Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best Health Insurance
- Thread starter phas3
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you were deployed while in the military, you may be eligible for TriCare. Military folks returning from deployment are eligible for TriCare after they return. At least, National Guard folks are. TriCare isn't too bad.
yes I was deployed, I think I might be eligible, are there any other companies you would recommend? I heard blue cross might be good
Blue Cross/Blue Shield is hit or miss. They are huge, and have a bunch of different branches. For example, around here there is Blue Cross (nationwide), then there is Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi, which isn't as good in my experience. I have also noticed they don't do individual plans that much.
Assurant has decent prices for individuals, but I don't know about their response and customer service. The good thing is you can customize plans to your needs. Ehealthinsurance can also give quotes from multiple companies. You may also want to consider talking to a local independent insurance agent who can shop different companies for you.
As a a general rule for insurance, pick the highest deductible you can afford. Most high-deductible plans have relatively low premiums. If you pay for something you don't use, it's wasted.
However, you should look at a variety of factors:
1) Trustworthiness of the insurer: will they pay your claim or hassle you?
2) Deductible: individual and family
3) Premium: minimize this as much as you can
4) Benefits:
- do they have GOOD doctors in your area?
- prescriptions
- pregnancy
* how long before they are available
* how much do they cover
- other special needs: are you needs covered by their plan
Finally, you should fill out their forms with the absolute truth. An insurer will screw you if they find out that you did not.
However, you should look at a variety of factors:
1) Trustworthiness of the insurer: will they pay your claim or hassle you?
2) Deductible: individual and family
3) Premium: minimize this as much as you can
4) Benefits:
- do they have GOOD doctors in your area?
- prescriptions
- pregnancy
* how long before they are available
* how much do they cover
- other special needs: are you needs covered by their plan
Finally, you should fill out their forms with the absolute truth. An insurer will screw you if they find out that you did not.
My school was you had to have your own coverage or buy theirs.
See if your school has a clinic or healthcenter on site. Ours does, so visiting them is free for regular stuff - feeling sick, exams, precription meds, OCP for females.
If you do have some sort of student healthcenter, then get a cheaper high premium plan, as you won't need it unless something catastrophic happens.
Check with the college. They should have some kind of health coverage through the student health center. Also, if anyone (parents) is claiming you as a dependent, you may be covered under their insurance.
Well, yeah, but depending on the coverage, you might not be covered while at school. "Out of network" coverage is rare, I think. That means you have to go see a doctor in the city that the holder of the policy has coverage, generally speaking. You can still have someone in the right location fill a new prescription, then have it transferred to a closer pharmacy when you refill it, I think.
It really depends on how things are set up. Most insurance plans I have seen have network partners all over a state. With my insurance at work, for example, I can plug in a zip code and it will tell me who is in network for that area. Also, some networks extend all over the state. There is a group around here called Baptist Medical that has hospitals and doctors scattered all over the state. If they were in your network, for example, you would be covered at any location.
That's kind of the same thing I said. Now, your "all over a state" comment brings up an interesting question. I don't know how state boundaries figure into insurance plans. I know we had two sons in school out of state, one of them in two neighboring states (undergrad then grad school) and the other one state removed (could get there after driving through one adjacent state. They could not get covered for anything where they were because they were "out of network".
So, if you live in KC east of the river, could you see a doctor in KC west of the river??