Private Insurance - Kansas City,MO

Just a note to perfect one that you can't be on cobra forever. Cobra is limited by federal law to 18 months or 36 if you meet certain criteria.

Diane - you don't need to apologize for me...her health care costs are rising due to 0bamacare...he's not saving families $2.500 that he promised...people are losing their doctors that they loved - even though he promised they could keep 'em...and people are losing their plans - even though he promised they could keep 'em...

It's a FACT my premiums doubled - and it can be blamed on 0bamacare...for those that it has helped - yahoo - but it's hurt more than it's helped...don't apologize for me or the truth.

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welcome to 0bamacare!! Our employee portion on my husband's plan doubled while the benefits decreased....

If you go for private insurance? You will be looking at the same costs...we have BC/BS as it's the most accepted by doctors.

Call your PCP and ask what insurance company does the best in response time and approving of payments...

Another option is Kaiser...However...with Kaiser when we checked in 2011 for a family of 4 it was $1750 a month....

You might want to wait a little longer to quit your job so you can save up to pay for 0bamacare...
Good luck!!

Everything Diane B said.

We got great rates through the national exchange (our state hadn't set theirs up yet) and decided on a BCBS PPO plan. We pay $108 for BOTH of us & our deductible, co-pays, and out of pocket limits are all very low. Yes, we were eligible for a subsidy due to our income and number of dependents, but the rates were really affordable even without the subsidy.
Brokers are a good way to go if you need help choosing a plan. The healthcare exchanges show you everything you need to know, too, it's just another way to sign up. If you qualify for a subsidy, you can apply it, if you don't then... you don't.

The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare is not insurance, it's a process to get insurance. It guarantees that the insurance you are purchasing meets certain criteria, but it is not health insurance in and of itself.

My husband and I are very fortunate to have excellent health insurance through our employers, so I have not done the research. But if I needed to I would probably speak to our insurance agent. We go to an independent agent for auto and homeowners, so that's where I would start.

I'm confused as to why you would not want to sign up through the Obamacare. I thought going that route was more or less giving you access to a vast database of options based on your needs. That pretty much sounds like the smartest way to go.

Insurance plans vary by state, and each person's requirements vary, so you will need to do your own research, we can't answer this question for you.

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/kansas-health-insurance
http://www.healthinsurance.org/kansas/

You've opened the door for Obamacare bashing, but it's saved me $112/month (close to 50%) this year for much better coverage. I pay $118/month at 53 years old, nonsmoker. I have had private insurance for 8 years and this was the best price and best coverage I've ever had.

Why don't you want to sign up on the Obamacare website? All it is is a marketplace where private insurers offer their plans to you. You can compare apples to apples, decide which one you like best, and then sign up. If you qualify for a reduced price on the plan, you'll get one, and if not, then you'll pay full price. Then, each month you'll pay the insurer directly for your plan. All correspondence related to your healthcare will be directly between you and the insurance company. Literally the only thing "Obamacare" is is a website where you can go to compare prices and choose a plan. Nothing to be afraid of. We signed up for our family, and have our employees do the same (we are a very small business), and have found that our state's exchange was FAR cheaper than going through any other broker for the same exact policies. We have Blue Cross insurance - a good PPO with no deductible (we do have one employee who voluntarily chose Kaiser, which I don't understand at all - but to each their own). It's open enrollment right now, so it might not hurt to go online and see what it would cost to enroll your whole family. I found that the kids' dental insurance was even covered through our plan, which saved us some money. Our whole family is covered for around $950/month. Anyway, that has been my experience. I hope it helps!

please ignore the predictable pavlovian obama-bashing.
i think perhaps you (and others) don't understand what the ACA actually is. it's not an insurance plan, it's exactly what you're looking for- a place where you can find and compare insurance plans and select the one that's best for you.
$1100 a month for a family isn't bad. we are one of the ones who've seen our costs rise under obamacare. we pay about $600 each for the 2 of us, and our care is fairly comprehensive. $30 co-pays, and meh dental. but we're okay with it. we both have a slew of family members and friends who have coverage and are getting care, some for the first time in decades. it ain't perfect, but it beats the hell out of the ostrich-in-the-sand tactics preferred by about half of our elected officials.
khairete
S.

When we started our company we needed to be able to have insurance for us and any potential employees.

We went to an independent agent, told him our needs and then he shopped plans for us. We are very healthy and have rare visits to the Dr. which are pretty much preventative care only.

