Health Insurance at the Dinner Table in Eugene, OR
During a gorgeous weekend in Eugene, Oregon, family and friends sat around the dinner table and talked about health insurance.
Who was at the table? How are they covered? A mix of people of all ages and incomes:
- Newly married couple, who live in England, is covered through their US-based employers
- Middle-aged family in Oregon is covered by the Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB)
- Sole proprietor in California is covered by an Obamacare plan with no subsidy
- Retired couple in California is covered by Medicare and a supplement plan.
Why were they talking health insurance? Open enrollment. Everyone was overwhelmed by it:
- New husband was enrolling the couple together for the first time and making tradeoffs
- Father was completing the “Health Engagement Model” to qualify for financial incentives
- Businesswoman was worrying about the ability to afford coverage if her income changes
- Retired husband and wife were juggling overseas travel with their health care needs.
What do they have in common? Pre-existing conditions. As recently reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a third of the table had one. They included back injuries, hypertension, joint replacements, and pregnancy. (1)
Who else? A newly married Israeli couple who are working in the U.S. They get their health care back home because “it’s cheaper, easier and just as good as here in America.”
As of November 1, many Americans are shopping for coverage. It’s one of the most important—and expensive—purchases they’ll make for 2019 regardless of type (e.g., employer, Medicaid, Medicare, or Obamacare). In other words, they’re Mastering Health Insurance.
We also talked football. Go Ducks.
If you want to learn more, check out ClareFolio’s Dinner Table Calculator at https://clarefolio.com/calc/.
Source:
(1) Kaiser Family Foundation. “New Analysis Maps Prevalence of Pre-Existing Conditions by Metro Area” (8/28/2018)