Private health insurance in Louisville?

With our impending move we're going to need health insurance.

Does anybody here have experience with this in Louisville? I've priced it out on the internet (einsurance.com) and it seems really reasonably priced. Aside from Anthem I don't have experience with any of the insurers.

From most people I've talked to, Anthem is better than Humana....neither is very good.

I had a group plan through Anthem, and it was great - but that is group (different animal)...

My youngest is on a private plan through Anthem now.

Try to make a direct comparison between the different policies you're considering. Policies can be all over the place in terms of what is covered and what isn't. For example, my baby's vaccinations aren't covered. Well, not really. We pay and they go against the deductable. Incredibly lame! And even lamer is that my insurance agent didn't tell us that. I mean, you know a newborn is going to need shots, so it would be a no-brainer to get a very low deductable. Lame agent. Greedy insurance company.

Would they rather treat measles or polio? I mean why in the world won't they cover preventative care?

Horrible health care system in our country.... Bring on single payer, like the rest of the world!!! (don't get me started)

I'm with you on this one Nimbus ! Two thumbs way up !

The group policy at my firm is through Anthem, and good, but very $$$ since our risk-group is relatively small and attorneys subsidize some of the cost for secretaries and staff. As a relatively healthy <30 year old, I have a reasonable individual plan through Anthem that's basically the same coverage as the group policy, but more than half the cost.

I priced Humana at the time I switched, and it was considerably more.

We have private insurance thru Anthem. My usual name for it is the "Cheap and Crappy Insurance." It costs half of what we used to pay and to make up for that it covers NOTHING. Seriously my primary care physician is Web MD.

For example, my baby's vaccinations aren't covered. Well, not really. We pay and they go against the deductable. Incredibly lame! And even lamer is that my insurance agent didn't tell us that. I mean, you know a newborn is going to need shots, so it would be a no-brainer to get a very low deductable. Lame agent.

All you have to do is call in a change your policy to whatever you like...

For example, my baby's vaccinations aren't covered. Well, not really. We pay and they go against the deductable. Incredibly lame! And even lamer is that my insurance agent didn't tell us that. I mean, you know a newborn is going to need shots, so it would be a no-brainer to get a very low deductable. Lame agent.

All you have to do is call in a change your policy to whatever you like...

Yeah, but they didn't tell us up front, so we had a higher deductible plan. Then, after two rounds of shots were submitted by the Doctor and subsequently rejected by the insurance company, we were already out something like four hundred dollars.

You say "call in a change," but that isn't how it works. It is filling out a new application and re-applying. When that gets approved, we're still out the four hundred we paid towards the first policy's deductable. And if it wasn't approved by the next round of shots, then I think it would no longer have made financial sense to go with the low deductable.

Again, lame agent. Greedy insurance company. And we're out four hundred extra bucks for our totally healthy baby. "Call in a change" is a sick fantasy Brian. And of course, if my son's health had changed, of course no changes possible.

The system in this country truly disgusts me. The new plan is only marginally better, and waiting four years for most of it to kick in is pathetic. Six months would be plenty of time to "get it right" (obama's weak excuse for the delay) . As it is, the rich get wonderful healthcare, the middle class pay more than they can afford, and the poor get little or nothing, and have to line up at 7am hoping to get seen at the Community Health Centers if they're early enough and lucky.

We need some changes....big time. (single payer!)

As it is, the rich get wonderful healthcare, the middle class pay more than they can afford, and the poor get little or nothing, and have to line up at 7am hoping to get seen at the Community Health Centers if they're early enough and lucky.

Although I'm in favor of health care reform I'd disagree with this statement. As far as I know, no one in America is denied health care when they have to have it (the poor) then everyone else pays for it in higher premiums. Much of the middle class that is working for companies have health care costs somewhat subsidized by their employers and it is pretty affordable.

