Affordable Health Care at Ellis Island

I’m not so sure that the word “affordable” applies here to the topic of Health Insurance.  And after yesterday’s news of the new recommendations for mammograms for breast cancer screenings, it’s a point that we all, especially women, need to take seriously, and soon.

The more research I do to find my next health insurance policy options, the more I realize that I don’t know.  There are endless options, and I’ve spoken with close to a dozen agents now, both individuals and those that answer 800 numbers, and overall, I am a) more confused than ever and b)mostly unimpressed by their so called expertise (except for a few.  Read on.) and lack of follow-up skills.

I’ve talked about HSAs, tax-favored savings accounts that are used in conjunction with a health insurance plan to reduce tax burden and help one save for retirement,(not for me), high and low deductibles, co-pays, lifetime caps, and out of pocket maximums.  I’ve almost been turned down, I’m about out of energy, but I have come to some conclusions:

1) The more I shop around, the more confident I am that I have found my best plan.  No surprise there, but it’s not a rule I have followed in the past

2) I’m going to have to pay somewhere in the $200 per month range for the services I need; not bad, as it’s about half of what I am paying now!

At the beginning of this series, I mentioned Cover Florida, the low-cost option for un-, self- or under-employed Florida residents.  It seemed a good option for me right now, lowest cost, guaranteed acceptance (especially important if you have any, and I mean ANY, pre-existing conditions; and who doesn’t?) and even the possibility of national coverage, so I can continue to see some of my long-term doctors in other states. Yet  almost every agent I spoke with brushed it off as something for people who are otherwise uninsurable.  Until Cesar, who I met accidentally at a social event the other night. It was not until we exchanged cards that I learned that he is a health insurance broker.

Cesar was the first and only of all the brokers who, based on my answers to his basic screening questions, offered a few new health care options:

1) Cover Florida, which he thinks might be the perfect option for me at this time (short-term cash-flow crunch).

2) A one-person group option!

3) A group plan though my company, a two-person LLC.

Hail, Cesar!  You may have cut through the nonsense and become my new broker.  Here’s a guy that made me feel that he’s putting me first, not worrying about the meager commission paid on the Cover FL plan, and coming up with an idea that NOT ONE of the others had mentioned.

I’ll let you know the bottom line when he gets back to me with actual numbers.  Also in my next post will be some ideas on how to cope when you have no or not-enough insurance.  Especially when you need to examine your boobies.

Meanwhile, click here to read more about how to take care of yourself at a discount.

illustration:http://www.joefloridainsurance.com/

As I am looking into affordable health insurance, I am suddenly face to face with all kinds of insurance issues.

I paid a monthly premium for about a year to have an extended warrantee on my car.  It never covered one penny of any repairs my car needed.  This week, for the first time, it will actually pay in full, less my $50 deductible, for a replacement window motor.

I’m about to exhaust my unemployment insurance, I just received notice that my home insurer will not cover me after this year, my friends are talking about long-term insurance and I am waiting for receipt of the replacement hard drive for one that broke, one that I actually purchased a warrantee for.

My husband is very anti-insurance industry in general, while I, especially with my computer and iPhone, feel a great sense of comfort that I have that cushion.  Like with anything, though, you and I like to know that we get the best coverage at the best price, the best value for our money.

So let’s get back to affordable health insurance, where the product is not stuff, it us.   Today, after a few minutes with a telephone rep from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, I learned that I was eligible for a plan costing half the amount of my current premium, with no deductible!  This one sounds great.  Let’s see how it develops.

How do YOU feel about insurance?  Necessary evil? Security blanket? Totally ridiculous?  Please post your comments.  What info can we find for you?

P.S. While looking for an illustration for this article, I came upon a site about Florida insurance and the best prices.   I’ll definitely check it out and report back.

P.P.S. This Sunday is the best day of the year for buying costume basics for next Halloween.  Maybe you can try one of the great costumes you saw this year.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but I am very very lucky.

Meanwhile..I’ve already been contacted via email by the AARP insurance agent, who sent over a brochure and preliminary proposal for my needs.  Compared to those, the $400 a month I am now paying is smack in the middle of the range.   The deductibles, however, are quite higher — from $1250 to six thousand compared to the $250 on my current plan, which ends in January.

I put a note up on my Facebook page and got about a half-dozen replies, comprised of three personal referrals, a suggestion to visit the Freelancers Union, one to visit SBUA.org  (Small Business United), and one minor rant on the state of the U.S. Healthcare system.

Going through the old email, I find: nothing of any value.

Looking at old snail mail, I find something from AARP. It’s an offer for information on not only health insurance per se, but also dental, vision, prescription and fitness programs.  I will look into this as well. And there’s a Blue Cross/Blue Shield ad in the Sunday paper that says coverage from $5 a day ($150/month; very low).  I’ll call them tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a few special deals for today:

from Daily Candy: Both sweet treat for your smackers and hint of tint for your cheeks, Benefit Pocket Pal is our go-to product. Score one free (reg. $20) with any full-price purchase from Benefit Cosmetic’s online boutique.

Get 15% off orders at OneHanesPlace.com. Enter promo code 611691 at checkout. This offer is valid October 27th through October 30th.

Win free groceries for a year from It Pays To Eat Pasta.  Enter here.

TigerDirect Exclusive Deals, Limited Time Offers, Act Now And Save! Free Shipping on orders over $100.

