NukeWorker Insurance

["E"]

Yes please! 

[Radstalker]

  I think it would be great, if we could get better rates. Being a group I would thik that rates would be alot cheaper and the prospect of not having a lapse in coverage would be a plus. Great Idea.

[Radwraith]

Ditto on all the finding coverage and cobra Stuff! Mike, Like you I know very little about insurance other than if done individualy it's ridiculous.  If  you can find something that's reasonable and doesn't have a ridiculous waiting period, I'll sign on. Keep me posted! 

[Carolina Jethro]

I think it would be a great idea too. I have gone without insurance many times and not go to the doctor because of that when I really needed to. I think offering tiers where you can pay more for less decuctible or better plans that include dental and vision would be the way to go. Thanks for the effort and Good luck!

[Camella Black]

YES, this is something that I have wanted for a very long time. I have not had health ins. for many years (1988) and when I finally got signed on this year, Henry's being laid off ...oh well you all know the story of Cobra.

[Rennhack]

From what I understand, COBRA is the actual cost of the plan you had under your employer.  While employed, they paid the difference.  I think we can do a LITTLE better than COBRA, but not much.  The difference would be that it never changes, there is no waiting period every time you get a new job, it would be cheaper than non-group insurance, you pick the plan (low deductible, high deductible, vision, dental, etc).

When you ARE employed, and your company would contribute their share to the group plan to help relieve the burden from you.

So far, I have talked to one broker, and this is what they had to say:

Michael, thanks for the inquiry.  I am an independent broker in Chattanooga.  I am contracted with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United, John Deere, Humana, and Principal.  My sense is that Blue Cross Blue Shield would be your best carrier.  They do a great job with national companies.  I have already talked with my underwriter at Blue Cross about your situation.  They would be interested in talking with you about a self funded arrangement (they will not do a fully insured arrangement).  This means that they would offer their administrative services for a small fee.  They pay your claims, and your association reimburses them periodically for the claim amounts. 

I would like to talk with you in more detail if you are interested.  My contact information is listed below. 

I have talked with other people, and they tell me the self inshured plan is the way to go.  You get the lowest rates that way.  I know one guy that gets 100% coverage for cheep.  That is what we aim to do for everyone.

[deicide666]

I think itz a good idea! We need something a little more stable & cost effective.

[HydroDave63]

Self-insured is cheaper for the broker to sell, because NukeWorker.com will either have to hold some 3rd party reinsurance policies, or take out surety bonds, to create the deep pocket of reserve cash in case your claim hits exceed your pockets right off. The advantage to the seller is the traditional insurance gamble, if claims are less than payments.

Some other points you may want to consider:

1. Currently the offering of medical coverage is a recruiting advantage to those staffing firms willing and able to provide it. Having NukeWorker.com offer it will tend to nullify that competetive advantage, so you are indirectly affecting someone's recruiting rice bowl.

2. Group rates without a pre-qualifying physical are a throw of the dice for the insurer, and generally assume that the policyholder is healthy enough to work the job that offers the insurance. To keep rates low, issuers have to exclude some people. You WILL get grief from nukeworkers regarding "why are you being cold-hearted and excluding my loved one (who has disqualifying conditions)..."

3. Likewise, do you want the grief when "my loved one needs this $2 million treatment, why dont you offer more coverage, can't you make an exception and allow it, etc." Or litigation if policy holders dont get their way.

Having said that, it sounds like a noble idea, with the best desires at heart. I just caution that if the readers think that "Mike can give us really cool insurance with everything I want for the cost of a daily Starbucks because the greedy evil big businesses only rip us off" the reality of the math is surely going to disappoint. How many NukeWorkers can honestly say when they sign up that they are tobacco-free, low alcohol use, or not morbidly obese??? These are all MAJOR factors in health and life insurance policy costs. Those same TV ads that claim a 40 yr old guy gets 500K in life insurance for 25/month will NOT carry you if you are above 265# at 6 foot tall (been there, tried it).

