I’m Going to Disney World
Although missed in all the conversation about the uninsured, many insurers are announcing innovative and affordable new products in the individual insurance market. For example, Humana just announced their new HumanaOne individual insurance products which include “a broad spectrum of benefits – with three in-network coinsurance levels and 17 annual deductible choices – organized into three, consumer-friendly packages:
* HumanaOne PortraitTM is for people who are security-minded and want benefits like those provided by big employers.
* HumanaOne AutographTM is for people who want flexibility to fit their financial plan. Three of five Autograph plans are HSA-qualified.
* monogramTM from HumanaOne is for the young and invincible at heart who want a low-cost plan with a safety net ‘just in case.'”
While I would not have responded positively in the focus group testing the names, I do like the products and premiums. I looked up a quote for myself, assuming I lived in the magic kingdom (Orlando). An HSA-compatible plan with a $2,500 deductible and comprehensive benefits and a $5 million lifetime max has a base premium of just $91 a month.
Sadly, I live in Maine with an uncompetitive individual market and costly guaranteed issue and community rating regulations. My $2,500 deductible HSA-compatible plan through Anthem (WellPoint) costs $368 a month, or $3,324 more a year (more than the entire deductible).
Maybe if I bought my health insurance from Florida, I could afford to take our eleven-month-old son Wyatt to Disney. Even if he wouldn’t remember it, I would have a blast spending the money I wasn’t sending to the insurance company!