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I'm moving to the US in a week or so and my current health insurance lapses in March (it's a worldwide health insurance that's only available if you are in the US less than 180 days/year and out of your resident country more than 90 days a year), so I need to get US health insurance. Is http://www.healthcare.gov the only place I need to search or do you also search individual agencies like with car insurance?

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you are better off speaking to a reputable agent that has access to all competitive carriers/products.

what state will you live in?

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you are better off speaking to a reputable agent that has access to all competitive carriers/products.

what state will you live in?

 

GA, do you have recommendations?

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you are better off speaking to a reputable agent that has access to all competitive carriers/products.

what state will you live in?

 

 

Agreed.

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I do hope you like bending over and being shafted without lube?

 

Not looking forward to it but it's a necessary evil in the US. Right now I have this expat insurance through BCBS ( https://www.geo-blue.com ) that covers me anywhere in the world, the policy was half the price if you opted for every country in the world except the US. That tells you something about the US healthcare business.

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Not looking forward to it but it's a necessary evil in the US. Right now I have this expat insurance through BCBS ( https://www.geo-blue.com ) that covers me anywhere in the world, the policy was half the price if you opted for every country in the world except the US. That tells you something about the US healthcare business.

 

My business partner had a surgery here in the US last year. He did his best to make sure the doctor and anesthesiologist were both "in-network" and covered by our health plan. But during his surgery an out-of-network nurse anesthetist wandered in and his bill was out-of-network and 5x what the actual surgeon was charging in-network. He also forgot to check that the building/facility the surgery was occurring in was in-network, and he got slapped with thousands of dollars of extra charges. Took him 6 months of fighting to get the bills knocked down, eventually got the facility and the anesthetist to take cash for a discount.

 

Two differences you might experience with US plans are the concept of HMO vs PPO, and in-network vs out-of-network.

 

HMO plans don’t include out-of-network benefits, so if you go to a provider for non-emergency care who doesn’t take your plan, you pay all costs. Think of HMO as NETWORK ONLY plans. Errbody gotta be in that network for your surgery, procedure, etc. PPO plans include out-of-network benefits but you usually pay more of the cost, i.e. if your PPO plan normally covers 90% of the costs and you cover 10% for an in-network visit, an out-of-network visit might only cover 50% and you cover the other 50%.

 

Welcome to healthcare hell. Population: 323.1 million

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My business partner had a surgery here in the US last year. He did his best to make sure the doctor and anesthesiologist were both "in-network" and covered by our health plan. But during his surgery an out-of-network nurse anesthetist wandered in and his bill was out-of-network and 5x what the actual surgeon was charging in-network. He also forgot to check that the building/facility the surgery was occurring in was in-network, and he got slapped with thousands of dollars of extra charges. Took him 6 months of fighting to get the bills knocked down, eventually got the facility and the anesthetist to take cash for a discount.

 

Two differences you might experience with US plans are the concept of HMO vs PPO, and in-network vs out-of-network.

 

HMO plans don’t include out-of-network benefits, so if you go to a provider for non-emergency care who doesn’t take your plan, you pay all costs. Think of HMO as NETWORK ONLY plans. Errbody gotta be in that network for your surgery, procedure, etc. PPO plans include out-of-network benefits but you usually pay more of the cost, i.e. if your PPO plan normally covers 90% of the costs and you cover 10% for an in-network visit, an out-of-network visit might only cover 50% and you cover the other 50%.

 

Welcome to healthcare hell. Population: 323.1 million

 

:iamwithstupid: That being said, PPO is the way to go

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:iamwithstupid: That being said, PPO is the way to go

 

Yeah I figured as much. Any other tips? Any specifics I should be looking for on deductibles/limits?

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Yeah I figured as much. Any other tips? Any specifics I should be looking for on deductibles/limits?

 

You really need to see what the costs are vs deductibles and out of pocket costs. It definitely isn't linear and much will depend on how often you see the doctor.

 

Is it $20/mo or $200/mo more for a $500 deductible vs $5k?

 

I'm not a fan of making a big hedge against fairly unlikely circumstances. Once you see the rates vs plans you'll quickly find something that works for you. Being a young guy (assuming you're in good health) who can easily afford a big deductible it doesn't make much sense to hedge it.

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They are built to reward big deductibles. Oftentimes, adding $1000 to the deductible will save more than $1000 in annual premium!

 

I think BCBS is pretty good personally. Check out an HSA plan with a big deductible and ideally use it as a small tax free savings account.

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They are built to reward big deductibles. Oftentimes, adding $1000 to the deductible will save more than $1000 in annual premium!

 

I think BCBS is pretty good personally. Check out an HSA plan with a big deductible and ideally use it as a small tax free savings account.

 

Would HSA apply for someone who is self employed? From what I read if I understood it correctly I can deduct my entire health insurance as 'adjustment of income'.

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Would HSA apply for someone who is self employed? From what I read if I understood it correctly I can deduct my entire health insurance as 'adjustment of income'.

 

Yes but there are restrictions, such as the business income has to exceed the healthcare costs and there has to be a certain deductible limit.

 

How do we not have a lambo guy that specializes in this stuff?? Someone step in, chop chop!

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GA, do you have recommendations?

 

Go back to Europe when you get sick. I’ve been doing all my operations there for the past 12 years. No chance I’d do one here unless it’s a emergency.

 

Best

 

Eric

 

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Yes but there are restrictions, such as the business income has to exceed the healthcare costs and there has to be a certain deductible limit.

 

How do we not have a lambo guy that specializes in this stuff?? Someone step in, chop chop!

we have 14k life/health/annuity agents across the U.S., but unfortunately we specialize in all products except health ins.

I can recommend a local agent if needed. best bet is always try to fit in a group plan if possible. or even an association etc.

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