Reply to Want to drop firm's BCBS for independent BCBS policy...am I missing something?

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Reply to "Want to drop firm's BCBS for independent BCBS policy...am I missing something?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Check to see if the individual policy you are looking at is medically underwritten, e.g. you have to get a physical or provide medical records and that affects premium, and they can raise your premiums if you get sick. I thought that most individual policies were like this, so the premium they list on the website to get you to inquire about the policy is for someone with nothing pre-existing, but if you have anything they may charge you a higher premium. One exception is Kaiser Permanente, you are either accepted or not, the premium is the same for everyone based on your age (so all 35 year olds with family coverage pay the exact same premium). We had an individual policy with them for a while (for our whole family) that was significantly less expensive than family coverage through my DH's company; and the coverage was very similar. So, it absolutely can be cheaper to purchase an individual policy than to buy insurance through your company if what your employer offers is not subsidized ... especially if your company/firm is small, they charge more for small groups and they may do partial medical underwriting on a small group and charge a higher premium for everyone if there is one person with a chronic condition, for example.

Just make sure that if you needed/wanted to, you could get back on your employer's policy, and find out what types of events could qualify to get you back on it or whether you would have to wait for the open enrollment period (usually once a year). If someone in your family got sick and your premiums on the individual policy went through the roof, you would want to have the group coverage. At least until 2014, which is when, barring an adverse Supreme Court decision or a legislative reversal, the Affordable Care Act kicks in to prevent such shenanigans.[/quote]

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