Re: need health insurance-help
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You can do what I did - buy what is called "catastrophic" coverage, which is much cheaper than standard insurance. This is a good deal if you are young and healthy, but not a good deal if you have chronic health conditions requiring frequent doctor's visits and expensive prescriptions.
Catastrophic coverage means that hospitalization and inpt rehab is covered, but outpatient doctor's visits and prescriptions are not.
I did this in 2000, through a company called Fortis. You can easily find them on the web. At that time, I already had a few strikes against me in terms of age, and pre-existing condition(hypertension), and I lived in an area where insurance costs tend to be high. I paid a couple of hundred dollars for 6 months of coverage. I was just on generic dyazide, which at that time cost me eleven dollars a month, out of pocket, and I was able to afford the occasional checkup, and dental cleaning. Fortis allowed me to buy 6 months coverage, then extend for another 6 months, for a max of a year. Then, you have to be off their insurance for a year before you can buy it again.
There are other companies that offer such coverage. Your AAA club may offer it, as may your alumni association. You can also check out plans on e-healthinsurance.com, where you can chose from policies like that or traditional coverage. Some companies like Anthem BC/BS are starting to sell traditional insurance directly to individuals are fairly reasonable rates.
There have been several changes in the intervening years, which I am not fully versed on. You might be able to write off part of your costs, without having to spend more than 7.5 percent of your income - I'm not sure. There are now medical savings accounts that you can purchase with high-deductible insurance - it's pretty complex. I'll try to post some links here in the future. Anyway, just keep all receipts, as you may be able to reduce your taxable income by deducting some of the costs.
It is definitely doable. I did it. I never had to use my catastrophic insurance, but I read the policy, and it seemed pretty good - it covers chemo, organ transplants, pregnancy, etc. I was told that Fortis has a good reputation.
Also, on a related note, I just read in Arthur Frommer's "Smart Shopper" magazine that Costco is legally bound to let anyone, even non-members, use their pharmacy. If stopped at the door, tell them you are here to use the pharmacy. I don't use Costco now, but I read that they have some of the cheapest prices - important if you choose a plan that requires you to pay for meds out of pocket.
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