Newbie Alert: what do self employed Teams do about Health Insurance?
- Thread starter jackieg
- Start date
Look for high deductable plans that have are Health Savings Account legal. They, like all health plans, have really gone up in cost since Obama Care made health care less expensive, but they are still the best bet as long as the remain legal.
If either of you are veterans you can look into the VA health care system. Maybe look into private groups, like church based group plans if you belong to a group that has plans.
It is NOT easy nor cheap.
If either of you are veterans you can look into the VA health care system. Maybe look into private groups, like church based group plans if you belong to a group that has plans.
It is NOT easy nor cheap.
Self-employed teams who want insurance buy it themselves and pay the going rate. To determine your rate, talk to insurance agents who specialize in health insurance and have been in the business a long time. This is a complicated product and it is good to find someone who knows what he or she is doing.
Since you will likely be traveling to most if not all 48 states (maybe Alaska too) and several Canadian provinces, it is very important to get a plan that provides coverage everywhere. Don't try to save money by getting a plan that is good only in your home area or severely limited "out of network." Get a plan that is honored everywhere.
Test it first before you buy. Call ten clinics and/or hospital ER's at random in states that are far away and ask them if they will honor your plan. You can't plan where you will get sick or injured. Get coverage that provides true coverage. I know of cases where people have died early deaths because they put off getting medical care when it was needed. A good insurance plan will enable you to go to the doctor, not when you can afford to, but when you need to go.
It's bad enough being sick on the road far from home. It is terrible if you are sick enough to need medical attention but you don't go in because you have insufficient coverage, or you don't go in for routine things like annual physicals because you don't want to pay out of pocket.
Good for you for thinking about this and looking into it. Far too many truckers do not.
Good health insurance is costly and getting costlier. But the price of not having it is even higher.
Since you will likely be traveling to most if not all 48 states (maybe Alaska too) and several Canadian provinces, it is very important to get a plan that provides coverage everywhere. Don't try to save money by getting a plan that is good only in your home area or severely limited "out of network." Get a plan that is honored everywhere.
Test it first before you buy. Call ten clinics and/or hospital ER's at random in states that are far away and ask them if they will honor your plan. You can't plan where you will get sick or injured. Get coverage that provides true coverage. I know of cases where people have died early deaths because they put off getting medical care when it was needed. A good insurance plan will enable you to go to the doctor, not when you can afford to, but when you need to go.
It's bad enough being sick on the road far from home. It is terrible if you are sick enough to need medical attention but you don't go in because you have insufficient coverage, or you don't go in for routine things like annual physicals because you don't want to pay out of pocket.
Good for you for thinking about this and looking into it. Far too many truckers do not.
Good health insurance is costly and getting costlier. But the price of not having it is even higher.
You also need to consider, if you have any preexisting conditions. Will your insurance cover these immediately or will you have to wait for a certain time.
I honestly don't kow what to think about Obamacare as it relates to expediter health insurance. I don't know what to think because information needed to make an intelligent health insurance decision has yet to come. While endless opinions are voiced about the politics of the program (kindly use the soapbox forum for that), the details are lacking. The temporary approach you took is about the best anyone can do right now.
As it now appears, Obamacare does not seem to be a solution for people who are well off. If you plan to succeed financially as expediters, it is probably best to also plan to pay for your own health insurance. And while you are at it, don't forget to put money away that will fund your retirement too. If you do not fund your retirement, no one else will.
As it now appears, Obamacare does not seem to be a solution for people who are well off. If you plan to succeed financially as expediters, it is probably best to also plan to pay for your own health insurance. And while you are at it, don't forget to put money away that will fund your retirement too. If you do not fund your retirement, no one else will.
I ONLY brought up Obama Care because of what my agent has been telling us. Prices have sky rocketed since that bill was passed. We have also been told that the high deductable plans with an HSA are going to be outlawed once Obama Care goes into full affect in 2014. Time will tell.
The cost of our health insurance has increased every year since we purchased the plan. The plan predates Obamacare. The upward trend in cost continued the same as always. No noticable difference was seen when Obamacare became law.
Like everyone else, we are waiting to see what the future will bring.
Because so much of that program is in a yet-to-be-determined status, I have not paid close attention to it. For those self-employed expediters who run at a loss or a break-even business, will Obamacare provide benefits that they do not now have? Same question for self-employed expediters whose income is positive but below the poverty line. Will they gain benefits that they do not now have?
