Buying your own medical insurance?

staledog

Well-Known Member
I have been offered a job which I really want to take...it involves moving to a location I really want to be, and a significant pay raise.

However, the company I would be going to work for offers no medical insurance. With the pay raise, I would still come out ahead (I think) but I would need to purchase my own medical (and dental) insurance.

I have a wife and 3 kids, so we are looking at purchasing insurance for a family of 5. My wife looked up some quotes online and came up with a cost of about $6K to $9K per year.

We didn't look up anything about dental insurance yet.

Does anyone here purchase their own medical/dental insurance, and have any advice or insight? Does the $6K to $9K per year sound about right?

At my current company, about $5K/year is taken out of my paycheck for medical insurance, and the insurance is not the best.

If it matters, we would be moving from IL to Florida.

Thanks for any info you may have.
 
I recently had to do this. I used ehealthinsuracne.com to get a quote. I grabbed an affordable one (United Health One) for the time being until my current company gets Anthem Blue Cross next year. I took the additional Humana Dental plan which I believe was about $77
 
Blue Cross in Florida is actually quite reasonable, I've had no trouble getting it here in the past at a fair price. Less than my employers group plan, in fact, with better coverage.
 
https://www.healthcare.gov/families
https://www.healthcare.gov/what-is-the-marketplace-in-my-state#state=florida

thanks-obama-01.gif
 
Don't ignore high-deductible plans, they are better than nothing. A buddy of mine has a $5000 deductible plan that costs $60/month.
 
I have individual insurance for my fam as the employer insurance is just way more than I want to pay. When you get a quote online, DON'T put your actual phone number in while you're shopping prices. You'll have 27 insurance company reps calling you at all hours of the day if you do. I made that mistake once....just once.
 
Don't ignore high-deductible plans, they are better than nothing. A buddy of mine has a $5000 deductible plan that costs $60/month.

Indeed. I have a $3500 deductible plan at work. $0 out of my paycheck. I'm healthy, single, and don't end up at the doctor's office much, though.
 
I just called State Farm today. Need a bridge plan for a month to get from one job to the next. They wanted $378 per month for the wife and I and the kid, with a $2500 deductible. :(
 
I just called State Farm today. Need a bridge plan for a month to get from one job to the next. They wanted $378 per month for the wife and I and the kid, with a $2500 deductible. :(
You have 60 days to enroll in COBRA. If you hold off and nothing happens, you're good to go.
 
What do you mean? Don't I lose my company health insurance after my last day?
 
You lose it based on the rules outlined in your summary plan description (SPD). It could be last day worked or the last day of the month. Then they send you COBRA paperwork. You have 60 days to elect.

If you want to talk call me. Typing hurts my geezer hand. PM if you want to talk.
 
What do you mean? Don't I lose my company health insurance after my last day?


You can elect to take COBRA after the fact. You'll most likely lose your employer coverage the day your employment ends. But you have two months to elect to take COBRA. If you incur any medical bills during those two months, you are retroactively covered under COBRA, the cost will retroactively be covered if you elect to take it.

My employer made me pay several months of premiums in advance when I did this, FYI. And they were not quick about getting me a refund....
 
You can elect to take COBRA after the fact. You'll most likely lose your employer coverage the day your employment ends. But you have two months to elect to take COBRA. If you incur any medical bills during those two months, you are retroactively covered under COBRA, the cost will retroactively be covered if you elect to take it.

My employer made me pay several months of premiums in advance when I did this, FYI. And they were not quick about getting me a refund....
Most plans are end of the month. That's why I suggested ZapBrannigan check his SPD. They can't require premiums in advance. It is specifically against the law.

How about pilots post about pilot stuff and I post about HR stuff?!! :)
 
I have individual insurance for my fam as the employer insurance is just way more than I want to pay. When you get a quote online, DON'T put your actual phone number in while you're shopping prices. You'll have 27 insurance company reps calling you at all hours of the day if you do. I made that mistake once....just once.
We already figured this out the hard way.....whoops
 
The dental insurance does not cover much other than cleaning twice a year. I don't think it is worth the expense. Bette rto set the money aside in an account for dental needs.

I'm actually incredibly glad I pay for dental. I'm going through a round of dental work right now, and I'm paying roughly 1/8th the actual "market" cost of the work. The insurance company also contracting with the provider at lowered rates helps, too.
 
I have individual insurance for my fam as the employer insurance is just way more than I want to pay. When you get a quote online, DON'T put your actual phone number in while you're shopping prices. You'll have 27 insurance company reps calling you at all hours of the day if you do. I made that mistake once....just once.



This. I still get calls and this was 6 months ago.
 
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