My Personal Health Insurance Story:

In 2013 I purchased a medical plan for my family of four.  I really liked Medica’s Symphony plan because it had unlimited doctor office copays at $30 and unlimited Target Clinic visits at $10.  With little children in daycare and grade school, colds, pink eye and germs come with the territory.

I also didn’t want to have a really big deductible or out of pocket maximum so I chose a $4,150 deductible with a family out of pocket maximum of $4,150 as well (which means no coinsurance).  There was a $10 generic prescription plan and an open network so I could keep my doctor at Ridgeview Clinic, my wife’s doctor and my kid’s Pediatrician.

My monthly premium was $641 a month. In October I received my notice that my premium would increase to $832 a month.  My plan would become a “destination plan” with Medica where I could keep that same plan with some changes and choose a “metal” level.  The changes were the deductible ($300 for family) and the out of pocket maximum ($12,700 for family).

By choosing a Silver Metal plan I could keep my premiums about the same ($691), but now my plan is a $6,600 family deductible and $12,700 out of pocket maximum.  It also added 70/30 coinsurance, so now I pay 30% of every bill after the first $300.  To be honest, I didn’t like it.  So being a broker, I shopped around and found a great plan for my family with Preferred One that has a $2,000 deductible and a $2,000 out of pocket maximum.

My premium for the month is $689, only a $47 increase per month.  The bigger bonus was I could keep all our doctors in-network.  The moral of this story is to show you how I would work for you, to take what you have or don’t have and get you the best plan for you, your family and your business.

If this story confused you with the terms I used, metal levels, deductibles, copays, out of pocket maximums, coinsurance and networks, we better talk, knowing them will help you select the best plan for you.