Good insurance company/policy for a 25 year old earning under $30,000

k3n

Senior member
Jan 15, 2001
327
1
71
Apparently the medical insurance company my employer is offering, is considered 1 of the worst out there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigna , http://www.consumeraffairs.com/insurance/cigna_health.html

What medical insurance company would one recommend to a single 25 year old single/childless male, who is in great physical condition, but will have to visit the doctor persistently due to an un-diagnosed condition? I live in Maryland.

If 1 can link to a site where I can do comparisons, for monthly rates/reviews?
I'm willing to pay $150-200 a month. I'd also like 1 that is nationwide, incase I need to relocate to a different state.
 

sixone

Lifer
May 3, 2004
25,030
4
61
Apparently the medical insurance company my employer is offering, is considered 1 of the worst out there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigna , http://www.consumeraffairs.com/insurance/cigna_health.html

What medical insurance company would one recommend to a single 25 year old single/childless male, who is in great physical condition, but will have to visit the doctor persistently due to an un-diagnosed condition? I live in Maryland.

If 1 can link to a site where I can do comparisons, for monthly rates/reviews?
I'm willing to pay $150-200 a month. I'd also like 1 that is nationwide, incase I need to relocate to a different state.

You should contact a local insurance agent who specializes in health insurance. They can offer you a wider range of policies than the exchanges can, and help you pick the policy that best fits your needs.

Don't mention an "undiagnosed condition". If you're wrong about it, it could really cost you.
 

MaxPayne63

Senior member
Dec 19, 2011
682
0
0
I second going to a local agent. He'll have the information you want regarding prices and plans in your area and will be more reliable than the website.
 

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
7,721
40
91
can i ask a dumb question, is your company contributing anything towards your premium? regardless of how bad cigna is, you might not be able to find anything in your cost range with comparable coverage.
 

Wreckem

Diamond Member
Sep 23, 2006
9,461
996
126
You should contact a local insurance agent who specializes in health insurance. They can offer you a wider range of policies than the exchanges can, and help you pick the policy that best fits your needs.

Don't mention an "undiagnosed condition". If you're wrong about it, it could really cost you.

He better hop on it as there are only a few more days that 2013 plans can be purchased.
 

Wreckem

Diamond Member
Sep 23, 2006
9,461
996
126
ehealthinsurance.com

Pick coverage for starting in 2013. Keep in mind there is a good chance you wont be able to continue on any of these plans after 2014. I am also not sure if you are going to find a 2013 plan that is multistate.

And as bad is Cigna may be, the policy you have from your work will likely be better and cheaper than anything else you can get. Remember, not everyone has problems with Cigna, typically only the people who have problems complain.
 
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k3n

Senior member
Jan 15, 2001
327
1
71
can i ask a dumb question, is your company contributing anything towards your premium? regardless of how bad cigna is, you might not be able to find anything in your cost range with comparable coverage.

If you read the wiki link I gave, you'd see this Cigna company, is morally bankrupt. They don't cover "experimental procedures" even if their terminally ill client has nothing to loose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataline_Sarkisyan

I don't gamble...

Anyone know the best way I can look up agents? I've had a decent experience with BlueChoice, in that they don't hassle you when you try to get a MRI or CT scan.
I don't mind paying them $200 or so a month. 22% versus 40%, claim denials, FTW. Anyway, thanks to individuals for the helpful posts.
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2011/january/california-insurers-deny-26-percent-of-all-claims
 
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Wreckem

Diamond Member
Sep 23, 2006
9,461
996
126
If you read the wiki link I gave, you'd see this Cigna company, is morally bankrupt. They don't cover "experimental procedures" even if their terminally ill client has nothing to loose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataline_Sarkisyan

I don't gamble...

Anyone know the best way I can look up agents? I've had a decent experience with BlueChoice, in that they don't hassle you when you try to get a MRI or CT scan.
I don't mind paying them $200 or so a month. 22% versus 40%, claim denials, FTW. Anyway, thanks to individuals for the helpful posts.
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2011/january/california-insurers-deny-26-percent-of-all-claims

Most insurance companies do not cover experimental treatment. The question in that case was it really experimental. All insurance companies have similar cases.
 
