30 Second Insurance Tips©

Tip #336- Are You Sitting Down?

If you are not Medicare eligible and do not get health insurance through an employer, then your coverage renews or expires (if for example, your insurer is exiting the market) at year-end. The Open Enrollment Period to shop for 2018 plans starts Wednesday and runs through December 15th; just 45 days this year.
We’ve been reading reports that the choices for 2018 will be limited and expensive. Now you can preview some plans at this link.
Here’s what just one consumer is facing.
Jane (age 56) lives in Sheboygan County. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has an excellent website that shows all insurers offering plans by county. Check it out here.
Jane can choose from just two insurers neither of which has her doctors in their network. Fortunately, one insurer has an out of network Point of Service (POS) option.
“Fortunately?”
Jane’s Out of Network deductible will be $14,700 and her premium $852.85 per month.
Ten days in the hospital could be a quarter million dollars, so this is better than nothing.
For Jane, at least.