hector

Well after years of not having health insurance and now that I have a wife and kid, Im giving up on not having some coverage. After months of procrastinating the wife did some research and found Coventry One to be realistically priced and coverage on par with other companies with much higher premiums. Anyone have them? Have anything positive/negative to say?

Ben

iTrader: (33)

No experience with Coventry. I've had a Humana high deductible plan for the past 5 years or so, and recommend them highly. Premium is low due to the deductible ($2k) but they pay 100% after the deductible is met, where most of your standard plans only pay 80-90%.

I got my plan through a broker, and the rate I got through him was better than if I purchased the same coverage directly. Might be something you want to look into.

hector

Ben thanks for the reply. When you say you pay the first $2k, is that a yearly deductible that you pay for any medical treatment (regular visit, dental, emergency, etc) and once you get past the deductible everything there on is covered by the insurance or is this a deductible only for hospital stay?

And the plan we are looking at getting is through an online broker as Coventry doesnt have that plan available through them. Go figure.

Ben

iTrader: (33)

Yearly deductible. They pay nothing* until I'm out of pocket for $2k. This keeps the premium really low compared to a traditional plan, as the insured is de-incentivsed to run to the emergency room because they have a sniffle. Where with a traditional plan with small copay, people will see a doctor frequently for any minor reason.

I assume you have no health issues currently. I don't either, and I keep this plan as a low cost contingency. It's basically disaster mitigation -- I do something dumb on a dirtbike, and my health care costs are capped at $2k. Otherwise, there's no way I can spend $2k on healthcare/yr.

I'm also of the opinion that healthcare, especially preventative measures, is important. However people have too much healthcare, have too many treatments, and see too many doctors, each not knowing what the other is doing. Procedures for the sake of having procedures makes people more sick, not more healthy. I keep it to a minimum.

*They do pay 100% for a yearly checkup and have certain other benefits as well. I got a flu shot a few weeks ago, and I was surprised that they cover immunizations at 100%.

hector

Yeah the deductible on hospital stay is much higher with this plan to the tune of $10k per person but it has many other things (dental, vision) at a low co-pay or none. If it were just me I would do something like yours as I am seldom ill like enough to require medical attention. Actually cant remember the last time I needed medical attention. But my wife, 44, and son, 2, need more medical attention than me so I need something that has all three of us reasonably covered. If something goes very wrong its $10k plus the $3600 yearly premium. Not good but considering the alternative I guess its better than nothing.