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boomhower

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2007
7,228
19
81
Most insurance companies do not cover experimental treatment.

This. Most health insurance companies aren't going to get rave reviews. Those that have a claim denied are going to be the ones who rant and rave. Not many that are happy with their carrier go out of their way to leave reviews. I'd go with Cigna unless you somehow manage to find someone else comparable for cheaper than your employer is offering Cigna.
 

RedArmy

Platinum Member
Mar 1, 2005
2,648
0
0
Can confirm, Cigna is pure shit. I work for a subcontractor so I have UHC but all the employees where I work (huge defense contractor) use Cigna and all I hear is how bad they are in pretty much every area, from effective communication to coverage and everything in between. They apparently fight every inch to cover as little possible even if you can reference directly where they say they cover it. They'll then go on to say they need more paperwork, didn't receive x, y, or z and can't do anything until they receive it, etc.

Apparently they've been trying to improve but I have yet to hear one person say a positive thing about them.
 

PlanetJosh

Golden Member
May 6, 2013
1,814
143
106
Sounds like Cigna is no Kaiser. I can depend on VA Health Care for coverage. But if I could afford it I'd go with Kaiser which I know is not affordable to most or many outside of having it with an employer. Wouldn't mind finding a job that has Kaiser since the VA allows you to have other medical insurance.
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
can i ask a dumb question, is your company contributing anything towards your premium? regardless of how bad cigna is, you might not be able to find anything in your cost range with comparable coverage.

Yeah, I pay about $120/mo for my health insurance, but I think I'm only paying 10-20% of the actual cost.
 

rockyct

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2001
6,656
32
91
Sounds like Cigna is no Kaiser. I can depend on VA Health Care for coverage. But if I could afford it I'd go with Kaiser which I know is not affordable to most or many outside of having it with an employer. Wouldn't mind finding a job that has Kaiser since the VA allows you to have other medical insurance.

My dad is a doctor and he absolutely despises Kaiser and that's before they tried to discharge his mom hours before she passes away. The only thing that kept her there another night was him pulling the "I'm a doctor" card on the hospital. They believed she has stabilized and she obviously hadn't yet. It's hard to get specifics with him but from what it sounds like, Kaiser has great service for basic stuff and it's easier for you with your doctors and hospital run by the same company. However, if you're actually sick, good luck getting the procedures you need. The doctors are on salary (not reimbursed) from your health insurance company. They are pressured to be more "cost effective" on what they prescribe to patients.

For the OP, since your employer provides insurance, you won't qualify for the Obamacare subsidies as far as I know but I typed in your age/income in the California health care site and it looks like the credit is only $35 anyway at your income level. At least in my zip code, almost all of the bronze plans were under $200 a month (excluding tax credit). The silver plans were somewhere around $250 and the gold around $300.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
My dad is a doctor and he absolutely despises Kaiser and that's before they tried to discharge his mom hours before she passes away. The only thing that kept her there another night was him pulling the "I'm a doctor" card on the hospital. They believed she has stabilized and she obviously hadn't yet. It's hard to get specifics with him but from what it sounds like, Kaiser has great service for basic stuff and it's easier for you with your doctors and hospital run by the same company. However, if you're actually sick, good luck getting the procedures you need. The doctors are on salary (not reimbursed) from your health insurance company. They are pressured to be more "cost effective" on what they prescribe to patients.

For the OP, since your employer provides insurance, you won't qualify for the Obamacare subsidies as far as I know but I typed in your age/income in the California health care site and it looks like the credit is only $35 anyway at your income level. At least in my zip code, almost all of the bronze plans were under $200 a month (excluding tax credit). The silver plans were somewhere around $250 and the gold around $300.

I haven't dealt with this issue and it's sad. I have family doctors and surgeons that can get things done. I don't know about Kaiser sounds like Workman's Comp though which I dealt with and despite my family that are docs and surgeons, there is no recourse. I should have never 'done the right thing' and reported my injury.

That said, this ObamaCare is placing one price per procedure. Already 5 years ago there are many doctors and many more surgeons not accepting any insurance.
 
Sep 9, 2013
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Cigna company, is morally bankrupt. They don't cover "experimental procedures" even if their terminally ill client has nothing to loose.


is it morally bankrupt to refuse treatment that has no guarantee of success?

