Just a note, I don't want this to become a health care debate. Anyone who starts one will be banned from this blog. Thank you.

I'm comfortably insured. But my friend isn't. Is it possible for me to buy health insurance for my friend, as long as my friend is eighteen?

If it is possible, does anyone have any recommendations? Like companies, plans, etc..

I've never dealt with health insurance companies (I'm still eligible for my parents' plan until I'm 25 or something), so any help would be appreciated.

ffdestiny

United States773 Posts

January 02 2011 04:19 GMT

Preface: I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage my parents gave me until I was 25 (actually was up until I turned 26).

Is your "friend" a partner? Don't have to answer this, but yes, as long as you have the money you can provide for said friend and yourself. As far as companies go, it's essentially about deductibles and coverage. It's most often recommended to combine your insurance with others that you have; for example, if I have State Farm, perhaps their coverage will work well and they could offer me some discounts.

Some factors:
• A deductible is the amount of money you pay "out of pocket" per year before your plan coverage is activated.
• It is going to run you anywhere from 100 to 300 dollars a month for individual coverage, depending on the amount of coverage and deductible you desire.
• Married individuals and employers have access to the most competitive packages, which makes it almost impossible for most American workers to find cheaper, competitive insurance.
• Most expenses originate from prescription and standard practice visit costs: checkups, medication for non-life-threatening illness, common cold/flu visits, regular examinations and lab work—make sure these are central to your health insurance package, then look at the "just in case" costs for coverages at hospitals and for life-threatening scenarios.

"Top 10" Health Insurance Companies:
http://health.usnews.com/directories/health-plans/index_html/plan_cat commercial/

Side note: I had Anthem (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they were excellent in all areas.

zzaaxxsscd

United States626 Posts

January 02 2011 04:25 GMT

if you are still covered by your parents' plan then no

if you have your own plan through work, then you will have to see how your state treats "partners". though it is unlikely you will be able to cover your friend

Ferrose

United States11378 Posts

January 02 2011 04:34 GMT

No, my friend isn't a partner of any kind, just a friend.

So it wouldn't be possible to do this? If I bought my own health insurance, I couldn't add my friend to my coverage? I couldn't start a new plan just for her?

moopie

12605 Posts

January 02 2011 04:54 GMT

On January 02 2011 13:34 Ferrose wrote:
No, my friend isn't a partner of any kind, just a friend.

So it wouldn't be possible to do this? If I bought my own health insurance, I couldn't add my friend to my coverage? I couldn't start a new plan just for her?

If you aren't partners you can't get her involved in your plan (especially if you're already a dependent on someone else's insurance). As for starting a new plan for her, why not just have her start it and help her make payments (since money seems to be the drive here).

Ferrose

United States11378 Posts

January 02 2011 04:59 GMT

On January 02 2011 13:54 moopie wrote:

Show nested quote +

Yeah, that's what I'm starting to think. That she could start her own, and I could pay for it.

Or I could be like "Hey, let's get married, so we can share health insurance! :D"

...I don't think that'd fly well lol

I'm gonna look at all the options available, and see what would be best for her.

Fatty800

United States50 Posts

January 02 2011 13:19 GMT

dont get HMO. dont. just dont.

what kind of medical expectations does your friend have? (dont have to answer this)

insurance companies look at existing problems and potential problems in the future.
they take blood tests, urine test, etc before signing you up.
(at least that is what anthem blue cross did)

my current plan is $91/month $400 deductible(i think) and $25 copay to doctor visits.
i use it for hospital emergency since im still young and dont have any expectant health problems.

it covers just basic health preventive stuff like teeth cleaning/cavities/some shots/x-ray/check up, etc where i just pay the $25 copay.

oh, it also covered my eye exam and partially covers contacts/glasses if that helps.

it doesnt cover bigger procedures unless i ended up in the hospital somehow.

jacosajh

2919 Posts

January 02 2011 15:06 GMT

Typically, in the US, most insurance plans only cover spouses or "significant others" (I'm sure I don't need to explain this). I'm not 100% sure there isn't any plans out there that can cover friends, but I'm sure your chances of finding a company that provides this aren't very good.

If you lie and say this person is your significant other and you get caught, they won't pay up. So, don't do it.

Having that person get their own insurance and paying for it would be the best way, but would be rather expensive. Two people on the same premium is usually much less expensive than Two people on different premiums.

