Thank you for joining us for the conference calls on Sunday night and Monday night. Our next phone meeting is scheduled for Monday Dec. 22, 2008 at 9:00PM. We encourage all who are interested in the group to dial in even if you attended the previous calls. There will be a new call in number and access code to use along with an agenda in your email soon.
Meanwhile please make a note of the date and time so that you can available to join the meeting.
We have been speaking with brokers and have a search in process for a good not for profit lawyer to help us. We have had a lot more people email in that they and their freelancer friends are interested in joining our group so the numbers are growing.
Please put the word out that there are alternatives.
************************
If you have not made a decision yet or even if you have but have not paid Freelancers Union yet for next year, you should know that we have discovered some good interim insurance options for individuals that are still better and cheaper than FU's FIC offering. It is not necessary to pay FU out of desperation if you want to have some kind of continued health coverage, FU is requiring up to THREE MONTHS of required payments up front for those of you who have not signed up prior to Dec. 15. For those of you who have it is still TWO MONTHS up front. So you may be stuck with them till either March. or April and that will slow us down if we cannot get the amount of people necessary to get the larger group rates.here have been nightmares posted about those who have tried to get money back from Freelancers Union. If you are one of those looking for an interim solution, please email this address asap and we will provide you with information or connect you with the broker we are dealing with. The deadline is early next week so please get in touch with us right away.
Posts
Tons of emails flowed in today requesting the interim insurance options for January that we mentioned in our email to you earlier today. There were too many emails to reply to individually, though we tried. So here's a group email to get you in touch directly with the broker we've been speaking with. We've researched several plans out there for freelancers/sole-proprietors/individuals and trust this broker to steer you well among the few acceptable options available. None are perfect, but for interim health insurance for January 1st, in order to stay covered until our group is fully set-up, and to avoid having to pay Freelancers Union 3 months at once which they're requiring, you can call this broker. He has to get applications in next week and it takes time, so call right away:
ReplyDeleteChris Serraro 914-277-8600
email: serraro@abouthealthinsurance.com
website: http://abouthealthinsurance.com/
Chris is very experienced and really nice. He understands our situation. You should mention that you got it from our blog.
I emailed Chris this morning and he called me back within minutes. While we were on the phone he sent me everything I needed to get started with Oxford on Jan 1. We reviewed the forms together over the phone to make sure I understood everything. I spent the day filling out all the forms and gathering the tax info they require for Sole Proprietors and am FedExing it to Chris on Monday, along with a check for one month's premium. Chris was polite and professional and seemed genuinely interested in helping. FWIW, he agrees that the FIC plan is garbage and that anyone who stays with it is getting "shafted."
ReplyDeleteI opted for the zero-deductible Oxford Liberty EPO Metro plan, which has a premium of $456.90 for residents of Brooklyn (no out of network benefits, but all of my Dr's are in the Liberty network). Although the monthly premium is higher than the Empire BCBS Direct POS that I am giving up, I will have peace of mind knowing that my out-of-pocket expenses will be minimal. My OBGYN revealed that he is covered under the exact same Oxford plan and provides same for his staff and they've been very happy with it.
If you're not sure what you should do for Jan 1 coverage, don't hesitate to call Chris. He managed to save me a lot of money and time today and I am thankful for that.
Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI signed up for the same plan and I am so relieved to be out of the Marketing-to-liberals that is FU/FIC.
I really resent being fooled by Horowitz's bull shit and spin. I am also really not happy with Bill Moyers, the Times and all the other media and foundations that help her continue to perpetrate a fraud. FU is a sham and FIC is worse.
At least mediabistro is not pretending to be some lofty organization that is on some noble mission.
I think Horowitz has serious mental problems - narcissistic personality disorder topping the list.
I'm glad to hear your comments about getting the alternate coverage in place and the positive feedback about Chris Serraro. He's been really helpful. Pass the word! Finding a better insurance alternative is the best revenge for feeling screwed...
ReplyDeleteHow do I join this group can someone email me details.
ReplyDeleteUKNY@acedsl.com
I too would like info about joining this group. The FIC situation is very disappointing and I'd like to stay with BCBS if possible. Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeletejoe(at)joeinfurnari.com
As a broker specializing in health coverage for self employed New Yorkers, I have been delivering affordable solutions for two decades.
