Grex Consumer Conference

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Grex Consumer Item 18: The Health Insurance Consumer Item
Entered by kentn on Sun Oct 2 00:57:10 UTC 1994:

This item was inspired by a response entered by del:
 
Thu, Sep 29, 1994 (13:25)
1:9 of 11) del: 
 Hello all!  I am a post-baccalaureate student in Dev. Psyc at UF
 and am having difficulty finding a reasonable health insurance policy
 (isn't that an oxymoron?).  Due to my job and student classification
 I am not eligible for ANY medical insurance through the university.
 My wife can't get any through her job either.  Can someone please
 recommend an independent company and a policy that won't rob me blind!
 Until I become a full-time student, or upgrade my job classification,
 I just want major medical.  All suggestions are welcome.
 
Finding health care when you are not part of a large organization
with a full medical plan, or if you work part-time, can be a real
hassle.  When I worked for a company that had no health plan, the
best I could come up with was to join a group policy put together
for people who weren't eligible for any other plan.  The group nature
of the policy kept the premiums lower than if I contracted as an
individual.  This was probably a dozen years ago or more, so I can't
say if such a plan exists today.  I found out about it by calling
several insurance agents until I hit on one who suggested the group
plan.  It was major-medical only, btw.
 
Anyway, let's use this item as a place to discuss health care insurance
needs, concerns, and advice, from a consumer's point of view.  For
example, finding and choosing the best plan.

6 responses total.

#1 of 6 by headdoc on Tue Oct 11 23:28:43 1994:

First of all, in some communities, if you join the Chamber of Commerce they
have access to group health insurance (designed for small entrepreneurs).
Next, look into professional organizations.  For example, i joined APA
while I was still agrad student and they had some connection to group
health insurance (the Mich. Psych Assn does also) and its available for
members.  There is a group in Naperville, Ill. called something like
"Consultant's Insurance" which offers advice on how an individual can get
group rates.  If anyon*really* wants the name and number, I'll take the time
to track it down.

#2 of 6 by popcorn on Wed Oct 12 13:27:40 1994:

This response has been erased.

#3 of 6 by kentn on Wed Oct 12 22:41:30 1994:

I didn't know that!  Interesting, and a lot of good ideas already...
As hard as  health insurance can be to locate sometimes, maybe we
aren't looking in the right places...  Any comparisons on costs and
benefits vis a vis association-based vs employer-based health ins.

#4 of 6 by pegasus on Wed Oct 19 15:28:34 1994:

The Yspi Chamber of commerce offers a better deal, or at least it used to.
The A2 chamber wants approx. $300 to join, and then Blue Cross/Blue
Shield charges about $300/month (I think that was for 2 single plans).

The Ypsi chamber charges about $100 to join, and has three different
plans you can join.  It's been too long, so I don't remember enough
of the details, I'm afraid.

        Pattie

#5 of 6 by roz on Tue Nov 1 12:02:04 1994:

We had independent insurance for quite some time through Golden Rule.
(Our good old 'independent insurance agent' was helpful with 
information.)  Golden Rule starts out reasonable and then hikes its
rates over time.  Not great, but good for the just-starting-out
insured.  Just at the time we got cheesed off at them, I got eligible
for insurance through the University of Michigan so we switched.

#6 of 6 by popcorn on Sun Jul 7 19:35:56 1996:

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