health insurance

i'm not a poker pro, but i do run my own business and pay out the nose for health insurance. What do you poker pros out there use? just independent plans? are their any guilds or organizations that offer group rates?

[Overdrive]

Whenever I get sick, I just eat some SPAM. I heard it cures everything.

[phixxx]

Why the [censored] did you put this under internet gambling? Were you not thinking clearly?

easy, tough guy. i didn't see the health insurance for poker pros thread-- although there are some posts about mortgages here, which seems relatively similar as far as precedents go.

[phixxx]

You didn't see the health forum, so you posted in the internet gambling? Try OOT, they may be able to help.

[krazyace5]

Nothing wrong with this post here. Hes asking internet gamblers/poker pros what they do for insurance.

You need to get a hobby and chill out.

[RaiNz]

Somebody's being a negative nancy. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[goodguy_1]

I have major major with a very high deductible($2500).

Many companies now offer plans suited to the self-employed. I went thru a gruelling application with Humana and the rate was vey good only $1100 a year but they attached 2 riders to the policy for pre-existing condtions I didnt much like so I stayed w/BCBSFL.

I have had Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Florida for the last 6 years my policy intially had only a $500 deductible and was around $900 a year in 1999. As healthcare costs have risen and I have gotten older the premiums have gotten very expensive..to counter the increase in premiums for
the same plan I switched over to a higher deductible on my policy ie $2500/$5000-this is pretty much major medical. My current policy was upped again by 15% thats why I was shopping around again. I now pay $1300 for $2500 deductible.

There are also policies that will cover hospitalization only which are an option if you want the bare minimum.

Florida is cheap thu the same policy in NJ or CA. may cost 50%-100% more.

You need to go to your State web page and get a list of health insurers and call them up for prices. Also InsWeb and other sites online do a pretty good job of giving you an overview of whats available in your area..usually not complete thu.

As for group rates I'm an alumni of NYU and I looked at their group rates for alumni a couple years ago-it was no cheaper than what I already had.

[Self Made]

$1300/year? Wow, that sounds cheap. Catastrophic ($10K deductible) that I've found is $175/month. And a BCBS HMO that I have been on is $463/month.

[otter]

I have state farm and pay about $220/month....I think that's too much though (I'm in MI), but I'm too lazy to shop around.

[Pokeraddict]

My wife, 6 year old son and I pay combined $4000 a year. It is $1000 a year per person deductible so it is not painful. The trouble with having a child is that most of these companies consider you a family whether you have 1 kid or 10.

Keep in mind you can deduct this if you file a schedule C and show a profit.

[BillFranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
I have state farm and pay about $220/month....I think that's too much though (I'm in MI), but I'm too lazy to shop around.

[/ QUOTE ]

I used to work at an insurance company. this is a pretty good rate. Depending on your coverage your not gonna find much better.

[lane mcbride]

health insurance is -ev
sure it's nice if you get cancer, but just based on ev I believe it's a losing proposition

[moondogg]

[ QUOTE ]
health insurance is -ev
sure it's nice if you get cancer, but just based on ev I believe it's a losing proposition

[/ QUOTE ]

Generally speaking, any kind of insurance is -EV, unless it's required for some reason (e.g. auto or homeowner's insurance), or if it's to protect yourself against some catastrophic event that you could not afford (life and, again, homeowner's insurance). Obviously insurance companies are in it for the money, and they are making money you are losing it.

However, health insurance is a little trickier, because your insurance company can get away with under-paying your medical bills. I got some routine blood tests done over the summer, and the hospital charged over $700, but my insurance company paid them only $250.

What I pay in premiums every year does not compare to how much my insurance company stiffs my doctors. If I didn't have insurance, I'd have to pay that insane $700 myself.

With health insurance, you're not just buying the insurance, you're buying the discount.

[stoxtrader]

insurance, generally speaking is by definition -EV (money), but definitely +EV (utility).

I suggest maximizing utility rather than money.

[QUAHOGMAN]

I'm in the process of renewing our insurance. Looks like I will be going with Oxford Liberty Plan. Family is $985/month!!!!! this is up 26% from this year /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[chesterp]

i got you all beat. just got my bill for the next year- 486.72 for one year. deductilbe $2500, 80% coinsurance rate
company is called assurant health. time insurance company. doing it thru state farm agent.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
health insurance is -ev
sure it's nice if you get cancer, but just based on ev I believe it's a losing proposition

[/ QUOTE ]

Generally speaking, any kind of insurance is -EV, unless it's required for some reason (e.g. auto or homeowner's insurance), or if it's to protect yourself against some catastrophic event that you could not afford (life and, again, homeowner's insurance). Obviously insurance companies are in it for the money, and they are making money you are losing it.

However, health insurance is a little trickier, because your insurance company can get away with under-paying your medical bills. I got some routine blood tests done over the summer, and the hospital charged over $700, but my insurance company paid them only $250.

What I pay in premiums every year does not compare to how much my insurance company stiffs my doctors. If I didn't have insurance, I'd have to pay that insane $700 myself.

With health insurance, you're not just buying the insurance, you're buying the discount.

[/ QUOTE ]

all true. one addition is that it's +EV if you are more likely to use the insurance than the insurer is charging you for. e.g., health insurance when you know you often go to the doc.

[Wake up CALL]

I (My Comapny) used to pay 100% of the medical insurance costs for all my employees. In the last three years I have had to pass on some of the costs as well as using higher office calls co-pays higher annual medical deductibles, lower maximum annual payouts and 50% prescription cost reimbursement.

The costs keep rising and the only way to keep them in check is to adjust the coverage periodically. We still pay 66% of the total montly premiums but I wish we could have afforded to keep it a cost free perk to our employees. Even at that a single employee still only pays $90 per month and the family plan is $168 per month. This is with an annual deductible of $1000 and an annual cap of $100,000. The office copay is $20 per visit.

For an individual to get this coverage alone I suspect it would be much higher.

[phixxx]

[ QUOTE ]
Nothing wrong with this post here. Hes asking internet gamblers/poker pros what they do for insurance.

You need to get a hobby and chill out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for helping me out man, I forgot that winning 3 provincial championships in baseball while attending university and playing at a very high level of hockey doesn't constitute as a hobby anymore, maybe I should find another. You've enlightened me.