# Thinking of Enrolling in a "Cadillac" Health Plan for One Year
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 9, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031 "2015-10-09T14:19:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MorrisCody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorrisCody)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/1 "2015-10-09T14:19:21Z")
I’ve got a couple of relatively minor heath issues that don’t really interfere with my life nor require immediate attention, so I haven’t seen a doctor about them since my current insurance sucks. I’m thinking of enrolling in an expensive, low-deductible health plan and getting everything taken care of in one year before reverting back to my current plan. Are there drawbacks to this idea that I’m not considering?
---
### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/2 "2015-10-09T14:28:27Z")
IDK, it does sound like a decent idea, one that will hopefully motivate you to get things checked out, since you will be paying for them in the higher premiums. Also covers your ass if something is found to need attention.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/3 "2015-10-09T14:33:58Z")
When you say, “your current insurance sucks,” what do you mean? Is it an HSA + HDHP plan? Just a PPO or HMO with a high copay?
---
### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/4 "2015-10-09T14:38:51Z")
FYI, I reported the thread so it can be moved to IMHO. But I think if the health issues are minor as you said, it might be cheaper to enroll in a cheaper, non-Cadillac plan (say a Chevrolet plan) and pay out of pocket for co-payments and so forth. The Cadillac plan is probably going to cost more overall. (After all, you might just need to see the doctor a couple of times over the year.)
---
### Author:  [@MorrisCody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorrisCody)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/5 "2015-10-09T14:42:32Z")
My current plan is an HMO with a high-ish copay and very high deductible. My hip has been bothering me in a way that’s similar to how my shoulder felt before arthroscopic surgery. The out-of -pocket costs for that operation were considerable and unpredictable. I really don’t want to have to worry about surprise bill for services I thought were covered from providers I wasn’t told were going to be involved.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/6 "2015-10-09T14:44:09Z")
Even a Rolls-Royce plan doesn’t guarantee that you won’t receive surprise bills or have uncovered services.
---
### Author:  [@MorrisCody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorrisCody)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/7 "2015-10-09T14:45:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> FYI, I reported the thread so it can be moved to IMHO. But I think if the health issues are minor as you said, it might be cheaper to enroll in a cheaper, non-Cadillac plan (say a Chevrolet plan) and pay out of pocket for co-payments and so forth. The Cadillac plan is probably going to cost more overall. (After all, you might just need to see the doctor a couple of times over the year.)
My heath issues are minor in that they aren’t life threatening and don’t really interfere with my day-to-day life, but treating them may be expensive.
---
### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/8 "2015-10-09T14:48:19Z")
As an aside, what does GM think about these plans using the Cadillac name? It smacks of trademark infringment.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/9 "2015-10-09T14:49:32Z")
It’s a generic term. No insurer actually refers to their own offerings as Cadillac plans.
---
### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/10 "2015-10-09T14:57:45Z")
> [@boffking](#):
>
> As an aside, what does GM think about these plans using the Cadillac name? It smacks of trademark infringment.
If anything, the use of the name Cadillac in this manner strengthens its value as a luxury brand.
---
### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/11 "2015-10-09T15:22:45Z")
**Moderator Action**
Since this involves health issues and ultimately involves opinions and advice, it belongs in IMHO.
Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion.
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/12 "2015-10-09T15:23:01Z")
Do note that plans can have restrictions on how long you need to have the plan before some services are covered.
I got a filling about 4 months after my new dental plan and it wasn’t covered. The dentist’s admin was nice enough to call the insurance and figure out what’s up. She found out that I had to wait 6 months to be eligible for a filling and 1 year for more complicated stuff.
So, you might want to plan on holding the insurance for at least 2 years. And not getting anything major done (beyond doctor visits and scripts) until after a year. You need to get the absolute specifics.
---
### Author:  [@MorrisCody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorrisCody)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/13 "2015-10-09T15:41:49Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> Do note that plans can have restrictions on how long you need to have the plan before some services are covered.
>
> I got a filling about 4 months after my new dental plan and it wasn’t covered. The dentist’s admin was nice enough to call the insurance and figure out what’s up. She found out that I had to wait 6 months to be eligible for a filling and 1 year for more complicated stuff.
>
> So, you might want to plan on holding the insurance for at least 2 years. And not getting anything major done (beyond doctor visits and scripts) until after a year. You need to get the absolute specifics.
Thank you. This it the type of information that I’m most interested in knowing.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/14 "2015-10-09T15:54:40Z")
Preexisting condition exclusions and exclusion periods are now prohibited for health insurance plans under the ACA, so you don’t need to worry about that (as long as you are insured now).
---
### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/15 "2015-10-09T17:11:20Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> Do note that plans can have restrictions on how long you need to have the plan before some services are covered.
Not since Obamacare became the law of the land.
[With the new health care reform, insurance companies are now banned from imposing preexisting condition exclusions on individuals, starting in January of 2014.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/health-care-reform-bans-discrimination-against-those-with-pre-existing-illnesses.html)
Even before Obamacare, Continuous Coverage guidelines under HIPAA (1996) said that if a member was covered by insurance and did not have a lapse in coverage \> 63 days, “preexisting” conditions could not be excluded from coverage.
---
### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-enrolling-in-a-cadillac-health-plan-for-one-year/734031/16 "2015-10-09T17:17:04Z")
Dang.
Wooshed by **Really Not All That Bright**! (Great user name/woosh combo, BTW :D)