Small biz insurance costs more than individual insurance?

[Syringer]

Before I got my work insurance plan, I had an individual plan that cost just over $100 a month, which I believe consisted of a $30 co-pay and $500 deductible.

At work then, which is also offering Blue Cross, I'm getting the same plan, but it costs my employer $184 a month.

What's up with that? Shouldn't they get bulk, yes bulk, discounts or something? Or am I confused here and my old plan was a lot worse than it actually was?

 

[Zugzwang152]

There's a lot more to a health plan than your deductible and co-pay. There's a reason you get pages and pages of benefits information in your introductory packet. What are the other benefits like? For example, what percentage of office visits, routine procedures, etc. are covered by each plan? What about for emergency services? What about extra coverage like drug, dental and vision? My point really, is: are you really getting the same plan?

 

[bctbct]

$100 a month? You insuring only a portion of your body?

 

[PingSpike]

Your original plan wasn't one of those crappy new ones that covers your perscription drugs and stuff but when you cost over 10,000 they stick you with the bill is it? Basically the opposite of major medical insurance? I heard those were becoming popular because people think they're getting a great deal since they get their zit medicine and stuff paid for...but then they get cancer and the insurance does nothing for them.

 

[mugs]

When I looked at individual health insurance, it was $600 a month.

 

[gwrober]

I just read through the seperation package I got from my employer. If I wanted to extend my health care via COBRA, it would cost 1100+ a month to cover me and my family.

Insurance sucks.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Zugzwang152
There's a lot more to a health plan than your deductible and co-pay. There's a reason you get pages and pages of benefits information in your introductory packet. What are the other benefits like? For example, what percentage of office visits, routine procedures, etc. are covered by each plan? What about for emergency services? What about extra coverage like drug, dental and vision? My point really, is: are you really getting the same plan?

QFT, plus with a group plan while you generally get an 'overall' discount, the plan is based on the average age of the employees. While at a 6 person business my health coverage would have been almost double what my private insurance was with BC/BS. 4 of the employees there were 20 years or more older than me.

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: Zugzwang152
There's a lot more to a health plan than your deductible and co-pay. There's a reason you get pages and pages of benefits information in your introductory packet. What are the other benefits like? For example, what percentage of office visits, routine procedures, etc. are covered by each plan? What about for emergency services? What about extra coverage like drug, dental and vision? My point really, is: are you really getting the same plan?

This is why. Insurance plans can get so ridiculously complicated with all the details. Blue Cross is good insurance though so most likely you will want to just stick with them. If you really wanted to spend the hours it would take to compare all the details to the two plans then most likely the numbers you would find will make the reason for the price difference obvious.

 

[SpazzyChicken]

Originally posted by: Zugzwang152
There's a lot more to a health plan than your deductible and co-pay. There's a reason you get pages and pages of benefits information in your introductory packet. What are the other benefits like? For example, what percentage of office visits, routine procedures, etc. are covered by each plan? What about for emergency services? What about extra coverage like drug, dental and vision? My point really, is: are you really getting the same plan?

Exactly. You need to look at the plan documents and read the fine print. Pre-existing condition limitiations, lifetime maximum payouts.....etc

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: bctbct
$100 a month? You insuring only a portion of your body?

The quotes that I get here.. http://www.benefitpackages.com/ come out to $42/mo to $400/mo.

 

[fatkorean]

One of the main reasons is, with private health care, they can deny you initial coverage based on your past records like cancer, stroke etc... With business health plan, they can't deny coverage so the cost is higher. In effect the business owner is paying extra for the ones who are already "sick."

-fk

 

[Syringer]

Ah, good point.

I've always wondered though, if someone gets hired by a company with say, cancer/HIV or whatever, do they have to be accepted into an insurance plan then? So if you're uninsured and unemployed and then get a horrible disease, is it just a matter of getting hired by a company?

 

[fatkorean]

Yes they do get accepted even if they had cancer and what not. Thats why the premiums are higher for the employeer. Also there is usually a waiting period though before they can treat a "previous condition."

-fk