4 ms·

The last startup I did my cofounder did not have a job. (I still kept my job to help fund things). If I recall correctly he was able to get "oh shit, I have can

by SMrF 16y ago

The last startup I did my cofounder did not have a job. (I still kept my job to help fund things). If I recall correctly he was able to get "oh shit, I have cancer" insurance for somewhere around $100/month. I think his deductible was $5,000 or some nonsense. As a young guy I think this is a fairly reasonable amount of risk to take on. Although this would be basically impossible if you had some sort of preexisting condition. Unless you live in Europe or somewhere with universal healthcare.

nikster 16y ago
I want to know about this insurance - that's exactly what I need. I am not one to needlessly run to the hospital - in fact I avoid it as much as I can - but I would like insurance in case I have a bad accident and need surgery etc. The only plans I found were "free pills, and 10k max coverage" or something ridiculous like that. I need the opposite.
- joubert 16y ago
  Check out plans with hospital/catastrophe cover. Blue Cross, Aetna, etc. have such plans. Also check out http://www.healthcare.gov/index.html http://www.healthcare.gov/index.html
- tmarthal 16y ago
  I signed up for something similar (I haven't actually used it yet however) from http://ehealthinsurance.com http://ehealthinsurance.com The site domain sounds like a spam dump, but their signup system is nice. You pick your policy plan online and then a representative calls you to confirm and interview you before signing you up and sending you the policy packet. I was paying $198/month for my COBRA plan, but am now paying for $115/month for a high-deductible plan.
ido 16y ago
Unless you live in Europe or somewhere with universal healthcare. I.e. everywhere except the United States and 3rd world countries?
- ylem 16y ago
  Malaysia provides subsidized health care for it's citizens.
  - ido 16y ago
    OK, some third world countries.
chrisbennet 16y ago
The trouble with the "oh st I have cancer" insurance that only costs $100/mo with $5000 deductible is that it is for 6 mo at a time and then you get another policy for another 6 mo. When you try to collect on anything big, they recind the insurance retroactively (for some reason) or say it is a pre-existing condition. BTDT. Examples: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Health/story?id=7911195&page=1 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Health/story?id=7911195&p... http://law.freeadvice.com/insurance_law/insurers_bad_faith/fortis-assurant-health-insurance-bad-faith.htm http://law.freeadvice.com/insurance_law/insurers_bad_faith/f...
- tptacek 16y ago
  This is a tricky point. I don't think you're always right. There are two different factors† you're bringing up: high vs. low deductable insurance and short-term health insurance. High- vs. low- deductable isn't a charged issue. Only slightly oversimplified: For high-deductable plans, you end up paying for doctor visits and basic meds out of pocket; for low-deductable insurance, you're basically paying a higher monthly fee to treat your medical care like a utility bill, and paying only copays for services. Most people have low-deductable plans (most company plans are low-deductable). Especially if you're young, low-deductable plans are kind of a rip-off. You can cut your payments in half with a high-deductable plan and use the difference to fund an HSA and thus not pay a huge premium for a health insurer to manage your money for you. Short-term health insurance on the other hand is a bad idea. The reason you pay insurance is to manage the risk that something terrible will happen. Of the major medical events that can bankrupt you (in other words, "of the major medical events"), most can easily take several months to resolve. Not only does this expose you to huge fees when your insurance lapses and you (obviously) don't get re-insured, but you can also be assured of never getting private insurance again. Don't buy short-term health insurance. † Recission is an unrelated issue that affects all health insurance plans; no matter who you buy insurance from, if they can claim there was something you could have disclosed to them but didn't that would have allowed them to predict a medical event and no law prevents them from doing so, they will attempt to withdraw coverage.

by SMrF 16y ago

nikster 16y ago

I want to know about this insurance - that's exactly what I need. I am not one to needlessly run to the hospital - in fact I avoid it as much as I can - but I would like insurance in case I have a bad accident and need surgery etc. The only plans I found were "free pills, and 10k max coverage" or something ridiculous like that. I need the opposite.

joubert 16y ago
Check out plans with hospital/catastrophe cover. Blue Cross, Aetna, etc. have such plans. Also check out http://www.healthcare.gov/index.html http://www.healthcare.gov/index.html
tmarthal 16y ago
I signed up for something similar (I haven't actually used it yet however) from http://ehealthinsurance.com http://ehealthinsurance.com The site domain sounds like a spam dump, but their signup system is nice. You pick your policy plan online and then a representative calls you to confirm and interview you before signing you up and sending you the policy packet. I was paying $198/month for my COBRA plan, but am now paying for $115/month for a high-deductible plan.

ido 16y ago

Unless you live in Europe or somewhere with universal healthcare. I.e. everywhere except the United States and 3rd world countries?

ylem 16y ago
Malaysia provides subsidized health care for it's citizens.
- ido 16y ago
  OK, some third world countries.

chrisbennet 16y ago

The trouble with the "oh st I have cancer" insurance that only costs $100/mo with $5000 deductible is that it is for 6 mo at a time and then you get another policy for another 6 mo. When you try to collect on anything big, they recind the insurance retroactively (for some reason) or say it is a pre-existing condition. BTDT. Examples: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Health/story?id=7911195&page=1 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Health/story?id=7911195&p... http://law.freeadvice.com/insurance_law/insurers_bad_faith/fortis-assurant-health-insurance-bad-faith.htm http://law.freeadvice.com/insurance_law/insurers_bad_faith/f...

tptacek 16y ago
This is a tricky point. I don't think you're always right. There are two different factors† you're bringing up: high vs. low deductable insurance and short-term health insurance. High- vs. low- deductable isn't a charged issue. Only slightly oversimplified: For high-deductable plans, you end up paying for doctor visits and basic meds out of pocket; for low-deductable insurance, you're basically paying a higher monthly fee to treat your medical care like a utility bill, and paying only copays for services. Most people have low-deductable plans (most company plans are low-deductable). Especially if you're young, low-deductable plans are kind of a rip-off. You can cut your payments in half with a high-deductable plan and use the difference to fund an HSA and thus not pay a huge premium for a health insurer to manage your money for you. Short-term health insurance on the other hand is a bad idea. The reason you pay insurance is to manage the risk that something terrible will happen. Of the major medical events that can bankrupt you (in other words, "of the major medical events"), most can easily take several months to resolve. Not only does this expose you to huge fees when your insurance lapses and you (obviously) don't get re-insured, but you can also be assured of never getting private insurance again. Don't buy short-term health insurance. † Recission is an unrelated issue that affects all health insurance plans; no matter who you buy insurance from, if they can claim there was something you could have disclosed to them but didn't that would have allowed them to predict a medical event and no law prevents them from doing so, they will attempt to withdraw coverage.