We have a very high deductible per year ($10,000) that we have not come close to meeting in 6 yrs. The main purpose of the insurance is to make sure we are covered in case of any accident, major illness, etc. We also participate in a supplemental plan with disability insurance and covers us if we need to be off work several weeks in order to recover from surgery, accident, etc. We pay about $1100 per month total for hubby, myself and daughter.

The thing with BO care (according to our insurance rep) is that you are required to carry maternity, pediatric care, etc even if you don't need it. That said, with the BO plan, my hubby would have benefits to cover breastfeeding and maternity. I laughed and said I guess I get the hard on pills, lol. Needless to say, we are steering clear of any of those plans and we prefer to work on our own. The BO care quoted for us was over $1200/month for the medical only... no supplemental and the benefits were far less than our private insurance.

We just received our new plan which starts in Dec., where we still avoid the BO plan. We will be paying about $100 extra at renewal. I can't really complain about my price rate coming up $100 because it has been the same premium each month over 5 yrs. The health portion of our plan is by Humana and is a PPO.. My premium now is $618 for the 3 of us and starting in Dec it will be $711. This is Dr visits, etc. The supplemental plan is about $500 a month extra.

We have been very pleased with Humana.

I will say that since I have had an ankle issue going on 2 yrs, they have covered all of the care with the exception of an experimental treatment I chose to do that was not covered by insurance nor approved by FDA. Also, the 2 MRI's I have had if filed through insurance would be about $1350 each (MY cost) and I opted to pay the cash price of $400 which is a no brainer to me. The Imaging company did not have to deal with insurance and they were paid instantly.

I do believe going through an independent agent who can shop different plans is a good way to go. This way, you gather a lot of information and can make a solid decision.

Best wishes.

ETA: yes, of course, Diane. But I've known people to cling to COBRA ( law) coverage blindly, even though there are other (more economical) options. It all stems from the messed up premise that healthcare has always been attached to employment.
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These answers really crack me up. Our employer coverage has not increased O. PENNY this year. Our employer is not passing any increases along to employees. Sorry some are. Change jobs.
Think of all of the people who have, due to job loss, paid Cobra for FUR-ever! They have been Lucky to have the ACA then, huh?
S., just call a few places. We've been happy within BCBS.
If you like your current docs, make sure that jibes up too.
Good luck!

You are best to consult an agent. The only reason anyone would go into the exchanges are the subsidies and regardless of what you make you are not eligible because your husband offers insurance for you.

Anything offered through the exchanges is offered by a broker. You must have maternity coverage, heck your husband does too! :-/

I am going to bet you can't find anything close to 400 a month. Just because your employers supplemented at a higher level than your husband's employer doesn't mean they aren't supplementing as well.

Anyway, just call a broker, they will tell you straight off if there is anything that cheap. Saves you a lot of leg work. That and a broker can highlight the costs and savings that most people miss when they just look at rates.

$1100 for a family plan is a bargain. You can get cheaper insurance but your deductible will be between $5,000 and possibly $10,000 not to mention co insurance. I would think twice about switching.

You can at least search premiums - that will help you out and let you know where to go.... You don't have to put in any identifying info and you can do a search.

Just go here: https://www.healthcare.gov/find-premium-estimates/ put in your info and it will give you options for plans.

I put in a 41 year old in Jackson county (I guessed..... since your profile says Kansas City, MO) and depending on your deductibles etc I get plans with monthly premiums of between $187-$402 - just depends what you want to be included.
Not sure if it will save those options here:
https://www.healthcare.gov/find-premium-estimates/#result...

You can always call those companies that have good rates and see how much it costs if you DON'T go through the exchange and just contract with them independently.

Good luck!

Ahha - now I see your question.

Just to give you perspectve - family health coverage runs from $2500 monthly to about $3600 monthly. Not sure about your husband's plan but it may offer a higher level of coverage.

Anyway - I would be surprised if you can find individual health insurance for less than $400 monthly - althoug in KC maybe it's possible...

As for the Affordable Health care website - I am not a fan of our president and feel as you seem to - if you need health insurance go on line and find it. In many states y ou can get coverage directly from the insurance companies and you don't have to go through "the exchange". If you google individual health insurance and your zip code you may find some insurance companies that offer coverage directly - without going through the exchange.

Good luck

Sounds like you need to keep working simply to supply insurance for your family or hubby needs to change jobs now that does insurance you can afford.

For me, when job seeing, I now seek good medical benefits over pay due to my advanced age.

Good luck. I am not well-versed on insurance.