Hello, are you posting in the correct thread? The purpose of this thread is to ask for recommendations of health insurance plans for someone in my situation. An appropriate topic for IMHO, and inappropriate topic for the Pit. I guess you are objecting to the brief commentary I inserted, but I thought it was so uncontroversial that it would not distract from a discussion of insurance plans. I thought it was a well accepted fact that unemployed people in the United States have a hard time finding affordable health insurance. This thread attests to that fact. Or are you accusing me of pretending to be looking for health insurance in order to make a point about health care in the U.S.?
A huge component of the AM Best rating is longevity of policies, and the financial strength of the company, also it dosen’t destinguish between different types of policies that a company issues. A company can have an excellent AM Best rating if it does the majority of it’s business with life policies ( that have a low attrition rate ) and is financially well managed, even if it’s health offerings are crap.
Chula, when I temped, a few years ago, their policy was that once you worked 1000 hours for them, you got health insurance. I left before my 1000 hours so I don’t really know what the insurance covered, but you should check out the temp agencies and see if they have something similar.
you need some kind of medical insurance. if you imagine you can wait until you get really sick or hurt, you need to understand that a preexisting condition almost certainly won’t be covered (i know there are some exceptions sometimes; good luck). and you just don’t know when you will get hit by a cab, or when your appendix will blow, let alone when something like cancer will sneak into your life.
there are many professional organizations that individuals can join whose primary benefit is the right to buy relatively low-cost group health insurance. what kind of work are you trained to do? what kind of hobbies do you have? is there a union you could join? in my area (not new york) there is an arts organization where membership is open to all “artists.” they are not real particular about defining “artist,” and members are able to to buy group insurance (i’ve heard it’s not great, but it’s much better than nothing). there must be similar organizations in new york.
Your local Chamber of Commerce or SBA may be able to direct you to a low cost group plan and the steps to take, like getting a business license, to get one. In most cases the larger the group, the lower the risk, the lower the premium.
IMO you will never get a deal on your own.
If your concern is due to age discrimination, you’re up a creek. If you’re under 50 and in fairly good shape, I suggest a catestrophic/high deductible policy to get you through until you can find a job with benefits.
chula, I sympathize. I’m looking for a new job now, and the lack of health benefits at my current job is a big reason why. In the mean time, check out what Blue Cross/Blue Shield has to offer. I buy my insurance through them. It runs about $100/month with a $1000 deductible. (Of course, this is in North Carolina, so YMMV.) It’s not great, but it’s better than nothing.
Could you list some of these organizations? The reason I ask is because what you describe is illegal, and these faux “organizations” which are just fronts for crappy insurance plans should be reported and shut down, not the least because they harm real professional organizations ( like the NASE ) in their efforts to provide afordable quality health insurance for self employeed people and small businesses.
i am not aware of any illegal “fronts” and i certainly wouldn’t suggest dealing with them. i am speaking of legitimate, non-profit membership organizations who negotiate better deals with reputable insurance companies for their members as a group than the members can negotiate on their own. one of the biggest and best known is the aarp. (it’s certainly fair to debate whether that’s the “primary” reason someone joins such a group, if that’s what you’re focusing on.) groups as prestigious as the american bar association and american medical assocation do the same for their members. actors equity offers benefits to its members. almost anyone with any professional education or skill can find some such organization. whether that’s the best route for any particular person depends on their particular circumstances. if you know about illegal fronts i hope you will let us know how to identify and avoid them.
http://www.abanet.org/advantage/abainsurance/home.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/11999.html
http://www.actorsequity.org/Services/elf.html
I got excited for a minute because I am a lawyer so I thought I might qualify for someone good if I joined the ABA. Turns out I just got directed to the same site that Wesley Clark linked.
Here in Michigan, you can get insurance through the state bar. It’s not great, and it’s not cheap. But you can get it.
Reader99,
You actually put your finger on it in your first post on the subject. Organizations formed primarily or solely to provide health insurance without complying with existing laws are the problem. Legitimate non proffits that have other purposes besides insurance ( health insurance is only a part of what they offer, not their only reason for being ), like the American Bar Association, the American Medical Assocation, the AARP or the National Association for the Self Employeed are fine.