Health Insurance

[Aceofspades]

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How do dentists who are solo practitioners and own their own office pay for health insurance? Do they pool themselves and all their employees to cover everyone at the office? Are they required to get private insurance for themselves and answer a bunch of health questions and pay exorbitant fees? What if they have pre-existing conditions?

Also, could you pay someone to work for them (or work for free) in order to get health insurance? Lets say getting private insurance for you would cost 1000 per month whereas a group policy would cost 300 per month. Why not just get someone to cover you and pay them less than 12k? In that case you come out ahead because you're paying less than 12k and they come out ahead as long as you pay more than the $3600 it would cost them.

 

[charlestweed]

Only big corporate offices like Western Dental offer health insurance. Most solo practitioners that I know don't offer health insurance for their employees. I don't either. The reason our employees like to work for us (small owners) is because we pay them better....ie 2-3 dollars/hour more.

I currently have Blue Cross PPO and I pay $600/month for my wife, 2 kids and me. With your dentist salary, you can easily afford that.

 

[Daurang]

what is the deductible and copay for that BlueCross policy. That's a good price!

 

[charlestweed]

what is the deductible and copay for that BlueCross policy. That's a good price!

It is actually BlueShield PPO. I you are single, the rate is $200/month. I only pay $35 per doctor visit. PM me, if you want the name of the insurance agent.

 

[Aceofspades]

Only big corporate offices like Western Dental offer health insurance. Most solo practitioners that I know don’t offer health insurance for their employees. I don’t either. The reason our employees like to work for us (small owners) is because we pay them better....ie 2-3 dollars/hour more.

I currently have Blue Cross PPO and I pay $600/month for my wife, 2 kids and me. With your dentist salary, you can easily afford that.

So what are dentists going to do if/when the govt passes legislation requiring every employer to offer health insurance? Just pass the costs along or take a hit to the wallet? This whole "everyone must be covered but pay for it themselves" universal/socialized hybrid care is bull. Just look at Massachusetts. People are forced to buy 1k+ plans per month.

Also, on that PPO did Blue Cross require an extensive medical history check? Will they drop you if you become sick, then try to rectroactively cancel your insurance to weasel out of paying the bill? If you get sick will they double your premium? I heard that stuff happens a lot.

 

[DrJeff]

What I do for my office in CT, is we participate through what's called the Connecticut Business Initiative Association(CBIA) which is a statewide group of lots of mainly small businesses as members. The CBIA offers to all it's members the chance to purchase health insurance as a group for as few or as many employees as are allowed to participate in your company.

This is also a plus in that through the CBIA, they offer multiple plans through multiple insurance providers and each participating enrolled employee can choose which plan they want(different plans obviously cost different amounts of $$, but the individual employee can choose to enroll them and their family members if they want to from the bare bones basic HMO to a full tradtional "old school" fee for service plan).

My partner and I then contribute $200 a month towards each employees plan that they choose, the employee is then responsible for the balance(if any).

 

[Daurang]

So what are dentists going to do if/when the govt passes legislation requiring every employer to offer health insurance? Just pass the costs along or take a hit to the wallet? This whole "everyone must be covered but pay for it themselves" universal/socialized hybrid care is bull. Just look at Massachusetts. People are forced to buy 1k+ plans per month.

Also, on that PPO did Blue Cross require an extensive medical history check? Will they drop you if you become sick, then try to rectroactively cancel your insurance to weasel out of paying the bill? If you get sick will they double your premium? I heard that stuff happens a lot.

I could be wrong but Massachusetts only requires it for employers with +10 employees. If you're a family of 4 making less than $60K then the government kicks in some kind of subsidy or make join some kind of cheap community-center type of plan. I've heard people waiting for 5 months for an intital dental appointment.

My sister sells insurance for Blue Cross Blue Shields of Calif and she pays $2000 a month for a family of 3 due to pre-existing condition. I am shopping around for premium so $600 a month is incredibly cheap; but maybe I wouldn't need it in a few years when I do actually retire as Obama will tax you guys to take care of me through universal healthcare.

 

[charlestweed]

So what are dentists going to do if/when the govt passes legislation requiring every employer to offer health insurance? Just pass the costs along or take a hit to the wallet? This whole "everyone must be covered but pay for it themselves" universal/socialized hybrid care is bull. Just look at Massachusetts. People are forced to buy 1k+ plans per month.

I guess I would have to reduce my employees' salaries and make them pay part of the insurance premium.

Also, on that PPO did Blue Cross require an extensive medical history check? Will they drop you if you become sick, then try to rectroactively cancel your insurance to weasel out of paying the bill? If you get sick will they double your premium? I heard that stuff happens a lot.

They won't insure you if you have a serious illness. If you are healthy, all you have to do is filling out a 4-5 page application and you are insured a couple of days later. Unlike the disability and life insurance, they won't require blood test.

No, they won't drop you when you are sick. My friend's daughter has autism. The illness was diagnosed a few months after Bluecross HMO approved his application. His insurance premium doesn't increase much (just the usual annual increase).

 

[charlestweed]

My sister sells insurance for Blue Cross Blue Shields of Calif and she pays $2000 a month for a family of 3 due to pre-existing condition. I am shopping around for premium so $600 a month is incredibly cheap;

I think it also depends on where you live. We used to have Blue Cross HMO when we lived in LA county. When we moved to Orange County, my agent told us to switch to Blue Shield PPO b/c it would be a little bit cheaper. I am glad we have this PPO plan becuase we can see any doctor we want.

Did you call the agent I recommended?

but maybe I wouldn't need it in a few years when I do actually retire as Obama will tax you guys to take care of me through universal healthcare.

 

[HuyetKiem]

I'm currently paying $500/month for a healthy family of 4 to Etna with $6000 annual deductible.

For my employees, I don't buy any medical insurance for them but I give them and their children under 18 annual allowances for dental services, eye exam and contacts or glasses , doctor visits, wellness exam, woman exam and rountine blood test.

For my associates, because I don't give them any health benefit, I pay them 50% production for all major dental services such as surgical extraction, RCT, crown & bridge, SSC and 35% for other procedures and X-rays. I also pay for all lab fees.

I do wait for Obama's univeral health care and don't mind paying extra tax. I would pay same amount of money to insurance companies anyway if I choose to offer health insurance to my employees.