Health insurance for full time poker players?

[RainDog]

I'm dreadfully sick right now and I'm having to pay some outrageous medical costs for doctor visits, drugs, and all that. It's all coming out of my own pocket so this is quite a financial hit. I've looked at health insurance for the self employed before but it has always seemed like a raw deal. Now you can bet I'm going to give it another look.

I'm just wondering what other 2+2'ers that don't have another job do for health insurance. If you do buy your own, could you give me some tips on things to look for? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Rain Dog

[tripledouble]

friend of mine uses anthem insurance at the cost of like 79$ a month

--this is something any full time player should think about btw, especially you kids coming out of college and taking the route of pro rather than working stiff [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Wake up CALL]

You should take a fulltime job at a major company which provides medical benefits. You work there for 90 days till your probation period ends and your medical benefits begin. You then quit and take advantage of the Federally mandated COBRA program.

[weave41]

SOMe of you douchebags amaze me in the things you pul off! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[cardcounter0]

He is talking out of his ass as usual. The COBRA benefit merely allows you to continue your insurance coverage for 1 year after termination. It also means you have to pick up the portion of your Insurance that the company was paying for (most large corporations pay 50% to 80% of health insurance costs, only passing along a token amount to the employee).

So COBRA gives you the right to continue to pay for very expensive insurance for a year. woooohoooo!

[GrannyMae]

You then quit and take advantage of the Federally mandated COBRA program.

cobra premiums will kill you quicker than any health issue.

also, what does he do after 18 months? lather, rinse?



set up a business that generates a schedule c then get group employment insurance. most states allow a group of one. in other states you can join a pool. this type insurance will have much lower premiums than cobra

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm just wondering what other 2+2'ers that don't have another job do for health insurance. If you do buy your own, could you give me some tips on things to look for? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Get married and force your wife to get a full-time job with bennies. Mine kick in March 1st! Woo-hoo!

Seriously though, up until March 1st I have been paying $85 a month through a buddy of mine who works for State Farm.

It's a $3,500 deductible, but all I cared about was having major medical problems covered. I definitely didn't want to screw over my family if something terrible happened (accident, disease, etc.), and I think that is the most important thing that a lot of young people don't consider.

For most people, your parents and other relatives wouldn't just let you die, so being uninsured could potentially screw your family financially for the rest of their lives.

I was uninsured for about 8 months out of college. COBRA was an option, but uh, $250 a month? F-that dude. I woke up one morning with a uvula the size of a ping-pong ball (the thing that hangs in the back of your throat) and made sure I was insured beginning at midnight that night. Turned out it was only swollen from a hard night of alcohol-induced snoring, but damn. It was a wake-up call.

As far as doctor visits and scripts are concerned, I think anyone can set up a flex-spending plan through an insurance agent. That way, you can throw some cash in there every month tax-free for times like you are having now.

[GrannyMae]

$85 a month ....

It's a $3,500 deductible

you must be young and healthy. that is very cheap, even with that high deductible. your strategy with this high ded. is perfect tho. yes, it is a slight roll of the dice but if you stay healthy, the $85/mo is sweet. if you don't stay healthy, the $3,500 will seem like nothing if there is a hospital stay involved.

be VERRRY careful there is not a lifetime max on the hospitalization/major medical.

COBRA was an option, but uh, $250 a month?

still cheap.

i know people who pay ~500/month for a cobra policy and they are late 40's and healthy.

[Shoe]

My policy has a $2 million lifetime maximum, is that bad?

[GrannyMae]

standard

that's fine