On Sat, Nov 17, 2001 at 01:41:30PM -0600, Matt Wagner wrote: > Hi, > > I thought this 'Consulting Practices' thread might be a good one to > ask for some advice about healthcare packages that local consultants > have found good for themselves. > > So how about it? Does anybody who is out there consulting have their > own healthcare setup? I do. Through Health Partners. I pay $400/month with a $1000 deductible for a family of 5. So I end up paying at least $6,000 per year. But if you are self-employed you get to deduct about half of that on your taxes. > > What are the best packages for individuals (with families)? "Best" is a loaded word. Not sure how to answer that. > > Which ones provide dental with their coverage? That costs extra, if that's what you mean. I don't carry it so I don't have any idea. I pay out of pocket, which is about the same as paying the insurance, unless your teeth are miserable. I get involved at the dentist. Ask what things cost. Is it really necessary? Why are you hiding behind that leaded glass if x-rays are so harmless? > > Is there any 'gotchas' to watch-out for? Avoid kids. They get sick. You get worried. You take them to the doc. It's nothing. You get a bill. Repeat. > > My limited checking around flushed out that places like Medica are > _way_ too high priced for individuals -- they were something like > $15k/yr. But Healthpartners was fairly reasonable -- around $5k/yr. I > don't have any information about the BlueCross/Shield providers. > > Does anybody have any knowledge/experience to contrast Medica and > Healthpartners? Is Medica really 3x better? The big difference when my wife researched them, was some plans you can go to the doctor you want immediatley without referral. At Health Partners you need to be sent to a specialist. Which has not been a problem for us in 8 years on the plan. Some plans, you can go to any doctor that accepts your insurance, like Blue Cross. With Health Partners, you only see Health Parnter doctors. Again, no problem for us. All the doctors we've had were very good and seemed to give a damn. As far as quality of doctors, they are all the same. My brother is a doctor and I asked him about that. No group has the "best" doctors in town. I'm not selling Health Partners. Make your own choices. You will be paying a lot, no matter who you choose. Just up your fess and pass on the costs. It's the american way. You, or anyone, can e-mail me directly if you'd like more info. -- Paul Rech pauljrech at acm.org rechpj at bitstream.net prsyscon at real-time.com