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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1064
 
Location: Idaho | Spiked-Kat - 2015-02-09 6:42 PM
 Asking because I don't know, no ill intent.. Are you all self employed , and that's why you don't have issurance? We kind of have a running joke here that for every good ranches there's a wife that works in town... True in my family in large part to having health insurance .. Not to hijack thread.. Just curious.Â
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My husband is self-employed and I manage a dairy. By law if you employe over 50 people you have to offer health insurance and we just let some people go to be below that. We now employe 48 people :/ |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1064
Location: Idaho | And don't even get me rolling on the self-employed deal...WHAT A JOKE! The government wants you to make just enough to pay them and if you have your own busines then you can afford to pay taxes like the big dogs. Don't get me wrong I want to what's right and pay my far share, but it is going to try and drowned me. |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
  
Location: Missouri | Spiked-Kat - 2015-02-09 6:42 PM Asking because I don't know, no ill intent.. Are you all self employed , and that's why you don't have issurance? We kind of have a running joke here that for every good ranches there's a wife that works in town... True in my family in large part to having health insurance .. Not to hijack thread.. Just curious.
Yes, self-employed. We do have insurance, but we self-pay.
Another down side to those in this situation is that when there is a major sickness, it is harder to get care. When I tried to get my dad, who also self-pays for his insurance, into a cancer treatment hospital, one of the first questions they asked was "how does he plan to pay his insurance premium while in treatment?"
Really, unless you're independently wealthy, you need disability insurance as well as an income protection plan. But, you just about have to be wealthy to afford all the insurance. 
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| This thread just makes me madder, the more I read it. IF I was self-employed, there would be NO way I would sign up for Obama-Care - it is too ****ed expensive! When I was self-employed, years ago, I got insurance through Farm Bureau, it was Blue Cross/Blue Shield and pretty affordable - of course, I was a LOT younger too. Some of you might look into it and see if they still have it. It just blows my mind that the government is really taking OVER people's lives in this manner - makes me SICK. |
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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | I resigned from my job the end of November. I chose to do the Temp. Continuation of Coverage of my Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield policy because it's a really good policy and I can keep it for up to 18 more months. Ready for the scary part? It's $1460 a month (for 2 people). The deductible is $350 per person though, which we would pay a whole lot for on any plan that I could find anyhow.
Really am curious what the best deals are since we will be changing next year this time.
ETA - my husband works for a ranch that does not offer health insurance and I am now self employed.
Edited by ruggedchica 2015-02-10 8:50 PM
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Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | And yes, they are doing the penalties for not having health insurance. One of the ranchhands here wound up paying a $500 penalty when he filed his 2014 taxes. |
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I can't offer any advice to the OP. But I read the entire thread because since this whole obamacare thing started it has intrigued me.
I am baffled at how you guys afford 600 or more a month? I know it's important to have insurance especially if you have children. Maybe the average family makes more then my husband and I. But it's alarming how much it is costing everybody.
I will have to admit we are truly fortunate that hubby is active duty. At the moment I voluntarily pay a very small copay for prescriptions because I opt to use an off base pharmacy. Other then that we pay nearly nothing for our healthcare. Everything is covered. I think hubby pays 30 dollars a month for me to be covered. I always tell people while his salary sucks big time (he only makes 36k a year after 15 years of service and working around the clock), that the insurance benefits we receive make it all worth it. Not everybody is that lucky :(:( Now when he retires we will pay more, but still not nearly as much as most (hopefully, though that could change as well) |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| missroselee - 2015-02-10 9:01 PM
I can't offer any advice to the OP. But I read the entire thread because since this whole obamacare thing started it has intrigued me.
I am baffled at how you guys afford 600 or more a month? I know it's important to have insurance especially if you have children. Maybe the average family makes more then my husband and I. But it's alarming how much it is costing everybody.
I will have to admit we are truly fortunate that hubby is active duty. At the moment I voluntarily pay a very small copay for prescriptions because I opt to use an off base pharmacy. Other then that we pay nearly nothing for our healthcare. Everything is covered. I think hubby pays 30 dollars a month for me to be covered. I always tell people while his salary sucks big time (he only makes 36k a year after 15 years of service and working around the clock), that the insurance benefits we receive make it all worth it. Not everybody is that lucky :(:( Now when he retires we will pay more, but still not nearly as much as most (hopefully, though that could change as well)
I'm am incredibly fortunate to be covered by my employer and pay $50/mo with a $1000 deductible and another $1800 paid at 80/20 (20% me).
I feel so much more incredibly fortunate when I read stuff like this about how screwed up Obamacare is. I know that non-employer covered healthcare has never been as affordable as mine for most, but Jesus some of these numbers are more than my mortgage - and I got a nice house!