If you think the poor have it so bad think again. I work all the time with low to moderate income people that are in the "system" and a good majority of them use the "system" to support themselves when they do not need it. I've seen seen many cases where people are drawing SSI on themselves and 3 to 4 children, cashing $3k a month tax free, Passport, Section 8, Public Housing, 4c's, foodstamps, etc and dressed to the nines and driving a luxury SUV. I've seen "poor" people who pay little or no rent via Public Housing or Section 8 and have a $500 car payment. Don't feel so sorry for the poor when 50 to 70% of them are using the system when they could easily become productive members of society. I know it's possible because I've seen the opposite, people that have real disabilities or those that get an better education and go to work and refuse to live off the system and choose to work because they have pride.

Preach it Nimbus!

Brian writes:
"As far as I know, no one in America is denied health care when they have to have it (the poor) then everyone else pays for it in higher premiums."

Well, besides this not even being a real sentence, I wonder what you're getting at. Of course the poor are routinely denied health care. What you mean by "when they have to have it?" Do you mean after the conditions get so bad that they are near death? Like when after the cancer spreads through their body? Or do you just mean when they are so bad they need to go to the ER? Or when the ER is their only option?

Heck, even many people with insurance can't get approved for treatments, or can't afford them.

This is a food forum, so I'll leave it with this comment in food-related terms:

"Eat the rich!"

(Don't worry, I'm a vegetarian)

Peace...

Actually, what I wrote is a sentence, it may have benefited from a comma after "it". Anyway, I don't think Nimbus has a good idea of what is actually going out here with moderate to low income folks, it's very clear from his posts.

And this is posted in an off topic forum, any discussion is allowed.

AnneMarie comments: "nimbus, sometimes i wonder where you get some of your information:"

First hand experience. Is that good enough for ya? I'm one of those folks with a pre-existing condition, so the for-profit system will insure me, but only at totally ridiculous unaffordable rates. Also, it makes any group plans out of sight in affordability. Teaching part time at U of L and Sullivan yields no benefits in our glorious system.

There are situations at the Community Health Centers - yes, here locally - where you can't get an appointment for literally months, or they're not even starting to take appointments yet, but they're presently filled up. So the poor people do end up as walk-ins. I've been out there in the cold at 7am lining up, talking to people, listening to stories. Like how the previous day, they only took the first ten people on the list. Well, the day I was there, there were already over 25 people in line by 8am, hoping for the best.

There is a massive difference between the haves and the have-nots in our country's medical system. I think that is fundamentally wrong.

AnneMarie goes on: "well i guess you never been to a family health center. you actually get greater care there than if you had a private doctor as i've been told over and over, and have seen first hand."

Uh, Bzzzzzt....wrongo. I was at one just last month - thank you for your incorrect guess. NOT greater care from my experience. I had a horribly painful toothache. No appointments available, so I was a walk-in. After the seven o clock line up (people had been lining up since 6am), and two hours of waiting (one hour in the cold, outside), I got a very rushed and rough x-ray tech to x-ray my tooth. Then more waiting. Yes, the dentist was nice, but she seemed extremely young, and not very confident in her diagnosis. But she came up with a plan. Told me to take painkillers until the appointment. However, first available appointment was over two months away. Ouch.

I doubt you'd find a private dentist who'd make you wait two full months for an excruciatingly painful tooth to be treated.

Maybe you consider that "greater care," but I sure don't. You've seen first hand? As a patient? And I'm sure some of the community health care is fine. Probably some good, some bad. But people with money can make a phone call and get seen right away. In a comfy office (no super early wakeups, lining up outside hoping the max number of patients isn't reached before seven am line gets too long). You get to choose a good doctor, things you take for granted. You get an x-ray that doesn't hurt (never had that experience before in my life). You aren't expected to take painkillers for two months waiting for the next appointment. That is just one example.

Try it next time you need to see a doctor or dentist. I dare ya....That goes for anyone and everyone. I think it is a real eye-opener.

(one very nice part of the experience is that the patients actually open up and talk to each other, very unlike typical waiting areas where you might say a few polite pleasantries. Here, at the Community Health Center, you're all in the same dismal boat, and you share life stories as if you're talking to old friends. That was one truly enjoyable aspect that the rich don't get to experience)

And just because you've got insurance doesn't mean you won't go bankrupt if you get seriously sick, and it doesn't mean you'll get treatment if your procedures get denied.

