EddieG
Dryer sheet aficionado
Hi all,
The wife and I are checking into health insurance for post ER. Before we even start getting quotes, I just wanted to tap the vast knowledge on this forum and perhaps save myself a lot of time and headaches and money.
We are residents of Wisconsin, but we are open to establishing residency in another state if that could help cut costs. We've been looking at southern states for the winters. Arizona, Florida, etc. But we would want to maintain at least a condo or apartment in WI for a good portion of the year. I'm 42, and I have some pre-existing conditions that may effect insurance rates. Family history of heart disease, current hbp, weight, etc. I have a couple expensive prescriptions per month. The wife is 50 something and has no health issues except [SIZE=-1]pre-osteoporosis for which she takes one med.[/SIZE]
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We are probably taking her cobra starting a few weeks from now, which will be $707/month for the two of us together. I know we can keep that for 18 months, and then we would be on our own to find private insurance. Here's my questions:
1) Should we take the cobra for sure, or is it possible to do better in the private sector right away?
2) If we do take the cobra, what would we expect to pay on the private market once cobra expires? Any specific rates for people like us which any of you are paying would be appreciated. I'm hearing from some people the way to go is with a large deductible like $5,000. Does this sound correct or not?
3) Are there any states which are better than others when determining premiums? If so, any general rule as to what we would need to do to be considered residents of the chosen state? Is it just a majority of the year, like 51%, or is it more, like 75%?, or are they all different.
4) I've checked into the HIRSP wisconsin hipaa program, so I know that is an option if I maintain primary residency in WI, but does anyone know if there are states which have superior hipaa type programs?
5) Any thoughts on applying as a married couple, or is it better to do individually? Is it even possible to do as a couple?
6) Are there health insurance purchasing "agents" or something like that who can guide people in their search for health insurance? I don't mean insurance agents. I mean someone who works for the client seeking health insurance.
Any links or advice would be appreciated. I've done some checking on my own, but I thought you all might be able to save me some research time because you probably get these types of questions occasionally.
Have a good one,
Eddie
[/SIZE]
The wife and I are checking into health insurance for post ER. Before we even start getting quotes, I just wanted to tap the vast knowledge on this forum and perhaps save myself a lot of time and headaches and money.
We are residents of Wisconsin, but we are open to establishing residency in another state if that could help cut costs. We've been looking at southern states for the winters. Arizona, Florida, etc. But we would want to maintain at least a condo or apartment in WI for a good portion of the year. I'm 42, and I have some pre-existing conditions that may effect insurance rates. Family history of heart disease, current hbp, weight, etc. I have a couple expensive prescriptions per month. The wife is 50 something and has no health issues except [SIZE=-1]pre-osteoporosis for which she takes one med.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
We are probably taking her cobra starting a few weeks from now, which will be $707/month for the two of us together. I know we can keep that for 18 months, and then we would be on our own to find private insurance. Here's my questions:
1) Should we take the cobra for sure, or is it possible to do better in the private sector right away?
2) If we do take the cobra, what would we expect to pay on the private market once cobra expires? Any specific rates for people like us which any of you are paying would be appreciated. I'm hearing from some people the way to go is with a large deductible like $5,000. Does this sound correct or not?
3) Are there any states which are better than others when determining premiums? If so, any general rule as to what we would need to do to be considered residents of the chosen state? Is it just a majority of the year, like 51%, or is it more, like 75%?, or are they all different.
4) I've checked into the HIRSP wisconsin hipaa program, so I know that is an option if I maintain primary residency in WI, but does anyone know if there are states which have superior hipaa type programs?
5) Any thoughts on applying as a married couple, or is it better to do individually? Is it even possible to do as a couple?
6) Are there health insurance purchasing "agents" or something like that who can guide people in their search for health insurance? I don't mean insurance agents. I mean someone who works for the client seeking health insurance.
Any links or advice would be appreciated. I've done some checking on my own, but I thought you all might be able to save me some research time because you probably get these types of questions occasionally.
Have a good one,
Eddie
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