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In: Health Insurance
28 Apr 2010My father just quit his old job, he couldn’t work there anymore (Too long commute and we lost a parent, so he had to stay closer home for the family)
So now he is self employed. We are trying to find insurance that will cover him, 4 children, vision (we all wear glasses) + dental.
Does anyone have any suggestions? (We live in PA)
This is about reference of insurance questions information.
6 Responses to Self Employed Health Insurance?
tate556
April 28th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
I purchased insurance from Celtic insurance. They had a good HSA for a family and reasonable rates. Good luck!
zeuz
April 28th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
1st – Consider continuing the coverage available from work under the COBRA laws.
2nd – While covered under COBRA engage the services of a reputable health insurance agent to survey the insurance marketplace.
Robert M
April 28th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
humana or golden rule
Insure411
April 28th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
UHC, Anthem and Aetna are all good options. You might take care of the health portion first – maybe add a dental rider to the plan and then do a stand alone vision plan with VSP or someone like that.
Arthur
April 28th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Sonia – If your father has not done so yet, he should consider accepting the Cobra or state continuation plan, at least until he gets other coverage. In the meantime, here’s a few tips:
1. Find a local broker near you. Go to NAHU.org (see below) to find one close to you. NAHU is the professional association of brokers, like me, who specialize in health insurance.
2. Go online and get some health quotes from other companies. Visit my site (below) or an online quoting site like Norvax (also below).
3. Get a plan with a big deductible (and, therefore, lower cost), like $2,500 – 5,000. Even with a larger deductible you can still get a plan that will give you the things you want, like doctor & drug copays, etc.
4. Stick with “brand name” insurance companies like Blue Cross, Aetna, United Healthcare, etc. There are a lot of “lesser” companies & plans that look good on paper but, should you have a big claim (which is, really, why you have insurance) you’ll often find them hard to deal with.
5. Most health companies also offer dental options, but few offer vision plans, too. You may want to consider a discount dental/vision plan instead of a “regular,” insured plan. Consider plans with the Careington Group (again, see my site below).
Hope this helps a bit!
Insurance Pickle.com
April 28th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
You can find the cheapest coverage by going through a broker. Find one through the Internet by searching for “(your state) health insurance broker.” Just be sure to check the About Us section to make sure they’re a legit company and not a company that’s going to sell your name. You don’t need someone local because health insurance is mostly bought over the phone. It’s not that complicated that you have to ’sit down’ with someone.
You also want to make sure you’re dealing with someone who can help you after the sale with problem claims, billing and finding a new policy in the future. In the interim you can try the tool on my site that compares plans and requires no personal information to use.