Insurance Help!!

[preciousjeni]

HEALTH INSURANCE

Can someone explain to me the "underwriting methodologies" that would make it more than twice as expensive to have married insurance (no children) than it would to have two single insurances?

Example:

Single insurance = $300/month
Married, no children = $800/month
Not married, with children = $700/month
Family (married with children) = $1200/month

Why in the world does it cost so much for married with no children? Please help me understand!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

HEALTH INSURANCE

Can someone explain to me the "underwriting methodologies" that would make it more than twice as expensive to have married insurance (no children) than it would to have two single insurances?

Example:

Single insurance = $300/month
Married, no children = $800/month
Not married, with children = $700/month
Family (married with children) = $1200/month

Why in the world does it cost so much for married with no children? Please help me understand!

Is the "single" price for the husband?? Women are always much more expensive for health insurance for two reasons: 1. Pregnancy 2. We actually go to the doctor before we're on our death bed.

If the "single" price is for any employee (if this is company health insurance), then the insurance company has a 50/50 gamble that the employee with be a female. With the married, they know one is a female, and therefore charge the higher price. Or it could be that the company you work for picks up a portion of the single price, but not the married price.

I guess the question is, who is the insurance company, and is it indivdual, or through work?

[preciousjeni]

You know, that all makes sense!

The single price is for me. The married price is if I want to bring my soon-to-be husband onto the plan. It's a PPO through my company but the company doesn't automatically pay anything.

The way it works is that we have a health "allowance" to use as we please. So, if you don't want to get insurance, you pay for your own stuff and the company will reimburse you up to the maximum.

If you do want insurance, you can get it through the "company policy" and the company will pay for the premiums and copays up to the maximum.

For both uninsured and insured, if costs exceed the maximum yearly allowance set by the company, the rest of the cost is out of pocket. The company allowance only covers the employee so, while a spouse can be on an insurance plan, the company will only pay for its own employee.

The insurance company is Oxford (as in Oxford Health Plans) and it's in New York.

[AlphaFrog]

So it's probably what I said about them having a 50/50 chance of getting a single female, but 100% chance of having a female on a married plan.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

It may also be a disincentive to joining. i.e., they are trying to keep spouses on the insurance they get through their employer....