ER and health insurance

[Stevewc]

With all the fog around the reform issues it is definitely hard to know if there will be anything in it that might help a early retiree.
Not sure if we will gain or lose but trying to find a sweet spot in there somewhere.
Steve

 

[nun]

MA is great for healthcare and I'm glad the state is doing something to get people covered and is now addressing cost, but MA is also the most expensive place in the US for healthcare. I can get a plan with a $2000 deductible for $329/month and one with no deductible for $469/month.

 

[Meadbh]

2008 health insurance costs in US

I got an email with the AHRQ newsletter today. it included this story:

August 5, 2009, Issue #279

AHRQ News and Numbers

The cost of insuring a family of fourwithan employer-sponsored health plan in the United States averaged $12,298 in 2008. The annual premium for covering an employee and one family member, known as an“employee-plus-one” plan, averaged $8,535, while the annual premium for a plan that only covered the employee averaged $4,386. Almost 20 million of the 62.5 million workers enrolled in employer-based insurance in 2008 had family plans, while about 11 million had employee-plus-one plans. The 31.5 millionremaining workershad single-coverage plans. [Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, MEPS Statistical Brief #251: Employer-Sponsored Single, Employee-Plus-One, and Family Health Insurance: Selection and Cost, 2008.

http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st251/stat251.pdf

 

[Zoocat]

No exclusions. Minnesota is the least expensive risk pool for what you get. Three million lifetime max.

That's a good deal, Martha! Glad to hear about it.

 

[Martha]

I suspect state pools may go away entirely if the pre-existing condition exclusion is removed via new health care regulations. Things are still way too fuzzy to be sure at this point.

Risk pools are usually subsidized. If they are eliminated, the question is whether people with preexisting conditions will have to pay more than the healthy. Without some sort of rate restrictions the cost would be prohibitive.

 

[teejayevans]

When I took a sabbatical, I went and got health insurance from UnitedHealth for $2K/year. After the first year, they raise it to $2.4K, I ended up dropping them. I was able to switch. But if I couldn't, after 15 years my insurance
would be over $30K/yr.

How many can RE if your insurance costs went up 20%/year?

The health care inflation rate is the biggest unknown.
And if the govt is able to fix this problem, I will be extremely happy,
but I'm not holding my breath.
TJ