Done with research and reading,,,,,,,
Our decision has been made, an Entegra it is. Most likely an Anthem DEQ. But here's where we stand. 1.We plan on being part of the class of 2015 for fulltimers, this is Nonnegotiable 2.We need to...
Forum Discussion
Having just gone full-time in January and being under the age of Medicare, I have researched all the insurance options.
If you will have an annual income over 400% of poverty level, you do not have to buy insurance through the exchanges.
If you don't know what your income will be and it will be close to the line, it is safer to not take the subsidy and get the tax break at the end of the year. This is what we did.
The cheapest states I have found for a silver plan with a max out of pocket of $5500 are: Oregon, Tennessee, and Maryland. I did not research all 50 states, but checked at least 20 of them (ehealthinsurance.com is a good place to start).
If you will be actually traveling around rather than just sitting in one or two locations, you really need a national network (PPO) rather than a local or regional network (HMO). But note, not all are created equal. The best we found with the largest network was Blue Cross Blue Shield and its various state incarnations.
We are pretty healthy people in spite of pre-existing conditions. We have to visit doctors twice per year for blood tests but otherwise, we hardly visit the doctor. So, most important to us was max out of pocket. The sum total of premiums and max out of pocket (in network) for our plans is less than $9000 each per year.
If you visit a doctor often, you might consider a higher premium plan with a lower deductible and a better co-pay up to max out of pocket. The ones I found would cost me $12000 per year if I reached max out of pocket so we went with the lower max out of pocket limit.
For us, the best plan I found at the best price was in Tennessee. For a premium of $3250 per year, it has a deductible of $3000 and a max out of pocket of $3000. Total maximum outlay per year would be around $6250. But, I am not yet a resident of Tennessee.
Prices vary within states from county to county. Ten miles away from my 'current address,' my exact same insurance goes up $20 per month. The insurance rates are based on access to care and the competition in the market. Oh, and state regulations of markets in the case of Maryland and a couple of other states.
We looked hard at South Dakota. We so wanted to be residents of South Dakota. But, it is very difficult to find National Network plans and, at the prices being charged, it is actually cheaper to continue to pay state and local tax here than it is to buy health insurance there.
In the latest Escapees magazine, they mention they might open a mail forwarding location in Tennessee. If they do, we will probably be the first to sign up.
Florida, in various counties, was an average of $1400 more per year as was Livingston, TX. The coverage was less than what we have now. Nevada was $2000 more per year.
I am still researching how I might keep Maryland health insurance while having a residence in another state. The insurance company only requires my mailing address but I'm not sure how it will work with taxes.
Good luck! There is a lot to consider when shopping for medical insurance - how much you need, how much you pay, what you can afford; it has added an entirely new twist to full-timing and residency. I'm not sure anyone will know all the implications until October rolls around and the new pricing becomes available.
If you will have an annual income over 400% of poverty level, you do not have to buy insurance through the exchanges.
If you don't know what your income will be and it will be close to the line, it is safer to not take the subsidy and get the tax break at the end of the year. This is what we did.
The cheapest states I have found for a silver plan with a max out of pocket of $5500 are: Oregon, Tennessee, and Maryland. I did not research all 50 states, but checked at least 20 of them (ehealthinsurance.com is a good place to start).
If you will be actually traveling around rather than just sitting in one or two locations, you really need a national network (PPO) rather than a local or regional network (HMO). But note, not all are created equal. The best we found with the largest network was Blue Cross Blue Shield and its various state incarnations.
We are pretty healthy people in spite of pre-existing conditions. We have to visit doctors twice per year for blood tests but otherwise, we hardly visit the doctor. So, most important to us was max out of pocket. The sum total of premiums and max out of pocket (in network) for our plans is less than $9000 each per year.
If you visit a doctor often, you might consider a higher premium plan with a lower deductible and a better co-pay up to max out of pocket. The ones I found would cost me $12000 per year if I reached max out of pocket so we went with the lower max out of pocket limit.
For us, the best plan I found at the best price was in Tennessee. For a premium of $3250 per year, it has a deductible of $3000 and a max out of pocket of $3000. Total maximum outlay per year would be around $6250. But, I am not yet a resident of Tennessee.
Prices vary within states from county to county. Ten miles away from my 'current address,' my exact same insurance goes up $20 per month. The insurance rates are based on access to care and the competition in the market. Oh, and state regulations of markets in the case of Maryland and a couple of other states.
We looked hard at South Dakota. We so wanted to be residents of South Dakota. But, it is very difficult to find National Network plans and, at the prices being charged, it is actually cheaper to continue to pay state and local tax here than it is to buy health insurance there.
In the latest Escapees magazine, they mention they might open a mail forwarding location in Tennessee. If they do, we will probably be the first to sign up.
Florida, in various counties, was an average of $1400 more per year as was Livingston, TX. The coverage was less than what we have now. Nevada was $2000 more per year.
I am still researching how I might keep Maryland health insurance while having a residence in another state. The insurance company only requires my mailing address but I'm not sure how it will work with taxes.
Good luck! There is a lot to consider when shopping for medical insurance - how much you need, how much you pay, what you can afford; it has added an entirely new twist to full-timing and residency. I'm not sure anyone will know all the implications until October rolls around and the new pricing becomes available.
