"Hospital" Insurance and Persciption Plans

[sabotai]

Just so you know, I'm not dying, at least I don't think I am.

One of the things my doctor mentioned to me yesterday was that since I don't have any health insurance, I should look into getting something to cover hospital costs should I ever be hospitalized. He said that the costs can be extrmely high.

So I was wondering if anyone had a $2500 or $5000 deductable. How much does it costs and what exactly does it cover?

And does anyone have a prescription plan? How much does that costs and what does it do for the costs of prescriptions?

I know full health insurance is something I really can't afford. I want to see if I could afford having these two things, just in case I need them.

[lynchjm24]

In your situation, you'll find that even if the actual coverage isn't worth all that much, the discounts that the plan has negotiated will be the true benefit.

If you go in without health insurance you'll get the non-discounted prices. Even if your coverage is 'worthless' - say a 10k deductible, you'll find that the discounts can range anywhere from 10-80%. You'll find in New Jersey that the major carriers have HUGE discounts - I'm talking up to 70%, 80%, 90% depending on the category of treatment (inpatient, outpatient, ect.)

[gstelmack]

Originally posted by lynchjm24
In your situation, you'll find that even if the actual coverage isn't worth all that much, the discounts that the plan has negotiated will be the true benefit.

Yup, this is the most annoying thing about the current insurance system in the US. I could afford to buy my medications every month without insurance if I just got the insurance price, but the non-discounted cost is outrageous.

[lynchjm24]

Originally posted by lynchjm24
In your situation, you'll find that even if the actual coverage isn't worth all that much, the discounts that the plan has negotiated will be the true benefit.

This is especially true if you haven't had coverage. Due to pre-existing conditions clauses I'm sure you'll run into, there is a pretty good chance that nothing would be covered anyway.