health Insurance

[joevegas 67]

Wonder If anyone can suggest a good health Insurance company that's not out to screw you to badly,I'm moving to the states in a few months,and just found out it's gonna cost a small fortune to be added to my fiances workplace insurance plan,does anyone know a reliable insurance company in the States that doesn't charge an arm and a leg?? Thanks for your help..

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Wonder If anyone can suggest a good health Insurance company that's not out to screw you to badly,I'm moving to the states in a few months,and just found out it's gonna cost a small fortune to be added to my fiances workplace insurance plan,does anyone know a reliable insurance company in the States that doesn't charge an arm and a leg?? Thanks for your help..

It depends on a lot of factors; age, health, level of coverage desired, etc. If you're young and healthy, you can save a lot by getting major medical coverage. You'll have to pay for routine medical services out-of-pocket, but the insurance will kick in if you have to go into the hospital. I've always liked Blue Cross, but their comprehensive plans are pretty expensive.

In most cases, you'll get a better deal going through your spouse's employer than you will on your own. Group coverage benefits from distributed risk, so the costs are almost always lower than individual coverage.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

I also like Blue Cross Blue Shield. We had their short term coverage when we first arrived, so we could be covered from day 2 (coverage starts the day your cheque is postmarked), and then moved to comprehensive coverage for the kids, as we felt they needed it.

[joevegas 67]

Thanks guys,my fiances employment coverage is ok for her,but soon as she ads a second person costs an extra $3,700 a year with a $5000 deductible..not cheap..guess I'm just spoiled with free Canadian health care...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Thanks guys,my fiances employment coverage is ok for her,but soon as she ads a second person costs an extra $3,700 a year with a $5000 deductible..not cheap..guess I'm just spoiled with free Canadian health care...

Her employer is providing lousy insurance, and they're cheap on the employer's subsidy. In fact, given the size of the deductible, her employer may not be subsidizing dependent insurance coverage at all. If you aren't getting the exact same plan she's getting, then you're probably not even getting the benefit of a group rate. A sad reality of working in America is that the quality and value of your benefits package is usually directly related to your value to the company. If your job requires relatively little skill or training, then you can assume you're fairly easy to replace and have little value to the company as an individual. That's when it's time to go to school and improve your value as an employee.

Not that it matters, but your coverage in Canada isn't really free. Your taxes are paying for it. Our health reform bill is ultimately designed to put private health insurers out of business, so you can expect to see a system similar to Canada's in America within the next decade or so.

[joevegas 67]

Yes I realize Free health care isn't really free and we get taxed to the hilt..but It's all worth the piece of mind you get...as far as her skill level is concerned she's been there 20 years,and does very well for herself,coverage for just her is not very much,it's just that when she adds me to it,it goes threw the roof...just shopped around a bit and have already managed to save $2000 bucks...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Yes I realize Free health care isn't really free and we get taxed to the hilt..but It's all worth the piece of mind you get...as far as her skill level is concerned she's been there 20 years,and does very well for herself,coverage for just her is not very much,it's just that when she adds me to it,it goes threw the roof...just shopped around a bit and have already managed to save $2000 bucks...

It's not really a matter of how long an employee has been with the company, but with how important that position is, and how easy it would be to replace them. In jobs that require a lot of skill or training, employers often have to compete for the available job candidates. In order to attract those candidates, they have to offer competitive compensation packages, which includes comprehensive medical insurance for the employee and their dependents. With a good compensation package, an employee would have to contribute nothing to the premiums for their own coverage, and a small amount for additional dependents. If an employee has to contribute anything for the premiums for their own coverage, and pay the lion's share for the premiums for their dependents, then the compensation package is not very good - probably an indication that there are more candidates than jobs for that particular position. That's when it's time to think about going back to school and improving your skill set. You don't want to be another rock in the gravel pile - you want to be a jewel.

Be careful when you're shopping for insurance. After the health reform bill passed a lot shady health insurance providers appeared claiming to offer excellent coverage for low rates. Many of these providers were banking on people's relative ignorance of the new law, and hoping to convince them that these bargain rates were made possible by the law. My business FAX was flooded with these offers in the weeks after the bill was signed. Don't fall for them. These companies don't pay claims. Whoever you choose, check their status with state's insurance commissioner's office before writing them a check.

[joevegas 67]

It's not really a matter of how long an employee has been with the company, but with how important that position is, and how easy it would be to replace them. In jobs that require a lot of skill or training, employers often have to compete for the available job candidates. In order to attract those candidates, they have to offer competitive compensation packages, which includes comprehensive medical insurance for the employee and their dependents. With a good compensation package, an employee would have to contribute nothing to the premiums for their own coverage, and a small amount for additional dependents. If an employee has to contribute anything for the premiums for their own coverage, and pay the lion's share for the premiums for their dependents, then the compensation package is not very good - probably an indication that there are more candidates than jobs for that particular position. That's when it's time to think about going back to school and improving your skill set. You don't want to be another rock in the gravel pile - you want to be a jewel.

Be careful when you're shopping for insurance. After the health reform bill passed a lot shady health insurance providers appeared claiming to offer excellent coverage for low rates. Many of these providers were banking on people's relative ignorance of the new law, and hoping to convince them that these bargain rates were made possible by the law. My business FAX was flooded with these offers in the weeks after the bill was signed. Don't fall for them. These companies don't pay claims. Whoever you choose, check their status with state's insurance commissioner's office before writing them a check.

[joevegas 67]

...yup I'll be careful,like I said It's a price to see these prices and the stipulations that go with everything after not having to worry about it for so long..Thanks..