If the math works, I'd love to see it happen; not only for the humanitarian benefit, but also because it will mark the transition of nukeworker.com into a substantial cash flow business. There once was a guy named Ray Kroc with 4 milkshake machines and a dream...

Dave

[Rennhack]

1. Currently the offering of medical coverage is a recruiting advantage to those staffing firms willing and able to provide it. Having NukeWorker.com offer it will tend to nullify that competetive advantage, so you are indirectly affecting someone's recruiting rice bowl.

2. Group rates without a pre-qualifying physical are a throw of the dice for the insurer, and generally assume that the policyholder is healthy enough to work the job that offers the insurance. To keep rates low, issuers have to exclude some people. You WILL get grief from nukeworkers regarding "why are you being cold-hearted and excluding my loved one (who has disqualifying conditions)..."

3. Likewise, do you want the grief when "my loved one needs this $2 million treatment, why dont you offer more coverage, can't you make an exception and allow it, etc." Or litigation if policy holders dont get their way.

1. Isn't a problem, in the 'old days' companies were proud of their insurance but not any more.  They would welcome the help. (IMHO).
2.  Ouch.  Didn't think about that.
3.  Ouch.  Didn't think about that either.  BUT, the Blue Cross people adminsiter the program, so it't not like I would be approving ir disallowing anyone.  It would still be the insurance people doing it.

[USMCRADCON]

I would be glad, as would most, to at least hear what it is that you find out Mike.

[TaskJobs]

Mike,
Adding my 2 cents worth now. As a former Benefits Coordinator I am glad to be out of the game.  Employees do tend to blame the Coordinator when their claims aren't paid etc. I've even had ppl tell me that "we" (being the company) were making a "killing" off the insurance b/c the rates go up each year. In fact it costs us to offer the coverage. Not just in the actual dollars that we pay but also in the time spent administering the plan.
Having employees in many states I have found BCBS to offer the best coverage for everyone. (no that was not an endorsement! just my opinion)
I think it is awesome that you are offering this. Kudos to you & I wish you the best.
Kim

[Rennhack]

I think it is awesome that you are offering this.

Just to be clear, at this time, we are only 'looking into' the possibility of doing it.  It might not be feasible.  But we will try our best to help people if we can.

[jamesd]

Insurance?  What's that? 

I think that it is a great idea that may be a challenge to administer.  Are you talking about approaching insurance companies with idea of a group plan?

[darkmatter]

I didn't vote cause its not a yes or no question. I went the route of paying for independant insurance and got squeezed out due to raising preminums beyond my ability to pay in spite of increasing my deductable to $5,000. Family coverage isn't cheap.
Hydrodave has very valid points.
I would like another option other then my employer or unaffortable independant insurance.

[Rennhack]

I've been in contact with a few agents/brokers, here is another responce:

Michael, thanks for taking the time to give me the complete situation.  Unfortunately, I think that getting a group health policy to meet your needs will be a long shot.  Health carriers typically have the following rules for establishing a fully insured group health policy:

1.  50% of eligible employees must participate
2.  employer must pay at least 50% of the employee's premium
3.  must have employer / employee relationship

Rule 1 is so that the carrier gets a fair element of risk.  If a carrier agreed to insure a company and covered only 10% of eligible employees, in theory, they would a large portion of the least healthy employees.  Rule 2 is to encourage rule 1.  If the employer pays half of the employee's premium, there is not typically a problem in getting 50% participation.  Rule 3 is an eligibility control i.e. to ensure that an employer (owner) does not use the policy to secure coverage for his sick friend, aunt, neighbor, etc.

We can get around these rules with a self insured policy, but starting with only 100 or so employees, I think it would be too risky for you.

Michael, I would be glad to talk with you more about this.  I am a former Underwriter, so I understand financial arrangements and carrier policy.

I'm still working on it...