All I can offer up is prayers and hope that we can get this country straightened out. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | My tax program asks if taxpayer has insurance, and if it's thru "regular" insurance or the marketplace. Depending on the answer I may have to fill out other worksheets, but no documentation is required with the return. After this year there will either be major audits to verify/prove the insurance, or there will be a major overhaul of this wonderful government program. Please hear the sarcasm. More work for me but I feel it's unfair to charge my customers more this year; it's not their fault. . . |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | NTO you said it all in a nutshell |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1064
Location: Idaho | Honesty I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on a plan. I can't decide how much money I want to throw away each month. Does any one know if you can still get insurance outside of the market place after the 15th? |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | They say open enrollment ends the 15th but not real sure what that means |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| ruggedchica - 2015-02-10 8:51 PM
And yes, they are doing the penalties for not having health insurance. Â One of the ranchhands here wound up paying a $500 penalty when he filed his 2014 taxes.Â
If I was in that spot, (and thank God, I'm not). I'd pay the fee - WAY, WAY cheaper than the insurance! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
| We are just switching to priority health insurance 3 of us for $355.00 monthly. $600.00 deductible and a $3400.00 per person total payout. We are saving around $225.00 and better coverage with this insurance.. We weren't going to switch but I found out that I had a $12,500.00 total payout and we are going to be using it this year... This was through blue cross. If u can find a good honest insurance person and go through the market place to find what coverage would fit your needs. Open enrollment begins again in November |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | My Mother is a teacher at a private school and was quoted 900/month for her and my two youngest sibling's... That's the cheapest she has found... And it only covers emergencies and "big" things like broken bones and ER visits.
I have health Insurance through United Health with my job. It's 100/Month but my deductible is 2500.... So I opt to just pay the 75 Clinic fee if I ever have to go get antibiotics or anything like that instead of pay the deductible for it to then be 65 a visit....
My Dad has insurance through his company that includes dental and to add my Mom and sibling's it would be an extra 1200/month....
OR she can just pay a ONE TIME fee of 1,000 dollars when she files her taxes... She has been saving money back each check in order to pay the fee. Makes no sense to me... Sure, I have health insurance... No I can't even afford to use it. So what's the point in me having insurance?? And what's the point in fining people who couldn't afford health insurance in the first place and who still can't? Fining people isn't going to make them want health insurance. They will pay the fee and continue to not be able to afford insurance. It's a big mess... |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| How come some people have to prove they have insurance and others don't? If you said you did have it and didn't, would you not have to pay a fee unless you were audited? |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I found when I was insurance shopping for me, as my husband was already on Medicare. The premiums for different companies were all within a difference of $10.00 when comparing apples to apples. For a person looking for just isurance for themselves, the premiums seemed to be based off of your age.
I always worried about going on Medicare when I was younger. I can say after getting screwed over with Obamacare and paying ridiculous premiums. I was relieved to go onto Medicare. I never thought I would see that day. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Nevertooold - 2015-02-11 11:19 AM
I found when I was insurance shopping for me, as my husband was already on Medicare. The premiums for different companies were all within a difference of $10.00 when comparing apples to apples. For a person looking for just isurance for themselves, the premiums seemed to be based off of your age.
I always worried about going on Medicare when I was younger. I can say after getting screwed over with Obamacare and paying ridiculous premiums. I was relieved to go onto Medicare. I never thought I would see that day.
The gal I buy hay from said the same thing! She said she never thought she would be so thrilled to turn 65! |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Red Raider - 2015-02-09 1:43 PM
As a self-employed business owner, I was totally screwed on looking for cheaper insurance for just me. What saved my hide somewhat was being able to buy through a pool organized by the State Bar for us solo-practioner attorneys. I pay about $333 per month and think my deductible is $7500 with BCBS of Texas. You might want to check through AQHA or other organizations (like AAA) to see if you qualify for cheaper insurance as part of a bigger pool of people. Â
I didn't read every post here, but I don't have to. I think what Red Raider has is a good example of what most people should have. If the vast majority of Americans had this kind of insurance, without government meddling, we would see a drastic decline in healthcare costs. Basically, the first $7500 of what she pays for healthcare each year comes out of her pocket. Insurance doesn't have anything to do with it. What she has is basically catastrophic health insurance. When people have to pay for anything out of pocket, they shop around.....unless they are stupid. They are quick to learn where you get the best quality for the lowest price. Also, they tend to think twice before running to the ER for a stubbed toe, or the doctors office for a cold. That's what happens now. The system is overwhelmed by people who don't stop to think, so long as they are "covered". There are days when I might see say 25 people in the clinic, and only about 10 of them really need to be there. Another thing I notice is people actually complaining that they can't afford say $500-600 a month for health insurance. A lot of those same people don't think twice about paying $800 a month for a new pickup every 5 years. We have some pretty screwed up priorities in America, in my opinion.
There is only one possible way that we can preserve good health care that we can afford. It's so logical it isn't even funny. It's simple, fair, and is the only solution that has the potential of preserving excellence. All the rest is just bullsh!t. |
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | runningk - 2015-02-09 5:19 PM I will have to pay the fine this year since I didn't have any by Feb. 15.
As of March 1, I have signed up with the Christian Healthcare Ministries. It's set up as a coop.
I pay 100.00 per quarter and 50.00 per month. Then if I go to the Dr or hospital, the bills are sent
to them; they pay accordingly and I keep paying my 50.00 per month.
It was the only thing I could find that I could afford. The main win/win. I had to quit smoking before
I could join. Go me!
I had to research this further - had never heard of it. I saw that it was on the Mike Huckabee show and watched that clip and read a few parts of their website.
Extremely interesting the way this works - I am going to keep researching - thank you for mentioning it!!!
Right now pay Assurant $366 for castrophe for my husand and I - 38/40 years - we rarely ever do doctor's visits - on no meds at all --- he's 6' 2" 240 and has to pay $60+ extra because they say he's overweight - grrrrrr.
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