I've actually sold health insurance before (I was licensed in Arizona, and represented several companies). I'm pretty familiar with the system. I've seen and heard the horror stories first hand.

So where do I get my info? From being part of the system (as an agent and a patient at both private and community medical facilities) AND from being uninsured in the US even though I'm a workaholic.

We have a cruel and inhumane system in the US. Life and Death should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold and to be exploited in order to maximize profits. To do so is reprehensible, in my opinion.

People should look out for fellow people, and not use anecdotes about others "abusing the system."
Yeah, those welfare moms are just having kids to buy their big SUV's...give me a break! Long live the Fox Network. Gag.

The system is horribly flawed and needs to be scrapped. Someday it will be..better sooner rather than later...

Cheers....off the soapbox...

P.S. And Brian, I do have a pretty good idea of what is actually going on out there with moderate to low income folks. I'm one of them! Nothing like first-hand experience.

Annemarie and Brian,

I had written a veeeerrrry long response to your comments yesterday evening, but had unexpected guests show up before I posted it. I may come back to it later. In short, you're just not thinking it through.

Annemarie (1) You have been a "pretend patient" with no actual medical issues at ONE particular clinic. The net result....they were very nice to you. Excellent. (2) You had a UTI. Big deal. I could treat that with some leftover antibiotics from my medicine cabinet.

What would you do if you developed breast cancer.......... or prostrate cancer (for Brian) or some other life threatening condition .....or chronic illness that required ON-GOING care (something requiring a bit more than a 14 day round of antibiotics). What would you do if once your cancer was discovered, you became "uninsurable" by any private insurer? ---- 'cause now you have a "pre-existing condition" What if....in an effort to save your life, you needed to make repeated visits to a specialist...and you had to take daily medication....maybe you need radiation treatment every few years or so.....Oh, and don't forget chemo (no cost there).....by the way, you're going to need some biopsies (sp?) along the way.....mammograms every three months, MRI's, CAT scans and a surgery or two......bye-bye lymphnodes............................AND SO ON?

Not trying to be snarky, but trying to drive the point home. I didn't just make up the above scenario. That was my mother. It's REAL. Lots of people get cancer and a whole host of conditions that cannot be treated by a pleasant visit to a community medical center at the right time of day.....or a visit to an emergency room.

Just ask yourself. What would happen if I found out that I have cancer or diabetes or whatever.....and one little gap in employment caused me to lose my current insurance. What if I became uninsurable? What if I couldn't afford the treatments? Do I give up my home & assets? Do I give up and die? I guess I could always make a trip to the free clinic or the emergency room....'cause I'm guaranteed healthcare there -- and they are pleasant.

I will now get off my soapbox. I just get very frustrated with knee-jerk reactions from people who have never had to REALLY get any sort of medical care beyond sinus infections, UTI's etc. Yes. I guess the U.S. has the best medical care in the world....if you can't access it, it doesn't matter.

And done. Breathe.

Now everyone go google -- cancer rates in the U.S. and see what your odds are. I'm heading to Thunder.

Ok. I've been "Thunderstruck" and have a bit of a headache today. So bare/bear with me....

But Annemarie, I think we are having two different arguments. You seem to be making a point about the quality of the community clinics. I'm not arguing that point. I've used them. Some are better than others. Fine.

I'm trying to make a point about the U.S. healthcare "system"....the entire system. The system that is dominated and controlled by private insurers with stockholders and an incentive to make money. By the way, I used to work for Humana. I'm just never going to agree that a stop-gap plan of community healthcare clinics and emergency room care is sufficient and acceptable. If you're happy with it....great.

I just don't understand why...that if you haven't had any insurance in 14 years (and you must realize with the cancer scare that you're probably uninsurable don't you?)....and you've had the near misses with cancer...and thank goodness....everything turned out alright.....WHY would you be against reform that could provide you more coverage to you........ and more access to healthcare.....and more rights and protections? I'm just confused.

Aahhhh. Got it. So we do seem to be mostly in agreement. Must go nurse my headache now. Have a good evening.