ReplyDeletePlease use some of my expertise for free and without any obligations.
Gary B Boehr (866) 761 6996
affordableNYcoverage.com
Just spoke with Gary Boehr. Nice guy and I'm hoping he can come up with a plan comparable to my Direct POS with BCBS .
ReplyDeletei just got around belatedly to re-up my insurance to the FU BCBS direct POS plan, and have discovered that not only is there a 15% co-insurance for any hospitalization (which could be an enormous amount of money for any serious illness/injury--example, last year (while on another plan) i was hospitalized for a week with an infected knee, and the care consisted only of IV antibiotics, and no other special care, and that bill was over $50,000, so do the math on that one were i being billed for it now, not to mention what i would have been charged had i had any major procedure/surgery, or complex illness requiring multiple consultants...anyhow, in addition to this, it seems that i am required to prove plan eligibility (i.e., to show freelance income $10,000 in the last 6 months, or 20 hrs per week) something that i had to do originally when joining FU, and was told at that time would NEVER be a yearly requirement for policy renewal...so WTF??? any comments? please reply to my email at malaclemys@gmail.com thanks
ReplyDeletewow... that suggests they're making "sick" people, or heavy users, prove their status. I also was told that one would not need to ever reprove eligility. that said, this is the kind of issue the group starting our own bcbs needs to think through thoroughly before making any "by laws" for how to proceed...
ReplyDeleteit seems they gave you a verbal (contractual?) commitment, no? I don't think they can just back out of it . . . (I don't know law, but isn't a verbal commitment good for a year?? have no idea what I'm talking about; but they made the same verbal commitment to others of us.) A representative speaking for them must count?
ReplyDeleteThe benefits "booklet" is now available on the FIC website (if you've signed up for FIC). I just printed it out and it's VERY daunting if there are any lawyers out there . . . 120 or so pages . . . (or medical insurance experts, Carolyn?)
ReplyDeleteJust found out that FU claims they will reimburse you for the months you had to pay in advance. So if you miss deadlines for Jan 1st with another insurance, in theory you could cancel FU in Feb and get reimbursed for two of the three months. Not sure how long it will take FU to give you your money back however.
ReplyDeleteFYI, the FU originally changed from HIP to BCBS because Sloan Kettering stopped taking HIP. The theory being that you have insurance to cover major illness, cancer is a big one in that category, and if you live in NY you will want to be able to use Sloan. Oxford is also not accepted by Sloan Kettering, so if you do go with one of the sole proprietor plans offered by Oxford (and Chris Serraro 914-277-8600
ReplyDeleteemail: serraro@abouthealthinsurance.com
website: http://abouthealthinsurance.com/ noted above is very helpful and nice -- he and I just did the SK research) you need to consider plans #1 or #4 which have an out of network component with a 4k or 6k out of pocket maximum so if you should end up needing SK care, you would be able to do that (after some hefty costs.)
By the way, comments above re. percentages paid for in hospital care should be viewed with maximum out of pocket figures in mind as well (I'm pretty sure the FU plan isn't in the many thousands of dollars out of pocket maximum....)
AND I just spoke with the other broker on here and he added the useful point which is that under NY State law you can take a basic plan while you're well and if you get sick upgrade to one that gives you better coverage. BCBS requires 2-3 weeks lead time but many of the others (and Aetna, GHI and a couple of others are taken by Sloan Kettering) you can change for the following month.
ReplyDeleteIs there still a conference call tonight at 9pm? I would be interested in taking Oxford as interim and getting a group together for BCBS POS..
ReplyDeleteNina
nikkinam007@yahoo.com
thanks!
how do i contact you folks about alternatives? peteji@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteIs there anybody who can update me on the status of trying to get BCBS to keep our policy or something similar going? I only signed up for this blog yesterday and was not available at 9pm last night for a conference call if in fact it happened.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Jacqueline Lake
activjac@verizon.net. jacqueline.laake@yahoo.com
Ugh. I missed the conference call again. There were two questions I was hoping to find the answers for:
ReplyDeleteWhat structure are you forming this group under? I think an association is the right one, but I'm not a lawyer. A union doesn't seem right since we don't all work for the same employer and any other corporate structure would likely require that we be full time employees of the company.