[ronald r como]

Hello Rennhack;
The insurance idea is a great!!!! I wish us luck (all hp's).
Lets take it one step further, I know the union notion failled in the past, maybe we don't need a offical union but insted a professional group w/ a back bone and a goal! (yes yes I know it sounds like a union) why should all the other trades get all the bennies and not us, it blows my mind when i think about it.

I am not sure how this would work?
We stick together for once and fight for what is right! like a fare wage for our responsibilities and we have a lot of them! and retirement/ a better 401, training/ education, god if all stick together our field could be so much richer and i don't mean just money!
what do you think? hell what does everyone think?   

[Rennhack]

The topic is inshurance, please stay on topic.  Start another thread for another topic.

[hglower01]

Even with all the problems that might be encountered, the idea of health insurance that would not change because you have to pick up another job is totally 'rad'.

[PJones]

Mike,

I think most of us are hoping for the best!  We will be very interested in signing on if the plan can cost any fraction of a typical Cobra rate.

[SloGlo]

count me in!   

[Aitch-Pee]

I would strongly consider getting on board with a "Nukeworker Insurance Group"; however, need to know the specifics by October or so to be able to make a decision for 2006.

My current coverage is not good.  Paying over $4000 per year for coverage that has $1000 deductible per person per year is insane, and......I have heard that my company will pay me more per hour if I drop the insurance to help me with out of pocket expenses.  Probably comes to more like $7000-8000 per year coming out of my pocket already.

Then, when I do go to the doctor (which is infrequent), I get hammered with co-pays and other surprise expenses.  Can it get any worse?

How could I not be interested in another option?  Darn near anything has to be better.

[hamsamich]

 ???what's the newest on the health insurance thing mike?  count me in. one question: if it does happen, will it be one price fits all or different scales?  For instance, NY is a "one price fits all" state, so for me to get insurance there as a healthy 35yo tobacco free non-obese male, it is 300 bucks, way more than the 95$ per month NC would charge me for the exact same insurance due to my age, weight etc..  I don't mind a mild increase to be a team player, but 300 bucks for single coverage would be out of my pitiful league. jim

[tigger]

Mike,
Just a tidbit on some of the topics that have come up over the insurance thing. It may help, it may not. I know Blue Cross Blue Shield, in just about any state, will pay coverage in any other state you travel to. You still have to go to approved providers in the network to get the same rate and not pay out of network coverage. They also have a rider that people can purchase that will cover then anywhere in the world. I only know about this because of the job I have now.
Something else you may want to look at.... Pre-existing conditions. Yes this will be a group plan, but it is not provided through an employer. With preexisting conditions, the only company that will cover it is BCBS. And that is only after you have exhausted all COBRA options. Meaning yuo have to pay COBRA benefits for 18 months. I was faced with this this spring when my ex lost his job and we lost our insurance. My daughter has diabetes, and I could not find a single insurance company to cover her.
BCBS from doing my research on trying to get coverage for my daughter, I found to have the best plans at the best rates. I have also used BCBS and have not had any problems with my benefits being paid. This is a great benefit. When you are just gettin gover an illness the last thing you want to deal with is trying to pay hospital bills too, or figuring out what you have to pay. with Aetna, we had many problems.
The other issue that I saw on here was the waiting period. If you have maintained coverage BCBS does not have the waiting period. If you have not maintained coverage, I believe the waiting period is 6 months for preexisting conditions and 30 days for everyone else.
I hope this helps. I have been in positions where i have wondered how I am going to pay the medical bills and it is horrible. I wish you luck on this Mike. If you have any questions or I can help you in any way, please email me.

[Rennhack]

Update:

I'm gathering the questions the insurance companies are going to ask me, i.e. demographics.  When I know what the questions are, I will create a web form with them.  I'll then send out the email asking people to take the survey.

Once I have a data base of the demographics, and how many initial participants we have, I can start to shop for insurance.  I have talked to many people about all of the options available.  We are progressing at a snails pace, but we are still moving forward.  It could take years to get this going, but I am hoping it will be less than 12 months.

