health insurance

[jeffex]

I would like to go full time but my reg. job has
excellent benefits. With so many independent
operators out there we could organize and collectively
have insurers bid on our business. We could come up
with some appropriate acronym for our group. BASS
bassmasters started out just drumming up members one
at a time. What do you think. I'm just as independent
as the next guy but $6000 a year is tuff to take for
health insurance . We could be "GRASSMASTERS"

[lbmd1]

Jeffex,
$6000 a year sounds high. I'm just north of Boston over the NH border where the cost of living is quite high. I'm 39 and my health insurance through my local agent for this area's largest HMO is only $160 a month. That's for $20 copays, $5 prescriptions, etc... As for my choice of doctors, they are almost all on the list. I even get 12 chiropractor visits a year!!! Very badly needed too. As for leaving your job with all the benefits, I along with many others will agree that the benefits of self employment are much more rewarding and can be more beneficial to your life,health, and family, as well as your bottom line are far greater.

Mike

[scottb]

Originally posted by lbmd1
Jeffex,
$6000 a year sounds high. I'm just north of Boston over the NH border where the cost of living is quite high. I'm 39 and my health insurance through my local agent for this area's largest HMO is only $160 a month. That's for $20 copays, $5 prescriptions, etc... As for my choice of doctors, they are almost all on the list. I even get 12 chiropractor visits a year!!! Very badly needed too. As for leaving your job with all the benefits, I along with many others will agree that the benefits of self employment are much more rewarding and can be more beneficial to your life,health, and family, as well as your bottom line are far greater.

Mike

Is that family coverage or self. And what is the name of your Insurance company.

[TLS]

1bmd1,

$160/mo or week!!!??? Thats too good to be true. Eastern PA its like $450/mo. Thats why I have that P/T job. BENEFITS!!! Let us all know what company you are using and if its for family or single.

[thelawnguy]

Check with your local Farm Bureau. For something like $50 per year you can get the group rates thru them. Ex., health insurance was approx 6000/yr for family coverage (HMO no deductible) thru them a couple years ago. Different chapters may offer different products.

Look them up in the White Pages of your local directory.

[Twotoros]

Mine is through Premera Blue Cross and costs me 254. a month
, no dental or vision. I am 47.

[HOMER]

Mine is through Farm Bureau also, Blue Cross of Alabama. My cost is roughly $250. and change a month.

Homer

[lbmd1]

Hey guys,
The $160 for my health insuance is for myself only per month. We have Healthsource as our HMO provider. We did have Tufts as our HMO but they left NH and operate in Massachusetts now. I would give you my local insurance reps name, but with HMO's they are for local areas only (New England) Are all of your quotes from a major health provider or from an HMO?

MIke

[SLC1]

I pay for my own company health insurance is $180.00 per month, this includes $10 co-pays, $7 perscriptions and also includes most doctors and hospitals in our area. My 5 year old daughter costs $95 per month for the same coverage. This company plan must have a minimum of 2 employees, I count as one and then one of my employees must get it. Most of the time one of them want it so I offer to pay half as a benifit and if none of them want it I have ended up paying for one for a few months and then dropping them, the insurance company counts 2 months as the enitre year. The only way I was able to get these rates was that I had to have a company plan with employees on the plan also. So you just have to shop and you will find afforable insurance out there.

[John DiMartino]

I have my benefits through Bluecross/blueshield-Bluechoice HMO,they cost 549 mo.That is part of the reason Im working FT job,PT lawn/snowplowing.My Boss(Dad)pays them as he always has to all the employees.I have $10 co-pays,$5or $10 prescription(generic/name brand).I also get up to 33 chiropractor vistits a yr.I use every one of them on my aching back.This is a family plan,i need it with 3 little ones 5 and under-one of them is at the doctors at least every other week.

[turfman99]

Check your state landscape contractors association or other trade groups. Many have group policies for just that reason.

We pay $ 192 per month per employee. We pay the employee's entire premium. We have a group policy with 20 employee's.

Consider paying your employees health insurance premiums. It can go a long ways to stablizing your work force. Build it into your operating budget.

[jeffex]

great to come home from mowing and get a responce
my insurance is currently paid by the Gov. I talked
to a friend in the business who is full time big time
and he pays 550 a month for self and family of 3.
thanks for the tip on the farm bureau i will look into
that. I have a son with ashma so forget about HMO's
blue cross and shield throw out the red carpet when
we have to go.

What about the idea of forming an organization. keep in
mind i'm a person who doesn't like to join either but
we could establish buying power. Commercial equipment
is expensive and 10 or 20% discounts add up. just a though
don't peg me as a communist!!!!

[Toddppm]

Lawnguy: i looked in the white pages today for the farm bureau, what is that? there are some co's with that in their name? Is that a state or fed. bureau?
I was all set to get group ins. i would have needed 2 out of my 4 guys to get it to qualify, i was going to pay half. None of them want to do it, friggin idiots wouldn't know a good thing if it bit them in the @@@.
Anyway i been getting quotes on family, but the plans i looked at so far suck, too many exclusions

[thelawnguy]

toddppm

Try here: http://www.farmfamily.com/ and here: http://www.cfba.org/ they can refer you to someone local. Or try http://www.fb.com/

[Toddppm]

Thanks Bill, i'll check it out

[geogunn]

doesn't anyone's SPOUSE work and receive health benefits?

spank'em on the rump and send 'em out the door before the dew dries is what I say!;)

GEO

[mykee]

I sold insurance for past 25 years and as an independent agent had thge same problem as being self employed in the lawn bus. I had to pay for my own and group is better but you have to have the right circumstance, employee interest , employee participation in some of the cost etc. That is why I have another job because they pay my benefits which were up to around 500 per month out of my pocket. By the way it is not legal to form an association solely for the purpose of obtaining insurance benefits there has to be some other reason than that and the ins. companies will all have their own restrictions to boot such as # of lives in group VS: number of people in group requesting coverage, % of employer VS: employee paid premium BOTTOM LINE SHOP AROUND AND GOOD LUCK