From the article: High Deductible Health Plans as an Option for Small Business Owners
Do you have health insurance? Are you able to offer your small business employees health insurance? Can you afford health insurance for you and your family? What sort of plans do you have? Let us Know!
HSAs
- HSAs are viable for a very very small percentage of health-care consumers. They would work for the relatively healthy, and well off who want the tax advantage; are willing to fund the HSA; and are committed to spending out of their own pockets when sick. Middle to lower income people cannot sustain the out-of-pocket to satisfy the deductible. The high deductible encourages people to act like they are uninsured because they could not afford to actually fund the HSA and they don't want to spend the cash to see a dr. HSAs are not a panacea for our current crisis of accessing care for middle to lower class working people.
- —Guest Art As Social Inquiry
bVKOHZUGHxFiSB
- – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had wfarrae, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance.And in America, they wage constant war, and do everything possible to make the rich richer off the backs of the poor and middle class, but they produced Bell, Edison, Ford, jazz, rock and roll, moon landings, and The Age of Technology.In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce?The cuckoo clock.And mandated health care.' *Bobo is one of the most respected men who aren't blind, and yet can't see. In America, they're called pundit's. I call them Pun-twit's. I don't respect him, because he's willfully stupid, and will ignore any and all factual evidence that's contrary to his BELIEF.And he's got well paid perch's on radio, TV and the NY Times to spout his bullshit. He even wrote a novel about his conservative world view a book that was about as badly panned as any you could find even in his own newspaper (lol!). It's like Ayn Rand in YuppieLand.' I wouldn't know, because not only won't I read it because life's too short, but I wouldn't even have it in my house if it was the last book in the world and the kitchen table rocked. And did anyone notice when our health care costs started to spike up and diverge from where it was kind of lumped together with the other countries?Yes, is was the great, stupendous, great, cheerful, great, optimistic, great, great, President St. Ronnie of the Free Markets. Did I mention how great he was?That was obviously snark, because, whenever you look at any charts that shows America and the middle class slipping, and the rich getting richer, it always starts to go up dramatically under Reagan, and then spike like a rocket launch under Little Boots.I tremble at the thought of a Republican President, House, and Senate, any time soon. And the SCOTUS won't be of any help because it's already been privatized. And this nightmare may come iaround n 2013 if we don't work hard.*From one of my favorite movies, the GREAT (and I mean it this time) The Third Man.
- —Guest lZeUrPZRLigHfq
HDHP?
- Ive been doing alot of reading about these high deductible health plan lately as Im about to obtain one through my job. I admit, at first it seems like alot to pay for, but there is a chance for some big savings as well. These plans are usually accomodated by a HSA, HRA, or FSA, into which you put a certain amout pretax, and said money can be used to pay for medical expenses, or go towards your deductible. It saves the company money, which in the long run, lets you keep your job, which is nice in this economy. And even though you have to pay everything up to your agreed deductible amount, everything after is covered, with perameters of your plan. Another bonus is that, if you use the Doctor infrequently, the money in HSA, is your money,and it accumulates. If you leave the job, that money is still yours. There are pros and cons to every situation. I have posted a couple links I found to be ve
- —Guest Jordan
Freelancer with insurance
- While I work for myself, fortunately I get insurance through my wife's company. Before I got married, I used the Freelancers Union health insurance for a few months and was pleased with it.
- —emd13
HSA Experience
- I tried an HSA/high deductible plan at one point. It seemed like a good idea based on my history of low medical expenses. My first year, my wife and I were both in the hospital twice. Ouch.
- —Guest Guest_Bill
I'm lucky
- I mostly work as an independent contractor but also do a bit of work as an employee, and that's how I get my health insurance (the W2 employee relationship). In fact, I hardly get paid anything but the health insurance and other benefits/perks make it worth my while. I could not provide it for anybody else at this time, but I'm not hiring anyway. I'm in a demographic that's very inexpensive (young/single/healthy), so I could afford my own. However, that'll change someday and not everybody is in the same boat.
- —Guest JP
Lesser (Expenses) of Two Evils
- We can barely afford the premiums, copays and deductibles ... but since four out of five in out family have preeixsting conditions to not have insurance would cost us a lot more. We pay thousands each month for premiums and out of pocket expenses - but would pay five times that amount without insurance.
- —Guest Insured
Health Insurance
- I'm covered under BC/BS Basic and have been very happy with it. My premiums have gone up over the years but they are still manageable. However, I am covered as part of a larger group, which makes a huge difference.
- —maire_loughran
I'm using an HSA Plan
- After being uninsured for a number of years, I took the dive and ended up selecting a high-deductible insurance plan that comes with a health savings account. It's not the best sort of insurance in the world, but at least I have the option of paying the doctor in cash or drawing funds out of the HSA. I've noticed that a lot of doctors and labs provide me with a discount for paying in full, so I'm starting to think that perhaps a lot of our health care costs are due to back office administrative billing and paperwork? Being responsible for paying for my own doctor bills has also made me much more conscious about what I need and making sure I get the most information out of my doctor.
- —ab_taxes
We Have It
- fortunately I have insurance through my spouse's plan. Since I don't have any employees, I don't have to worry about group coverage. But I'd choose a high deductible plan if I were going to provide health insurance.
- —Guest Mary
Thank God for Medicare
- I'm an independent contractor and very grateful to be old enough for Medicare. I went without insurance during a period between being laid off from a job until I became eligible for Medicare. I never thought I'd be so happy to turn 65!
- —Guest Eleanor
