[CRFSaver]

So I started thinking about health insurance not so much for me but for my mother, father and sister. I have always managed to get a group health plan from my employers at a reasonable cost. Either way it doesnt take much to use the program. Some of the observations with health insurance:

Do the HSA's have the same ability to negotiate preferable rates with hospitals, doctors and clinics?

I was unemployed and did not elect cobra coverage cause of the cost. I purchased a "temporary" catastophy insurance for litterally 60 bucks a month for 6 months with the option to renew 1 time for 6 months. This was just a stop gap measure but i had it just in case I got hit by a bus. The issue was I went skiing and fell and screwed up my shoulder. I am sure i have some lovely tears I would know about if I had insurance at the time and went to the doctor instead of not being able to lift my arm for two weeks.

The other issue outside of group health plans is the fact that when you purchase it yourself they tend to exclude pre-existing conditions. If you had cancer at one time guess what...
Correct me if I am wrong but health insurance companies are not required to offer you insurance at the individual level. So it is very possible that you might not be able to even get health insurance. You cant be excluded at the group level.

I started a new job and the company screwed up my health insurance application (they lost it along with my dental, stock purchase program, etc). Luckily my boss pushed it and they approved my health insurance. Thankfully they did as I ended up going to the emergency room thinking I had apendicitis. After 1000 bucks in tests it ended up being a swollen and brused rib (have no clue how). I figure I have gotten my money out of that plan.

Given the fact I am covering all the people that end up going to the emergency rooms and dont pay anyways,, throw 5% on top of your fica tax and let everyone have insurance coverage.

I look at my parents. My father is lucklily covered by VA but my mom is self employed and not yet old enough to get medicaire/caide (whichever one it is). Her Cobra runs out in September and insurance will go from 380 bucks a month to 1000 bucks a month plus no coverage for pre-existing conditions. I rather pay the extra 5% per paycheck to ensure my mom is covered.

My sister didnt take a job as they did not have group health, she would have to pay for her own. It would have been a decent job for her but she couldnt afford to not have insurance at the time.

The ability to be an entrepeneur or to consult. A lot of people I met from Canada were able to take consulting assignments cause they didnt have to worry about health insurane. A lot of people (myself included) are scared to try and start a company cause you have to worry about being with out health insurance during the work. Has that held back many an entrepeneur?

I will take my Blue Cross PPO plan at 40 bucks a paycheck over anyday of having to gamble on whether I will ever use it. A great idea for companies would be to offer an option for group health for parents (seperate from normal group health).