Medical Insurance???

[lorihadams]

We are lucky that Chad has insurance with Verizon...it is wonderful. I didn't pay a dime to have either of my 2 kids. He would love to do Webfoot Mafia full time and guide for a living and sell t shirts in the off season. Just can't do it now...not with 2 little ones and we are still paying off the startup costs from the company. He makes a good profit but he is still rolling it over into the company's bills so he is basically working for free. My grandparents are in a similar situation, they are facing retirement and are trying to figure out what to do about insurance and cost of living...my granny is 10 yrs older than my papa...he's still in his 60s and wants to retire early but won't get his full benefits if he does.

I wish I could answer your question but we have Aetna and I'm making Chad stay at Verizon forever!

 

[keljonma]

Looks like my new job could be helpful here

Look for an INDEPENDENT insurance agent in your area. An independent will represent multiple companies and will be able to help you find health insurance that gives you the coverage you need at a price within your budget.

 

[roosmom]

FC, you will be able to get all the proper info you need from an AFLAC representative.

 

[Beekissed]

Ann? Fined if you don't have insurance coverage????? What about folks who cannot afford it? Seems to me that a law like that would require the government to provide something for families who cannot pay for their own, or the court systems would be overflowing.

I haven't had health insurance for many, many years. The kids used to be eligible for CHIPs but the criteria went up and one has to make more money than do I to qualify for it. There is a gap, apparently between qualifying for CHIPs and qualifying for Medicaid....we are in the gap, so I am currently without medical coverage for my son as well.

As I have no assets, this isn't much of a gamble for me. I simply do not make enough money to provide for health care, so all one can do is try to live preventively(is that even a word?) in regards to health. Not fail proof, to be sure, but has worked thus far. The future? I try not to live my problems before they arrive...you know, sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.

 

[FarmerChick]

Thanks everyone for the input.

I think I am just going to have to keep Tony at his job. I can not see anyway around it other than to gamble without insurance and I am not willing to take that risk as long as his job will provide it.

I can not believe I am trapped. Just plain trapped by medical insurance. I don' t have the cahoonies to wing it without it.....I wish I did have that gall but I don't.

Problem also being it is about $750 per month for the family now if I go with the plan, and what will it be next year, $850 and the following year $950 and then into the 1000s and then I get cancelled or something and can't get new insurance???? I can just see the writing on the wall with this not coming out as a good scenario at all.

And me getting into my 50s....hmm...kinda like "fall apart time"--LOL

AND THIS EXAMPLE happening right now with Tony. 1000s of dollars of tests. My goodness.....I couldn't imagine ya know. Ins. has covered 98% of everything and I paid very little, so my premiums are well spent big time at his job benes.

UGH
UGH

I think as we age and work becomes too hard we will just cut back the farming. Less produce would mean a world of easier days. So that will be the first I tackle and cut down. Just grow early, early spring veggies, a FEW of the stuff everyone grows thru summer, and alot of the fall veggies that people don't grow usually.

So I guess scale down on the farm to save Tony's body to keep working the real job...LOL...I feel wierd talking about him like he is a commodity...I guess he is in a way. Without him I wouldn't have it so well so maybe I should be thankful and push more into him being well for his real job vs. the farming part.

thanks again, it just seems like there is never an easy solution to the words medical coverage!!!!

 

[Zenbirder]

I hope that the new government can make some dent in this problem, for many of us it is the biggest potential "oops" in our lives that we can not fix. I have thought out all the choices, and the best one economically is for my DH to divorce me, now that he has medicare. I let him keep all the assets and I go under the county's indigent program. Nothing need change but a piece of paper. What a good system we have now, encourage divorce through economic incentives! I have a great number of friends who can not even marry their long term partners in the first place because of the stupid economic laws tied to marriage.
Enough of a rant, it is just such a sore spot for me along with so many of you. I am not divorcing DH even though it could cost us the land and house. There is a chance that the change of admin can try to help fix this injustice over time.
Karen, I am sorry you can not expand the lives you want as farmers at this time. I understand the trap so very well. Farming is a true and productive job. We should not be marginalized by a system that is so broken.

 

[FarmerChick]

well said Zen

wild that divorce and those extremes are the way to make life livable financially. incredible isn't it?

hard times are sure had by everyone for some reason thru all these decades of living!

 

[reinbeau]

Ann? Fined if you don't have insurance coverage????? What about folks who cannot afford it? Seems to me that a law like that would require the government to provide something for families who cannot pay for their own, or the court systems would be overflowing.

They do. You can't be turned away from an emergency room here, at all. We have Mass Health, but now we are required, by law, to have insurance. Those who can't afford it have access to it either via Mass Health or some other thing I'm not sure about - but I think it's supposedly funded by the fines people pay if they don't have insurance. This is Mitt Romney's plan, and from what I understand, Obama was all onboard with it Bigger government always fixes everything, right? And to think Romney had the nerve to run as a Republican.

 

[poppycat]

We carry our own medical insurance and have for the last seven years. It costs about $800 a month for a family of five, plus we have a $4000 deductible. It kills me to write that check each month. But it is good coverage, my son was in a very bad skiing accident last winter and I was extremely glad to have it.

It is VERY frustrating. Right now I'm working on contract so I'm not eligible for benefits. My DH's work situation demands that we carry our own insurance.

You are right about the premium going up every year.

 

[FarmerChick]

$800 for 5 seems reasonable---I was almost that for 3 of us but I went with a way lower deductible. But seeing I can't swing it either way, lol, no use worrying about it.

that is alot of money each month to pay! I know what you mean about writing that check...HA HA....some days I want to just check out of the world let alone give it all my money..HA HA