Any suggestions for health insurance?

My wife is looking to quit her job, which currently subsidizes her health insurance. I pay for mine 100% out of pocket, which costs over $700/month. If she leaves her job, we are looking at close to $1,300/month, for insurance that has a very high deductible. I am 60, and she is 56. What are you folks doing? Anyone else self-employed and paying more reasonable rates?

you can get a cheaper policy that only covers major things like cancer, surgery, etc. Normally called catastrophic coverage

Yes, I’m 62 and self employed. My insurance covers absolutely nothing other than near death experiences. I do not “go to the doctor” like people in civilized countries.

I know the feeling, I’m 63 My insurance covers me at 80% up to 10K and 100% after. It works differently than standard insurance in that it bases its benefit on the standard regional cost of the procedure rather than the actual billing. You pay the provider on the spot with their debit card, they charge your portion to your credit card.
The one time I used the Insurance, for a sprained wrist - I actually found a provider that charged less than the average cost, so I ended up paying less than 20%. The bill was $199 and my co-pay ended up being $30

ETA: while not great, this was the best deal I found. The company is new, it’s called Sidecar Health if you want to check it out.

It’s expensive, about $550 a month but the coverage doesn’t sound so bad, right? But there a catch. It has a one year term and they don’t have to renew the policy at the end. So if I was diagnosed with something serious I probably wouldn’t be covered long enough to complete a course of treatment and I probably wouldn’t be able to get coverage for less than $1000 a month and that would be with a 10K deductible.

I made the calculation that one claim for a sprained wrist wouldn’t affect my ability to get a policy renewal. But my insurance is really for worst case emergencies only. Plus, its hard to afford the copays on top of the premiums

When I was shopping for policies, there was one company that would’ve sold me a 3 year policy - that would’ve carried me until I was 65. But it had a 10K deductible and was almost $800 a month.

So my current health care plan is to wait until I hit 65 to get healthcare and keep my fingers crossed for the next two years.

There’s a couple of things I’d really like to have looked at, like my bad knees. But that’ll have to wait two years,

My apologies for the hijack, but the next time someone in Canada complains about our personal tax rate I’m going to point them to this thread.

A Canadian with $0 deductible, $0 co-pay

Have you looked at the plans available on your state’s exchange? Leaving her job is a “life event” that allows her to seek coverage before the normal end-of-year enrollment period.

I never had to use it, but I got a Blue Cross plan that looked pretty reasonable for a few hundred a month here in Illinois.

Talk to the agent that handles your other insurance (car, house, life, etc.) They may not offer health insurance, but they know where to refer you to find the best plan for you and your family.

My god, why does any American even bother living past 50?