What if you went for an experimental treatment... and instead of curing you.. it made your insides explode, one cell at a time... causing you to die slowly over a 6 month period, with no hope of reversing it..... do you think your family would go.. oh well.. its experimental.

no. they would look for someone to sue.. someone to blame... and that would be the insurance company.

experimental treatments aren't covered for a reason.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,757
2,533
126
Cigna is a very major insurance company. Health insurance is a highly regulated industry, first by your state and now even moreso by the federal government under ACA. The insurance cannot exclude any sort of coverage unless it is permitted by the applicable regulators.

Many, many insurance plans don't cover experimental treatments.

Like others said, check with the federal (or your state's, if it had the foresight to run one) exchange and with private insurance agents, but don't hold out too much hope of getting the gold plated policy you seek for less cost than the employer provided one.
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
126
is it morally bankrupt to refuse treatment that has no guarantee of success?

What if you went for an experimental treatment... and instead of curing you.. it made your insides explode, one cell at a time... causing you to die slowly over a 6 month period, with no hope of reversing it..... do you think your family would go.. oh well.. its experimental.

no. they would look for someone to sue.. someone to blame... and that would be the insurance company.

experimental treatments aren't covered for a reason.

1. I've never heard of any insurance company being sued for a benefit it paid. The "someone to sue" would be the doctor or hospital.

2. I have no experience in this but I have to imagine that the experimental nature and risks of the procedure are communicated to the patient ahead of time, so the only reason for them to get sued is if they acted negligently or incompitently, the same for a non-experimental treatment

The reason insurance companies don't cover experimental treatment is because it's completely impractical. If they were to cover expensive, unproven treatments for everyone premiums would skyrocket. Even then, how would they determine which experimental treatments should be covered?
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
You mean they would skyrocket more than they are already.

Personally, I really don't see healthcare premiums as excessive for the costs. IMHO it's how we have elevated medical pricing to insane levels in this country.

Most of the really wealthy can pay as they go. Much of the time they elect to travel abroad for surgeries like hip transplants and joints that may cost $60-100k stateside, but can be had for $15-20k overseas at a hospital with most of the staff being US trained.

Many don't realize they could just skip their high deductible copay on surgery (and probably elect a much cheaper policy for wellness type stuff) and just travel and end up with the same results for less money.

There are many foreign hospitals that you can look up and see that they have success rates equal or better than our US hospitals. Of course there are many foreign hospitals that practice butchery more or less.

On the flip side, our ability to sue even for known risks of a procedure add to this problem.

I respect doctors and surgeons and I agree they should be highly paid. However; when you have the cattle car types that are generating hundreds of thousands of dollars of income for themselves and not actually doing anything, that is a problem.
 

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
16,360
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Most of the really wealthy can pay as they go. Much of the time they elect to travel abroad for surgeries like hip transplants and joints that may cost $60-100k stateside, but can be had for $15-20k overseas at a hospital with most of the staff being US trained.

Many don't realize they could just skip their high deductible copay on surgery (and probably elect a much cheaper policy for wellness type stuff) and just travel and end up with the same results for less money.
I'm confused. I just signed up for health insurance, and it said something about maximum out-of-pocket annual costs being $6500 or so. So wouldn't the stateside procedure cost me no more than that?
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,757
2,533
126
I'm confused. I just signed up for health insurance, and it said something about maximum out-of-pocket annual costs being $6500 or so. So wouldn't the stateside procedure cost me no more than that?

You are correct. Alke was assuming everyone is in his multimillion income category and don't need to bother with health insurance, just have their staff write a check.
 

SheHateMe

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2012
7,251
20
81
The healthcare website is still kind of shitty, but luckily...many states already have their own healthcare stuff running for ObamaCare, so you could start by contacting some local agents or looking up the state exchange where you live.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
I'm confused. I just signed up for health insurance, and it said something about maximum out-of-pocket annual costs being $6500 or so. So wouldn't the stateside procedure cost me no more than that?

/SIGH

What is your TOTAL cost per year?

Also many folks find themselves on a border of the year end so that $6500 could be a total of $13000.

Only you can determine what is going to be your best bang for buck.