Health insurance for full time poker players?

[Dead]

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I hate to hijack this thread, but could anyone comment on disability insurance ? I think it should be just as important for the full time pro ? (think of what happens if you start going blind ? Carpal tunnel ? early age alzheimer's ?)

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Bubu brings up a good pt here.

Any comments?

[zCereal]

best solution: move to canada

any gambling wins are not taxable, and you get free healthcare. an idea solution for the poker pro (and you benefit from added income of the exchange rate.)

[Cheeseweasel]

I became a full-time advantage player in 1998. I started with a bankroll of $6000. I built it into a low eight-figure bankroll by 2003.

An unscrupulous casino owner (redundant?), in an incredible scam, swindled me out of every penny of it literally overnight because he felt that I had won too much in his sports book. I was left with less than $100.

He took my money but he couldn't take my knowledge. I started building again and built my bankroll back up to the low six figures.

Over the past several months, I've incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and, of course I don't have medical insurance.

Now I don't have the bankroll to play $5 Sit-n-Goes. My employment history is shot. Next week I'll have to find a homeless shelter to live in.

I don't tell you this to garner sympathy, but just to let you know that it CAN happen to you and you need medical coverage to protect you from a catastrophic loss.

[oscark]

I have no serious health problems, but have taken advantage of my full coverage under my current employer...meaning fairly frequent visits to different doctors.

I will probably be trying to get insurance on my own reasonably soon. When signing up for insurance, can they tell that I was expensive to my last insurer and therefore charge me more or do they just look at your current health condition?

Thanks,

Oscar