Private duty nurse-any with good medical insurance?

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I have thought about doing private duty as an LPN but it seems that none of the agencies even offer medical insurance? Does anyone know any private duty agencies that offer good medical coverage too? Thanks;)

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

I recently started doing private duty peds per diem. I would love to do it full time but the benefits don't compare to what I receive from the hospital to cover my family (I work PT and pay $75 a month for full med/dental). In my area the agencies I've encountered covers the employee with a small monthly copay ($100-200?) but not good when needing medical benefits for a family.

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Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.

Generally speaking, agencies offer very few, if any, benefits - of any kind. So what you are finding is typical. Southern Home (ResCare) medical insurance is terrible. You have to pay a lot for it, and on top of that the medical coverage is terrible.

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Thanks so much.;) I work in an assisted living facility and the medical insurance is good. It gets so hectic where I work that I had been thinking of trying private duty nursing. However, I am not willing to give up "good medical insurance" because it is so rare to find it these days.

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here in MN we private duty nurses make top pay... but crappy benefits.. i work for 2 different pediatric agencies and medical insurance at both places ran about $750/mo for family coverage with dental... needless to say we are uninsured.

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Yes. I'm still working at assisted living. All of the private duty nurse jobs here continue to have crummy insurance.:crying2:

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Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med-surg.
here in mn we private duty nurses make top pay... but crappy benefits.. i work for 2 different pediatric agencies and medical insurance at both places ran about $750/mo for family coverage with dental... needless to say we are uninsured.

oh yes...i too make really decent money here in tennessee ( i work in nc), but we are also uninsured. something along the lines of $200.00 a week for just my husband and i. my kids have bcbs through tennessee, but forget any coverage for us! :nono:

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Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.

I'm curious... 2 of you have posted that you make "top pay"/ "really decent money" in the states of TN and MN (but have crappy benefits). Private duty nursing is not known, in general, for top pay, so I am really curious what you are making??

You definetly don't make top pay here in SC (for RN level cases atleast). I'm a RN. I initially made $19/hr but now make $20/hr at my current agency, and made $20/hour at my last agency. I have a close friend who does private duty through a different local agency, and she makes $18/hr. She's a RN also.

When I left the hospital 3 years now, I was making mid-30's an hour, so this was a significant pay cut. I took about a 40% pay cut in fact! So, compared to what I could be making, this pay is not good. However, I was so burned out I was toasty at the hospital, so I gladly took the paycut. Money is not everything, especially if you are about to have a nervous break down... So, I'm content with less pay for less stress! :)

Although private duty does have stressors, it is a different type of stress and nothing like the hospital!

Maybe the situation for LPN's is different...

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I'm in eastern WA and am an LPN. I work in assisted living and make $18 an hour with good insurance. The private duty houly wage here for LPN's is $13-14 an hour with crummy insurance.:(

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Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med-surg.
i'm curious... 2 of you have posted that you make "top pay"/ "really decent money" in the states of tn and mn (but have crappy benefits). private duty nursing is not known, in general, for top pay, so i am really curious what you are making??

you definetly don't make top pay here in sc (for rn level cases atleast). i'm a rn. i initially made $19/hr but now make $20/hr at my current agency, and made $20/hour at my last agency. i have a close friend who does private duty through a different local agency, and she makes $18/hr. she's a rn also.

when i left the hospital 3 years now, i was making mid-30's an hour, so this was a significant pay cut. i took about a 40% pay cut in fact! so, compared to what i could be making, this pay is not good. however, i was so burned out i was toasty at the hospital, so i gladly took the paycut. money is not everything, especially if you are about to have a nervous break down... so, i'm content with less pay for less stress! :)

although private duty does have stressors, it is a different type of stress and nothing like the hospital!

maybe the situation for lpn's is different...

yeah it is different for us low paid nurses. $20 an hour is actually really good for an lpn, which is what i make. had i not blown my knee out at university of tennessee while working i would have finished my rn bridge program (i had 5 months left, all clinical). alas, i stay an lpn, an as such the wages are decent. having to shell out 25-30% every week is not feasible.

amen on the less pay/less stress comment! i am developing obsessive-compulsive disorder that started when i was working med-surg and cou with med pass!:lol2::no::uhoh21:

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Specializes in neonatal intensive care unit.

Hello To All!

Since I have just started a job in private duty home health nursing, it is oh so helpful to read your comments about the current trends in salary and health insurance for this type of work! My new employer, Maxim Healthcare Services, offers group health insurance after one calendar month of service to employees who agree to work 30 hours or more per week.(my fellow employees say that this Tennessee Maxim office just started the benefit of group health insurance a couple of months ago). I am thankful that this agency now offers ANY option for health insurance because the trend for many years has been that private duty nurses are on their own for health insurance coverage. (Several health insurance companies have turned me down this year on my request for individual health insurance due to my "pre-existing health conditions"---group health insurance requirements are generally much less picky about health conditions when an employee completes application papers for enrollment!)

I agree with your comments that the nursing pay and the employee cost of health insurance are different than the options I have experienced in working other nursing jobs in hospitals,clinics, or the state health department. But I also agree with your comments that private duty home health work is generally much less difficult than other nursing work which involves responsibility for several patients each shift. To me, these differences in pay and health insurance for private duty home health work are a reasonable "trade off" to be able to do nursing work at a much slower pace. I am older now and have some health limitations so working in a fast paced nursing job is no longer a safe option for me. Best wishes to all!

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Thanks. Maxim health insurance sounds good. I will definately give them a call if I see any ads for them looking for nurses in my area.

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