Great Costumes, Low Prices, Costume SuperCenter — and they’ll guarantee shipment by Halloween if ordered before the 30th (Friday) at 3PM.  Click for great ideas and great prices.

As we approach the Great Pumpkin day, click here for costume ideas.  To read Friends with Money part 1, click here.    To read more about the Health Insurance search, click here.

Baked Goods always make welcome inexpensive holiday gifts!

Christmas? Hannukah? Kwanzaa?  Already?  It’s not even Halloween yet, and stores are already preparing for the onslaught of shoppers ready to spend in a way they don’t during the first 10 months of the year.   Stores are giving discounts, consumers are making their lists.   And the credit card companies are greedily licking their lips in anticipation of the charges, annual fees, late fees, overlimit fees.  Who really is winning in this game?

Well, it can be you, if you play your cards right (no pun intended, but makes sense, no?).  Begin by taking this oath:  I will not overspend on stupid stuff this holiday season.  I will shop wisely, and I will find everything I need at the price I want to pay.   Make it your mantra, and read on.

Before you start shopping, you need to have a plan. And before you can plan, you need to know what you’re starting with, money-wise.  So this weekend, instead of making lists of people and gifts, take some time on your computer or log on to Quicken.com for their free online money management tool, and get a feeling for where you’re really at with money.

Next week, we’ll focus on credit cards — which are the best, which you should immediately trash, and how to talk to the card companies to get the best deals for you this holiday season and beyond.

Meanwhile, a few Friday newsflashes:

Windows7 debuted yesterday and is available at Amazon.com, in-stock and ready to ship.  Amazon also announced new discounts for its Kindle readers.  Shop now to avoid being disappointed later.

Weekend sales start now at TheTopSecret.com.  Some great stuff for gifts and for you too! Watch this space for more awesome online sales.

A new website is tracking Holiday sales circulars as they come out.  Keep on top of sales at Black Friday ads.net.

Get ready, get set….have a great weekend!

David Horsey

Several people I know or know of were caught in Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi web —  elderly people, some with family and friends enough to survive, some in a not as fortunate a place.  From the scandal, I am reminded that greed is an ugly, unhealthy thing.  What can you buy with a few billion that you can’t buy for a few million?  I am always astounded at how greed takes hold of people who should know better.  I saw it in myself after the great real estate debacle of the early 2000s, and I’m not proud, but I can guarantee it won’t happen again, to me, anyway. I see it as well, of course, in the Madoffs, but unfortunately, also in some of their victims, who, seeing a good thing, sunk ALL of their savings in it.

Now, I realize that few people knew what was really going on, but repeated above average earnings in a crazy market like today’s could be a red flag that, even if nothing was wrong, this probably couldn’t last — not good news for the people who pulled out of the fund a few years ago, who now have to repay some of their earnings to the fund.  But that’s not the lesson. The lesson as I see it is that the old, tried and true advice is usually something to take into consideration.  Never put all your eggs in one basket, not all your money in one investment.  And never do business with friends.  I learned the hard way.

Moving along to Michael, who lived a somewhat short but really amazing life, and left mayhem in his wake when he departed.  I am often frustrated by trying to find discount theatre and concert tickets, one of the very few areas where I am sometimes forced to pay full price.  Now I know why — the promoters have very little leeway when they have to pay (or pre-pay) performers’ salaries.  Michael died almost a half-million dollars in debt.  But really, he doesn’t care now.    The big loser in this is the concert promoter, who now has to refund millions of dollars in purchased concert tickets for the not-to-be tour, and now, with questions about his cause of death, they may not be able to collect on their insurance claim.  Lesson: Made me think that if it’s okay for him, it’s okay for me too.  Between all the people suffering after real estate financing, and Michael leaving such huge debt,  perhaps the world won’t be so focused on credit scores, which IMHO are kind of stupid anyway, as they do not take into account such things as income and assets, and only look at debt.

Let’s talk about debt, baby (thanks to Salt n Pepa).  Ed McM had a mountain of it.  What happened to him?  He had a ton of money, and he lost it, without the help of a Bernie M.  I don’t really know the circumstances of his fall from financial grace, but the lesson here, as I see it, is that money comes and money goes, but when it comes, it needs to be nurtured so it hangs around for a while.

This week we also lost Billy Mays.  Billy was the pitchman for many products that were good but not necessary, but Billy’s yelling and cajoling made him a very rich man.  I had the pleasure of meeting Billy once, at an entrepreneurs’ conference, and he was cool (except that the promised gift of a one-sweep broom never did arrive).  He spoke about finding a niche where you can have fun and make money, and his life and work illustrated this to the max. His lesson:  follow your dreams, and the money will appear.

The final lesson has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with life. Farrah fought the good fight; from Angel to Poster Girl to serious actress to cancer warrior, she was the personification of beauty and strength, except for that Letterman appearance, as she dealt with the blows that life brought to her.  She inspired a lot of women with her inner and outer beauty, her courage, and of course her hair.  She was a role model for many women.  She chronicled her battle with cancer, and the the end, she maintained her grace and dignity, and left a generous donation to charities for abused women.  Farrah’s lesson for me is to live life fully, and when you go, leave the world a better place than when you got here.

To these people, who lived to entertain the rest of us, peace.  May your legacies continue to make the world a better place.