HCastorp

United States388 Posts

January 02 2011 21:41 GMT

The variety and cost of health insurance varies so hugely by state that it is near-impossible to give any advice without knowing what state you live in.

None of this changes what other people are saying about your relationship to your friend though, basically they will have to get coverage on their own and the only way for you to help them is to simply pay their bills for them.

The first thing to do would be to determine if your friend is eligible for Medicaid, and sign them up for that if possible. Medicaid eligibility also varies by state. The coverage is frequently better than the cheapest unsubsidized health plans, although many providers do not accept patients on medicaid.

Many states have partially subsidized health care available through private insurers for people who meet certain income requirements as well. If they exist, programs like this generally are aimed at people who make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid but do not have the sort of job that provides health insurance.

Ferrose

United States11378 Posts

January 02 2011 23:38 GMT

#10

On January 02 2011 22:19 OverlordFatty wrote:
dont get HMO. dont. just dont.

what kind of medical expectations does your friend have? (dont have to answer this)

insurance companies look at existing problems and potential problems in the future.
they take blood tests, urine test, etc before signing you up.
(at least that is what anthem blue cross did)

my current plan is $91/month $400 deductible(i think) and $25 copay to doctor visits.
i use it for hospital emergency since im still young and dont have any expectant health problems.

it covers just basic health preventive stuff like teeth cleaning/cavities/some shots/x-ray/check up, etc where i just pay the $25 copay.

oh, it also covered my eye exam and partially covers contacts/glasses if that helps.

it doesnt cover bigger procedures unless i ended up in the hospital somehow.

Well, I only made this blog because my friend has been complaining about unbearable back pain lately, so I told her to see a doctor, and she said that she didn't have any medical insurance. So I guess I'm going to have to look at see if she can get anything and if I can pay for it.

And as for the state, it's Ohio.

HCastorp

United States388 Posts

January 03 2011 04:14 GMT

#11

Ok, I just googled Ohio's medicaid requirements after about two minutes I came to this page, which leads to all sorts of information. The help line at the bottom seems like it would be particularly useful.

Ohio Health Coverage

It appears that in Ohio only children up to age 19 and families can be covered by Medicaid. Luckily, your friend is 18. It looks like as long as she is making less than $1800 a month she can qualify.

Just as an example of how much these things can differ between states: According to my understanding, in New York, any single adult can qualify for medicaid, but the income cap is about $8000 per year, which is laughably low given NYC cost of living.

If your friend doesn't qualify for medicaid and is instead looking at paying a monthly premium, you need to do a cost-benefit analysis of how much you would be likely to pay for the medical care she needs out of pocket vs the likely cost of insurance plus co-pays. You also are going to need to be extremely certain that the insurance you get will actually cover the care she needs. Sometimes it is hard to tell; when in doubt, call the company. Avoiding HMOs is ideal but when you are on a tight budget it is not always an option, an HMO can still be be better than no insurance, but you have to look at the care you are likely to need in order to make that choice.

I went through a similar search recently after my girlfriend had a major medical emergency *one week* after her college insurance ran out. We are still trying to figure out what to do about the $3500 that first ER visit cost, but I was subsequently able to find insurance for her, which, while expensive, was the obvious choice since the alternative was paying the 20k(!) required for the procedure she needed out of pocket.

One more consideration: - offered with the significant caveat that the following is my opinion, based only on my experience and those of people I know, that is, from the perspective of patients rather than doctors or health professionals - While I think it would be a good idea to see a doctor to begin with to figure out what exactly is going on, back pain and back problems are most likely to be caused by things like bad posture which are frequently best dealt with through exercise and other lifestyle changes rather than medical intervention.

Good luck to you.

Fatty800

United States50 Posts

January 03 2011 09:23 GMT

#12

if the back pain is related to the spine, i suggest just paying for the x-ray upfront and finding out exactly what is going on. not worth putting it off and getting paralyzed later on.
i dont remember how much an x-ray cost, but some private doctor offices have the actual machine in their office.
i think in my office, it costs $50/film or was it $75/film.
i dont normally do the billing, so im not sure.
but i will ask my coworker how much cash patients pay.

it could be what HCastorp says, bad posture etc since she is still young.
try to get all the paper work of signing up for medicaid done as soon as possible.

some questions to ask about whats causing the back pain:
is she doing heavy lifting or anything that could strain the back?
could it have been caused by a car accident?
bad mattress?
some people relate back pain to the kidneys as well.