I have been successfully self-employed over the last few years -- the success part of that equation has been the best over the last year. But the need for stable income and health benefits has outweighed the need to be independent for me.
It is great that Rails has become mainstream enough that options abound. I am sure that I will be missing some of the freedom I have enjoyed being completely on my own, but who knows what will pop up.
Has anyone else found the medical insurance issue to be a show stopper for them? Are you one doctor visit and diagnosis away from financial ruin? I can tell you firsthand that wishful thinking won't pay those bills...
Thats what makes Canada so great, I probably be looking for a job if we didn't have government paid health care. I think thats why there are so many more indepedent/freelance consultants in the I.T. Industry in Canada.
Mike Pence wrote: > I have been successfully self-employed over the last few years -- the > success part of that equation has been the best over the last year. > But the need for stable income and health benefits has outweighed the > need to be independent for me.
> It is great that Rails has become mainstream enough that options > abound. I am sure that I will be missing some of the freedom I have > enjoyed being completely on my own, but who knows what will pop up.
> Has anyone else found the medical insurance issue to be a show stopper > for them? Are you one doctor visit and diagnosis away from financial > ruin? I can tell you firsthand that wishful thinking won't pay those > bills...
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Now this is an important question to discuss, I'm looking for health insurance as a self employed person. The cost of insuring yourself was so high that it's eaten heavily into your business?
> Now this is an important question to discuss, I'm looking for health > insurance as a self employed person. The cost of insuring yourself > was so high that it's eaten heavily into your business?
My wife and I both are self-employed, and we both get insurance for about $250/month which gives us $1000 coverage, and once that's burnt out, it's got a $5000 joint deductible, and then coverage up to some millions.
Robert Fischer IT Firefighter Smokejumper Consulting
> On 6/7/07, *Tim Case* <tcrai...@gmail.com <mailto:tcrai...@gmail.com>> > wrote:
> Now this is an important question to discuss, I'm looking for health > insurance as a self employed person. The cost of insuring yourself > was so high that it's eaten heavily into your business?
> My wife and I both are self-employed, and we both get insurance for > about $250/month which gives us $1000 coverage, and once that's burnt > out, it's got a $5000 joint deductible, and then coverage up to some > millions.
Not a bad deal. Care to share who your carrier is?
It's the "Simply Blue" plan through "Blue Cross/Blue Shield".
For the record, I have no commercial relationship with them beyond being a customer, and I haven't had a problem yet so I can't speak to their customer service.
Robert Fischer IT Firefighter Smokejumper Consulting
Michael D.Ivey wrote: > On Jun 7, 2007, at 1:28 PM, Robert Fischer wrote:
>> My wife and I both are self-employed, and we both get insurance for >> about $250/month which gives us $1000 coverage, and once that's burnt >> out, it's got a $5000 joint deductible, and then coverage up to some >> millions.
> Not a bad deal. Care to share who your carrier is?
I'm paying $125/mo. with Unicare. Single, 37 year old non smoker. $2000 deductible/$30 Dr. visit copay Prescriptions: Generic $10 Formulary $30 Non-formulary $50
As a W2 to most US companies - you'll pay $40 to $70/mo. for your part of the health insurance, so this doesn't seem too bad.
I could get the monthly payment down under $100 if I increased the deductible.
Tim Case wrote: > Now this is an important question to discuss, I'm looking for health > insurance as a self employed person. The cost of insuring yourself > was so high that it's eaten heavily into your business?
> Single, 37 year old non smoker. > $2000 deductible/$30 Dr. visit copay > Prescriptions: Generic $10 Formulary $30 Non-formulary $50
I wonder what people with families are paying. I'm 28, married with a 1-year-old. We're lucky enough that my wife has the option of staying home with our daughter (and future children, too, hopefully).
We pay $1200/month! ($500 deductible, which we should possibly consider bumping up).
> > Single, 37 year old non smoker. > > $2000 deductible/$30 Dr. visit copay > > Prescriptions: Generic $10 Formulary $30 Non-formulary $50
> I wonder what people with families are paying. I'm 28, married with a > 1-year-old. We're lucky enough that my wife has the option of staying home > with our daughter (and future children, too, hopefully).
> We pay $1200/month! ($500 deductible, which we should possibly consider > bumping up).
I've got a plan with my day-job to cover my wife and I, then an independent policy for our two kids as it works out to be $200 cheaper. Silly United Healthcare. Ironically, the independent policy is with a subsidiary of United.
What I found, over the few days I researched it, is that almost all of the independent policies include a co-insurance clause of 20%, meaning that regardless of what they cover you're going to get stuck with 20% of the bill. United was the only company that had plans which covered 100% of the bill after the deductible, but their 100% plan does not include a co-pay for doctor visits so you're going to pay the deductible before you see any return on the investment.
Over the past year my family have gone through about $60,000 of medical coverage - I had an appendectomy, my wife broke her thumb on my head while playing tag (!!), and then an emergency c-section - this would have bankrupt us and is ultimately why I will have a regular day job for a long time to come.
> I'm paying $125/mo. with Unicare. > Single, 37 year old non smoker. > $2000 deductible/$30 Dr. visit copay > Prescriptions: Generic $10 Formulary $30 Non-formulary $50