The cost of our health insurance has increased every year since we purchased the plan. The plan predates Obamacare. The upward trend in cost continued the same as always. No noticable difference was seen when Obamacare became law.
Like everyone else, we are waiting to see what the future will bring.
Because so much of that program is in a yet-to-be-determined status, I have not paid close attention to it. For those self-employed expediters who run at a loss or a break-even business, will Obamacare provide benefits that they do not now have? Same question for self-employed expediters whose income is positive but below the poverty line. Will they gain benefits that they do not now have?
I don't know about your plan but the rate of increase on my wife's has doubled (the rate of increase) since the law was passed.
As to the rest, it is Soapbox fodder. I will behave . LOL!
I was told today when I called that although even the Insurance Companies dont yet know what is 'in' OCare, enrollment begins aprox Oct/Nov and it will 'kick in' Jan 2014. Pre existing will be covered, so until then I need to apply for 'short term' which is 3 months limited coverage. Not looking forward to this waiting game.
That is interesting info, jackieg, straight from someone who is caught in the middle of things as new programs are developed.
The uncertainty you complain about originates from the government. Another example of government-induced uncertainty is California's CARB regulations that were retroactively applied to people who, in good faith, complied with the equipment regulations that were in force when the equipment was purchased. More than once in recent years, businesses could not even know what their tax liability would be in just a few weeks or months ahead, because government officials could not make up their minds. Sadly, there are many more examples.
I'm not writing this to complain about that, but simply to point out how government at federal, state and local levels has changed its approach over the last ten or more years, making it difficult for business people of all kinds to make plans.
Now that elected officials have seen that they can behave this way and still get re-elected, I think this increased level of uncertainty is here to stay and it will be something expediters and all other business people will have to deal with in the years ahead. It makes it all the more important to have a good business plan and to have your Plan B also well prepared.
If you're going to be with FedEx, you might want to consider contacting Expediter Services. They work with Fedex and I know they offer some kind of health insurance through them...whether you can get it straight through Fedex, I don't know, I believe it's an ES thing. Contact Jeff Tacker there, he can explain it to you - drivers I had in my truck had insurance through ES.
This article is about health care insurance challenges for people who retire early. It is also applicable to people who leave jobs with benefits to become self-employed expediters.
It could have doubled the rate of increase. Also don't forget that your rates go up for every age bracket you enter into. When I was 25 my premium was 160 dollars a month. Now that I'm 36 my premium is 300 a month. When I hit 45 it will go up again, then once again when I hit 55, and then when I hit 65. When you hit 75 it goes up really high, but you guys should be on Medicare by then. I know one thing, once Obamacare is implimented, we are going to be rationed. We don't have enough doctors, clinics, or emergency room facilities to handle the amount of people who will be entering the healthcare system.
The Obamacare system was not created to bring the cost of healthcare insurance down, it was created to bankrupt the system, remove the private insurance carriers, and facilitate a complete government take- over of healthcare. What greater control does a government have over its people than to control their healthcare? Once the government takes over the healthcare system, your life will be in their "and their death pannel's hands!" If you need a surgery and you smoke, or you are overweight, or inactive, they will just deem you not viable and move on to the next person.
The only people who will be able to get away from the system will be the rich people who can fly to other countries and oay cash for their treatments. I heard from one healthcare professional that they are going to make it illegal for doctors to open up "private cash only practices" outside of the new healthcare system. She told me that all medical professionals who do not participate in the new healthcare system will have their licenses revoked. Tell me this, if the new healthcare system is going to be so great, why is congress exempt from it? Please move this to the soapbox if it is too off topic!
EASYTRADER
Expert Expediter
Go to ehealthinsurance.com DO NOT talk to a health insurance agent unless you want to get screwed.
Look for a High Deductable HSA compatible plan. My wife and I are 40 yr olds, we pay 169 a mos. Our deductable is 8k and we are covered up to 5 mil. This is through Blue Shield not fly by night.
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Look for a High Deductable HSA compatible plan. My wife and I are 40 yr olds, we pay 169 a mos. Our deductable is 8k and we are covered up to 5 mil. This is through Blue Shield not fly by night.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using EO Forums mobile app
EASYTRADER
Expert Expediter
Also HSAs give you another avenue to save money for retirement, they are basically like an IRA except it is lega to make withdrawls for medical expenses.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using EO Forums mobile app
Sent from my SPH-D700 using EO Forums mobile app