Let me tell you one thing, the interest is there, and I want to help people.  This will happen at one level or another, eventually.

[hatchling2002]

Here's what I found out. Hope this helps. With BCBC of NC and $500.00 deductible for 2 people it's about $4100 a year. With Bartlett it was $5800 for the same from BCBC of Mass.

Humana Health Plans
1-800-709-7809   
https://www.humana-one.com
   Phoenix, Arizona      $500    $234.00  $500    $388.02 
   Denver, Colorado      $500    $270.22  $500    $457.97 
   Miami, Florida      $500    $407.40  $500    $680.38 
   Atlanta, Georgia      $500    $351.39  $500    $582.58 
   Chicago, Illinois      $500    $332.55  $500    $551.32 
   Indianapolis, Indiana      $500    $308.36  $500    $511.22 
   Burlington, Kansas         $500    $361.27  $500    $598.93 
   Paducah, Kentucky          $500    $234.18  $500    $388.26 
   New Orleans, Louisiana     $500    $308.63  $500    $511.64 
   Pontiac, Michigan          $500    $262.79    $500    $435.75 
   Jefferson City, Missouri   $500    $283.87    $500    $470.68 
   Springfield, Ohio          $500    $225.64    $500    $374.14 
   Oak Ridge, Tennessee       $500    $248.34    $500    $411.75 
   Lubbock, Texas             $500    $389.80    $500    $646.15 
   Milwaukee, Wisconsin       $500    $321.02    $500    $532.24

https://www.COBRAInsurance .com 
Monthly Payment Option. If you are unsure how long you'll need this
coverage or prefer the convenience of making monthly installment
payments, this option is ideal. Each monthly payment is for 30 days of
coverage, up to the 180 day maximum Benefit Period.

Single:
$500 Deductible 80% to $5000 Initial Payment Due is $166.12 and
Subsequent Monthly Payments are $156.12
    
Couple:   
$500 Deductible 80% to $5000 Initial Payment Due is $265.34 and
Subsequent Monthly Payments are $255.30

The following are from 
https://www.ehealthinsurance.com      
99501 Anchorage, Alaska           
BCBS of Alaska PPO 80/20 Plan       $500    $300.60    $500    $596.70 

