I hope this doesn’t duplicate previous post of mine,
but I hit the wrong button and lost it; I apologize.
My ins. is with Kirke Van-Orsdel. I just got notice
Dec. 11, that the premium will go up 30% by Jan 1.
The letter is dated December 1, 1998
That is for a single, no dependents, non-smoker, no
claims in the 4 years I’ve had the policy (started at
about 190/month);no claims on my previous policy for 15 years. I can increase the deductible…well,
I have to at this point or drop that insurance. My premium will be $390/month.
So if someone has the NASE info, please post.
Also, thanks to Raelynn. I’ll have to check out the
benefits of incorporating for this very reason.
I worked as a temporary worker for several years. One of the positions I held had me reviewing and approving bills for payment. Funny thing about health insurance: it’s overrated. People work strange jobs they hate because they “need the benefits”.
Several friends even to this day look at me strange when I suggest they quit that “permanent” job and get a temporary job doing exactly the same thing but paying $3-7 more per hour. But what I learned when approving corporate bills for payment was, when you took what the company paid for health benefits and
divided it by 4 weeks in a month, divided that number by 40 hours, you usually got between $1-2.50 per hour. So my thinking is this: get the higher paying job,
call Kaiser Permanente or some other HMO (Blue Cross, etc.) and find out what it takes to get their individual insurance (they call it different things) and pay for your OWN health insurance (and have more $$$ left!).
And another thing that’s “funny” about a “permanent” job: I’ve seen temps end up being the last one to be let go in some instances. That permanent job may not
be so permanent. But at least as a temp you know it in advance and can plan and prepare for it. Often I slept better knowing that another job was simply a phone call away, whereas a lot of times people working “permanent” are so shell-shocked when they get downsized that it can take them weeks just to recover from the shock before they started to look for employment.
Another consideration for benefits: incorporate. If you were an employee of your company and the company sought health insurance for all of its employees, there is often no “pre-existing condition” clause or physical exam requirement.
In my husband’s situation, companies that have tried to hire him and get him to leave his temp agency have often started out offering him $2-3 less per hour,
saying “but you have benefits”. And then when he starts asking questions about the benefits, he learns that the company giving the benefits often deducts anywhere from $150-400 per month from the employee’s paycheck for those benefits, AFTER having taken a reduction in wages AND requiring co-payments from the employee every time he sees the doctor! So I say again, BENEFITS ARE HIGHLY OVERRATED!
I don’t in any way mean to trivialize your personal situation. It’s just that often people don’t realize just how much they give up in order to have benefits.
I get great health benefits from NAPP (National Association of Preferred Providers) for $30 a month and it covers myself, my daughter and when I get married, my wife. I even have legal benefits. I have been a temp for 6 years and worked for some fantastic companies. I always move after 7 months(usually when they offer the position for less money and great benefits, HA!) on my own account to get more money. It pays more than a regular job and I really make my own hours one week in advance. No boring interviews and if I’m not happy I call my agency and they place me somewhere new.
Posted by Russ Sims on December 09, 1998 at 17:36:20:
Amen. I found a great place to get very reasonable benefits on my own. Join the Nat. Assoc. of the Self Employed (NASE). A great orginization and with thousands of memebers, they get great group rates. I’m currently getting health and dental for around $125 a month, and that includes the association membership fee. It’s worth the peace of mind…
Russ Sims
I have had insurance from my primary profession, but it
is tied to national dues of $350/year, (not to an employer) but it’s still getting to be annoying. The ins. has doubled in 4 years
and the dues can go up whenever.
I have to retire due to disability, but no disabilty
insurance, and I’m not disabled, just for that particular job.
My health ins is $300/month.
So, I like others are looking for other solutions.
After I posted, I received notice from Kirke-Van-Orsdel that my now $301.cc
per month will be increased by 30% as of Jan.1, 1999.
I have had no claims.
I can increase my deductible. I haven’t called about that yet.
Increase would bring it to $390/month, for a single
person, self employed, no dependents, no claims,
non-smoker, no major disease, although, believe me as time goes by, I am less holy.
Any ideas? I guess I’ll contact NASE or anything else.
Did someone have the NASE info?
Thanks also to Raelynn, I’ll review that corporation information. I need to get serious. This ins was about
$190 /month 4 yrs ago, no claims.
Oh, plus, the dues for the professional organization
APTA that I got the ins through is $380/yr, and this
was not a good time for that either. I didn’t renew the dues…Ha Ha, now I’m glad, because I may not keep
the insurance.
Posted by JohnBoy on December 10, 1998 at 14:02:26:
I had N.A.S.E over 7 years ago. They lure you in by offering a good rate to get you to buy insurance with them and tell you the only way your rates could ever increase was if the rates of your entire region had a rate increase. No one person can ever be singled out because they needed to use the insurance regardless of costs. The only problem was they raised the monthly premium for a family of 5 from $300 per month to $750 per month after the first year. And that was without ever having them pay a claim.
I only had tried filing a claim one time when we had to take make daughter into the emergency room once. She had a rash that broke out all over her body one weekend. Turned out it was an allergic reaction to some new laundry detergent my wife used. At any rate we submitted the bill to N.A.S.E to get paid back for the emergency room and they denied the claim. Said it wasn’t considered an emergency. Yeah right! You gotta 8 year old child on Sunday when all doctors offices are closed while her entire body is covered in a rash that needed medical attention, but they said that wasn’t an emegency. After 10 months of $300 per month and one lousy claim for $260 that they wouldn’t pay it, they tried raising the monthly premium to $750 from $300 after 12 months of coverage.
They also had some line about how you can get back all your premiums after so many years minus any amount they paid out on claims with you. I think that was just another scam to lure you in and sell you health insurance since they already know you won’t ever last that long because they will be more than doubling your premimums after the first year. They appear to be another hit and run type company in my opinion that makes their money by cutting their risks knowing they will collect on most people the first year without as many claims being filed and then getting you to cancel your insurance by raising your premium 250% after 12 months of coverage.
That was over seven years ago, so maybe they have changed the way they do business since then. I hope your luck with them is better should you ever need to use your coverage and after you’ve been with them awhile.
Posted by Russ Sims on December 10, 1998 at 16:03:35:
JohnBoy, That was a lousy experience (that you had with NASE)!I can only say that in 3 years my rate has gone up by $5 a month. They have paid, without protest, about 6 claims.Sounds like they have cleaned up their act, at least from my perspective.
Thanks for posting that!
I just posted that my ins rate is $300/month self
employed and that is for ONE person.
This thread may not be right on target, but I do appreciate it because I was looking for another “group”
besides my profession.
I was thinking of posting to ask if there was a reasonable large-grooup rate for realtors.
My dental through home business assn. is $68 quarterly, but only pays $1,000/year.
I had a whalloping year.
Thanks to raelynn and all. Yes bennies are not all they
are cracked up to be, but you can also fight your
ins co.–like in the media.
If your child had a rash, -no it’s possibly not an emergency,
but you have no way of knowing if it is going to
become an emergency, like a severe allergic reaction leading to
anaphlactic (sp?) shock, and death, so appeal the decision.
Also, at some point your company is going to downsize you and pretend it’s your fault, not their mismanagement.
For now, I am unable to work at my profession,
But, thanks to creative
real estate, I can make a better living AND lifestyle than in my previous profesion.