I tried looking at old threads and didn’t really find anything, so I was wondering if anyone has experience with individual health insurance. Particularly those that are reputable, well-known companies.
My husband definitely doesn’t have anything major going on healthwise, but I’ve had some ear surgeries…right now, I’m keeping the ear infections under control, such that I doubt this would be considered a “pre-existing” condition. Other than that, I’m very healthy.
The rates for one of the well-known insurance companies seems reasonable to me, with a nice selection of deductibles and coverage rates. They allow you to review the policy for 30 days after starting. Luckily, I know a little about health insurance having been in the industry some time ago, so this should be helpful when reviewing the policy.
I guess I’m interested in hearing any stories about customer support, and “gotchas” that may not be immediately apparent.
My husband, Weirddave, sells health insurance to self-employed and to those who do not have insurance through work. If you like, you can email him (weirddave0 at hotmail dot com) and he’ll be able to set you up with a local agent. Note: He doesn’t get any sort of payment for referrals. He does it for the good of the client. Coverage (here, anyway) is generally around the same price as, but better in coverage than Blue Cross/Blue Sheild.
I’ve got a Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia individual policy called something like BlueChoice PPO. Works fine for me, I haven’t had any problems with them. They did raise my rate not too long ago, but considering rates are going up all over, it wasn’t that big a deal. I haven’t had any problems.
The only thing I would caution you about is being sure that you understand the definition of “pre-existing condition.” If you’ve had ear surgery in the past and continue to have ear infections, anything related to them may get tagged as pre-existing even if it’s been months or years since the last one. Having worked custoemr service for a couple of insurance companies I’d suggest calling the company directly with questions rather than relying on what the agent tells you. Agents have been known to, shall we say, creatively manipulate the truth to sell the policy only to be nowhere to be found when the customer has a problem later.
A slick insurance agent? Why, I am shocked at the very idea!
Personally, I guarantee all of my clients a call back the same day if they call me weather it’s 2 days or 2 years after they purchase the policy, but that’s just me.
As for pre-existing conditions, we cover you for them unless
A:) You lie on the application, or
b:) We specifically exclude them, a procedure that you have to physically sign off on, accepting the exclusion before the policy is issued.
Many companies aren’t so straightforward.
Email me if you have any questions, HOMS, I’ll be glad to answer them.
One possibility might be to join some professional or hobby organization or a union that offers group insurance to its members. One huge example is the AARP, but there are all kinds of affinity groups out there. Of course, policies, coverages, prices etc. vary a lot, but at least you’re not in the marketplace all by yourself.