I need national health catastrophe insurance...

[Rex_Goodheart]

Because of an impending divorce and prior angioplasty I'm looking at not being able to get health insurance.

I feel like I'm quite healthy for my age... 53... and don't spend much money on prescriptions or doctor's visits. I wouldn't even mind having to pay 300 or so per month on prescriptions and routine precautionary visits to the doctor.

I just need the security of not having to pay $100,000 if a coronary artery gets clogged. Am I asking too much? :(

[electron_blue]

1. I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to worry about that.

Just a thought, if you have a lawyer, have him/her look into whether you can be carried on your spouse's health insurance as a dependent. In some cases it can be done easily and costs the ex-spouse nothing extra, especially if there are children involved. I know someone who is covered on his ex-spouse's insurance at no extra cost til their youngest child turns 18. Worth checking into, even if you don't have children at home.

[PDJane]

2. Not in my view...........

But then, I live in a country with government health care.

[angry_chuck]

4. great tag line

[angry_chuck]

3. the gov

lets insurance companies skip out on tax for reserves held to "compensate future anticipated loss"

then the insurco stiffs everyone else while laughing all the way to the bank, where they and the bankers laugh at us some more.

Universal health care doesn't mean we all become communists. There is a difference between thinking we should help people by using the government (our government) as a delivery vehicle and saying that the government is going to plan and execute every aspect of our economic lives.

Your request is perfectly reasonable.

The insurcos are the ones who ask too much. The state should not protect corporations over individuals. Just because their profits will be slashed does not mean they could not start to insure any number of other things besides healthcare. Their money will not just disappear. On the other hand, if you were to pay the hospital out of hand it would end up costing you an arm and a leg, and your money surely would disappear...into the offshore bank of the insurco.

[Edith Ann]

5. health care

If you get to pay $300.00 a month let me know. My husband and I live in Oklahoma. My husband has his own business and I work part time as a social worker. We pay $1400.00 a month for high deductible, poor coverage insurance. We are healthy but we will be in trouble if one of us should become ill.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi Edith Ann!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[pitohui]

6. depending on what state you're in, i wouldn't be able to get it

private insurers don't want to insure someone age 53, hell, they don't want to insure a woman age 43, even a healthy slim nonsmoker, after all, she might get a hysterectomy just to spend their money i guess

i don't know what to tell you, catastrophic coverage is a bit of a fraud, as you get a relatively small discount to get WAY less coverage and it is month to month like over private health insurance, so you'd better hope your coronary bypass can be scheduled, performed, and recovery completed all in the month before they catch on and cancel you :-(

my advice is don't get the divorce, just live in a separate household and continue on your spouse's plan, however, your ex may not be willing to do this if it's a bitter divorce or the spouse plans to marry someone else

[Edith Ann]

7. Hysterectomy

Blue Cross denied me for that very reason. I don't have female problems. The don't deny men due to Prostate problems even though around 90% to 95% of men will have these problems. That was 15 or so years ago and I still don't have female problems.

[Vinca]

8. Go to the back of the line.

The rest of us have been waiting for years. I'd be happy as a clam to have an affordable policy with a $10,000 deductible, but once there's a "history" or you pass a certain age, you're SOL. The insurance companies want their customers to be young, healthy and fast at writing checks.

[magellan]

9. Try this

http://www.goldenrule.com/

Our plan doesn't cover doctor's visits, it's strictly for 'catastrophic' illness, and they took my husband who's a year younger than you even though he has a history of arrhythmia. We went through a broker and pay just shy of $1400 each quarter to cover us both. That includes a separate prescription coverage plan.

I can't tell you if it's any good -- we haven't had to use it yet, knock on wood. But it might be worth investigating.

[PA Democrat]

10. Especially upsetting when you look at the compensation of some of the bastards who run

health care insurance companies. Consider William W McGuire, CEO of United Health Group (parent company of United Healthcare). He raked in a cool $124,700,000 in 2005. He does it by making sure that they don't offer policies to people who might actually have to use them. It's obscene.


http://www.forbes.com/static/pvp2005/LIRRI3M.html

[LSK]

12. check out this site for quotes and plans

www.ehealthinsurance.com