36601 Mobil, Alabama 
Celtic PPO 80/20 Plan         $500    $415.80    $500    $825.30 

72324 Birdeye, Arkansas 
Blue Solution PPO BCBS of Arkansas           $750    $131.96    $500    $289.05 

94704 Berkeley, California
Individual Select HMO BCBS of California   $0    $314.00    $500    $605.00 

81248 White Pine, Colorado
BluePreferred $5k Coinsurance
BCBS of Colorado            $500    $294.30    $500    $518.40

06103 Hartford, Connecticut
Celtic AnyDoc PPO 80/20 Plan      $500    $389.93    $250    $888.69
 
20024 Fort McNair, Washington DC
BCBS CareFirst BluePreferred      $500    $239.00    $500    $478.00
 
32359 Steinhatchee, Florida
Humana HumanaOne Individual       $500    $275.20    $500    $578.88
 
19808 Marshallton, Delaware
Celtic PPO 80/20 Plan         $500    $339.30    $500    $615.60 

30120 Euharlee, Georgia
Kaiser Permanent Plan B         $500    $256.00    $500    $450.00
 
96708 Haiku,  Hawaii
Kaiser Permanent $20 Plan         $0    $191.84    $500    $382.68
 
83604 Riddle, Idaho
BCBS of Idaho BlueCare PPO 1000      $1,000    $293.08    $500    $496.75 

62216 Germantown, Illinois
Aetna IL PPO 500            $250    $315.66    $500     $559.00 

47441 Vicksburg, Indiana
Anthem, BCBS of Indiana 
Blue Access - Plan 2         $250    $382.06    $500    $532.00
 
50226 Crocker, Iowa
Celtic PPO 80/20 Plan         $500    $270.90    $500    $491.40

67758 Sharon, Knasas
Humana HumanaOne Individual                   $500    $361.21    $500    $598.93
 
42633 Bethesda, Kentucky
HumanaOne Plan              $500    $268.33    $500    $442.37 

70775 Saint Francisville, Louisiana 
BCBS of Louisiana HMO/POS Plan 1              $0    $380.62    $0    $623.58 

04549 Boothbay, Maine
                
20680 Ridge, Maryland
BCBS of Maryland Personal Comp      $500    $200    $500    $400.00 

02215 Kenmore, Massachusetts
               
48230 Detroit, Michigan
BCBS of Michigan Individual Care      $500    $335.70    $0    $532.85
 
55426 Minneapolis, Minnesota
BCBS of Minnesota Aware CareSM Plan           $500    $264.00    $500    $475.50 

39150 Port Gibson, Mississippi
Celtic Managed Indemnity 80/20 Plan           $500    $581.24    $500    $1,039.04
 
65721 Springfield, Missouri
BCBS of Missouri BlueCHOICE                     $0    $366.00    $0    $603.00
 
59071 Alpine, Montana
Celtic Managed Indemnity 80/20 Plan             $500    $394.20    $500    $747.90
 
68009 Blair, Nebraska
Celtic Managed Indemnity 80/20 Plan            $250    $404.1   $500    $747.00
 
89833 Shantytown, Nevada
PacifiCare Signature Options PPO Plan 2   $500    $410.00   $500   $747.71 

03304 Bow, New Hampshire
               
08731 Forked River, New Jersey
Oxford NJ Individual HMO Plan $15 copay   $0    $538.56    $0    $1,167.20 

88201 Roswell, New Mexico
BCBS of New Mexico BlueChoice                 $250    $352.92    $250    $605.60 

13693 Three Mile Bay, New York
GHI - GHI Alliance Value Plan      $0     $283.54    $0    $679.98 

28164 Stanley, North Carolina
Blue Advantage - Plan B          $500    $263.42    $500    $464.48 

58580 Zap, North Dakota
Fortis PPO X-tra            $1,000 $280.46    $1,000 $465.41 

43782 Shawnee, Ohio
BCBC of Ohio Blue Access - Plan 2      $250    $358.04    $500    $479.54 

73759 Medford, Oklahoma
Golden Rule Copay 35         $750    $299.04    $750    $482.38 

97620 Adel, Oregon
LifeWise Preferred            $500    $304.00    $500    $606.00 

17272 Zullinger, Pennsylvania
Golden Rule Copay 25         $500    $417.00    $500    $465.00 

29835 Britts, South Carolina
Celtic Select PPO 80/20 Plan      $500    $418.40    $500    $744.30
 
57720 Buffalo, South Dakota
Celtic AnyDoc PPO 80/20 Plan      $500    $298.80    $500    $541.80 

38135 Bartlett, Tennessee
BCBS of Tennessee PPO Plan                    $500    $304.86    $500    $522.26
 
77536 Deer Park, Texas
Aetna PPO 500            $500   $375.00    $500    $781.00
 
84101 Salt Lake City, Utah
BCBS of Utah BlueAdvantage Copay Plan   $500    $217.80    $500    $401.50

05661 Cadys Falls, Vermont
               
24201 Bristol, Virginia
UniCare UNICARE 500         $500    $250.00    $500    $422.00
 
98220 Acme, Washington
BCBS of Washington Breakthru 80 Plan         $500    $305.00    $500    $557.00
 
25059 Dixie, West Virginia
               
54739 Elk Mound, Wisconsin
Humana HumanaOne Plan With Office Visit Copay, $0 Rx Deductible      
                          $500    $324.25    $500    $534.20
 
82942 Point of Rocks, Wyoming
Celtic Managed Indemnity 80/20 Plan          $500    $360.90    $500    $655.20
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