How to buy medical insurance personally?

[Greg Utas]

Probably so, if you don't fall into the categories that I mentioned and don't work for a company that provides medical insurance as a benefit. When I lived in the US, I chose insurance with a fairly high deductible ($12K), but I don't know if that's still possible under this Obamacare nonsense.

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[Southmountain]

from google I find one hopeful link. Now I have very good ideas on when to retire.

diligent hands rule....

[Kaladin]

OriginalGriff wrote:

I really don't understand why Americans seem to think it's a good system, when the rest of the world takes care of the health needs of all citizens rather than just the richer ones.

I think most Americans agree, but the partisan divide is so great nobody can agree on a better one

[jeron1]

Service people no, salespeople yes.

"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst "I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle

[davecasdf]

"retiring" if you's old enough, there may be help. I'm on Medicare, I checked online for the supplement, $15 - $20 a month. ( No drugs, in good health. ) Then checked the Tri-County office on aging. They have people who can help and a good database. Result, I pay $0 ( Well gotta pay some for Medicare part B. ) for the "advantage plan". If you are old enough, ( or nearly, get on medicare 3 (?) months before that birthday ) look for something similar.

[agolddog]

I'll assume you're in USA#n for this. I was in the same situation last year, couldn't take the idiocy any longer. Caveat: not sure how this varies state-by-state, can only write of my experiences. Check and see if you're covered by COBRA, that might be a pretty good option. Allows you to continue your current coverage. Of course, you have to pick up the employer's contribution too. Next, see if your state has an exchange website. Supposing you're going to have a lot less income in 2022, the ACA provides for some pretty decent credits. I'd say the coverage isn't anything special, but should get your through for a decent-ish price. If going the exchange route, might talk with your county's Health & Human Services-type folks, and see if there are brokers for the exchange in your area. They know better how to navigate the muck & mire of the exchange, might be a little easier for you if you don't want to deal with that. Of course, we're just coming into the sign-up period, so those people might be hard to get time with. Good luck, I hope you find something acceptable. P.S. I kind of suspect Griff was right, even though I didn't get to read his OP.

[Mark Starr]

As with anything else: it depends… :) Looks like you’re in the US., so it’ll depend on what state you’re in, how much you have in assets, and how old you are. If you’re 65 you’ll need to apply for Medicare. If you have no assets and are under 65 you may be able to get Medicaid. When I retired, I was under 65 and had too much in retirement savings to qualify for Medicaid, so I had to go to the healthcare exchange for my state. If your state doesn’t have it’s own exchange, then you’ll need to go to the Federal site. In my case, if I had ‘some’ income (a low amount) the state would pay part of the premium. So I draw a minimal amount from my retirement account to show some income. Again, it all depends. Good luck. It’s complicated.

Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel

[jlongo]

Thanks to YOU getting f..ed by Obamacare, you only have three choices. Purchase grossly overpriced worthless coverage on the “exchanges”, buy whatever it is that “Christian Medishare” is, or take a corp job for a short time and use 18 month COBRA coverage-repeat. The individual market was sh..tty but usable in 2010, but was destroyed by Obamacare. I used to do what you are considering, thanks to Obamacare’s 24k premiums + $7500 deductible(in 2016)… I am now a corporate slave. I share this for anybody who believes the lie that Obamacare did anything for WORKING Americans. Good luck to you…

[OriginalGriff]

Be aware that that is probably over the line: read the message at the top of the page, and if I was you I'd remove that comment before someone more trigger happy than I decides it is trolling ... It's way further towards that than mine was, and some felt that was "trollish"! :-D

"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!

[Moo v This]

The exchanges are all ObamaCare. You will be bled dry. Start with Liberty Health Share and see if it is available in your state. Then do a search for "alternatives to Liberty Health Share". That should get you going. Agree on going overseas for non emergency care.

[Cpichols]

I don't have any on purpose. I find it far easier to maintain a high level of health and fitness, and any pop-up issues can be paid out of pocket for less than a month's premium. I wish I could get a health savings account without also buying a policy, but that was only a dream even before the ACA ruined everything. It's interesting to note that all medical procedures not generally covered by insurance (laser eye and plastic surgery) diminish in cost until they reach what the market will naturally bear, but when a third party pays costs soar because that market bears far higher price tags well in excess of actual cost or benefit.

[jlongo]

I am not “trolling”. I am simply stating my experience when “helped” by the government. I had a thriving business prior to 2008 since 1992. I published retail games and did consulting work. I raised a family buying my own insurance on the individual market. In 2010 Obamacare was rammed through using reconciliation. It destroyed the individual market. If you are poor, it is great. You pay little or nothing and get about the same. If you work and make money you get F…ed. No nice way to put it. Everyone here works and makes money or will or has. I hear about “saving Obamacare” as if it something good to do. It is EVIL and destructive and needed to die and would have if not for the RINO John McCain in 2017. I am bitter and angry because Obamacare was direct assault on MY finances. I closed my business in 2017 and am now a wage slave and will be until I retire or die.

[charlieg]

Ahem, I run my own business. I am taxed accordingly.

Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

[charlieg]

"affordable" - :laugh: Before my wife went back to work, I had to provide the family medical coverage. This goes back to pre-Obamacare, because I refuse to repeat the lie that it was affordable. I was with Kaiser, 4k deductible per person max of 3 (think car accident), co-pay another 4k per person max of 3 for a potential annual out of pocket expense of $24,000. This cost me $1800 per month. Passage of the abortion and lies of Obamacare - the monthly rate went up to $2500/month effectively pricing me out of the market. My wife's employer pays roughly $1k/month for a family plan with minimal deductibles of which we pay about $300 of it. Why the discrepancy? Obamacare fixed nothing. If you want a central system, *all* parties have to give up something - lawyers, doctors, hospitals, users, etc. This did not happen. In fact, everyone except the American people were protected. Doubt me? Congress exempted all federal employees including themselves from this mess.

Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

[charlieg]

yeah, but he's right. This is why the OP cannot find affordable insurance.

Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.