of the details of the various proposals, but I was surprised to read an article last week talking about the demise of HSA plans under the proposals currently on the table</p>
<p>I also married my insurance–H is a federal employee. We could never afford the coverage his job has given our family otherwise and I couldn’t afford to be working for such low wages with my non-profit (& self-employed prior to this as an independent contractor) if we didn’t have his coverage & retirement benefits. Unfortunately S will be aging out of H’s health coverage this November, in his senior year of college. We are glad his college has a decent plan that will cover him while he figures out what to do upon graduation.</p>
<p>Like the other two people who just posted, I married it. I was self-employed for 22 years, but I wouldn’t have made that choice if I hadn’t been married to someone who could get health insurance for our family through his job.</p>
<p>About a year and a half ago, I took a full-time job even though I would have preferred to continue working as an independent contractor. One of my reasons for this is that I suspect that my husband may need to retire early for medical reasons, and we need to have a source of insurance that can’t turn us down. (We both have preexisting conditions, and one of mine is going to require some very costly surgery a few years from now.) Thus, I need a job with full benefits.</p>
<p>Marian- sorry to take the thread on a tangent, but you are not available for PM. How did you make the jump from 22 years IC to being an employee? I have been considering that option, but find many ‘regular’ employers are a bit suspicious of the self-employed.</p>
<p>What I found for HDIP is that the plan itself is a high premium program which could be had at less cost but without the HSA feature. The insurance company knows that the client has the the $$ to put into the HSA that is tax deductible and tax free coming out, and thus can afford the pay extra premium for the privilege of a savings account. A HDIP is for those who have the $$$$ and cares more about the tax benefit rather than the cost.</p>
<p>LP: really? Hmm, I found the cheapest options were the high deductible plans. You are not required to put the maximum funding into your account, but it is nice to try to put something in every year and build up an account balance to protect the family</p>
<p>Not every HDHP is eligible for HSA.
HSA accounts must have a HDHP that has a MAXIMUM deductible and a minimum deductible. It’s a gottcha, sucker. Insurance companies are not that dumb.</p>
<p>DH has been self-employed forever. He also teaches a least one class each semester at the local CC. This enabled us to buy into the state employees’ health insurance program. It’s expensive, but really excellent coverage.</p>