Do the plans that have been emailed around include prescription coverage? If so, with what copays?
Thanks again for moving this effort forward.
How do we get the phone number to be on the call tonight? I want to participate and to get a good health insurance plan. The FIC plans have no out of pocket maximum per year, this could be a nightmare for anyone who required hospitalization or had an injury.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Elle
Elle,
ReplyDeleteI think the FIC plans do have an out of pocket maximum for hospitalization, etc.. just not for imaging and medical supplies? (I'm a little unsure also about outpatient surgery done in a doctor's office?)
This is a great effort you guys are putting together. Just for the devil's advocate sake, the high deductable (5K) plan offered by FU will cover everything 100% after the deductible is paid. If i assume the worst case scenario of having to pay the full deductible due to an illness, my out of pocket cost would be 5000 + 230/month premium. This would be equivalent to paying about $670 a month. No co-payments, no co-insurance to think about. And if you don't get sick, you will pay much less. I am pretty angry about FU hitting us with this crap. But this option may not be so bad. The only thing, will sloan Kettering accept their insurance?
ReplyDeleteI believe Sloan Kettering will accept it, or else ALL of this is for naught! Personally I agree with you about the high deductible plan, except that there is 30% coinsurance for prescription drugs (with no out of pocket cap), and of course the annual and lifetime maximums for the policy...
ReplyDeleteIt will take a while to digest everything here, and even to fully comprehend the new FIC policy. I selected PPO 1, so it's, for the moment, $50 less a month than before. But I definitely want to join this group, and get a better plan together, and I agree totally with everything, and I appreciate all the efforts and energy going into it.
ReplyDeleteMy big concern at the moment is physical therapy, $25 now, $50 starting Jan 1, which could run over $400/month.
Happy Holidays to all.
Hey Guys,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't make the conference call. Can someone post the results?
I may be able to help. I have been doing this 24/7 for almost 20 yrs. It's all I do. It is my business and my passion to get affordable coverage for 100's of people like yourselves every day.
ReplyDeleteYou may get to do this at most once a yr.
First suggest you get All the information you will need to make this a good business decision. Use only NYS Ins Dept licensed sources for your research. Brokers like me and insurance company people only. Friends, colleagues, doctors, and others who may not be licensed, may only have anecdotals and even the occasional attitude.
Gary
love to hear where you guys are at with a group plan. I'm very interested in a better plan than FU. And one that doesn't require all this stress each december.
ReplyDeletethanks!
susan
info@susanjoy.net
Just wanted to say hi and thanks to all the people I have spoken to. I really appreciate the kind words about our service. Time is running out for Jan 1, 2009 effective date so if you are still on the fence call us and maybe we help you too.
ReplyDeleteChris Serraro
914-277-8600
800-969-5663
I just spoke with Chris as well. He is very nice and knowledgeable. I'm going to look over the different plans and see what's what but I'd suggest check out Chris and see what's out there.
ReplyDeleteIt may be too late to switch now for me (Chris said he thinks I had until Monday) and I'd have to eat FU's plans for a month or two but then I'd switch over if FU's plans are as bad as everyone is making it sound like.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in more information as well. I am totally upset and confused by this health insurance change! I am also looking into plans that would include one dependent as I am getting married in mid-January and looking for insurance for both of us.
Thanks!
kidcope3000@hotmail.com
Hi, wow thought we would just renew at the last second... Shocked to say the least. Can somebody contact me: noisenyc@gmail.com with regards to the alternative group plan? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDelete~Sai
For those who find the FIC online materials "daunting": To a certain extent, all benefits booklets are daunting -- even the most clearly written ones require a fair degree of effort on the part of the reader/health care consumer. Also, good examples and summaries could certainly improve the FIC materials, and FIC is still using that dreadful and highly confusing summary chart.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the materials. I haven't yet had a chance to read everything carefully, but these materials are vastly superior to the enrollment communications we were sent on November 11. What's more, they're several notches above the Empire and HIP materials that we've had for the past several years -- and therefore, I would say, considerably less daunting than those materials. And the fact that these materials -- and our ID cards -- arrived before the new plan takes effect on January 1 is a huge improvement over last year, when ID cards were late and it took eight months for the booklet to be posted online.
I felt compelled to say all of this because there is a definite tendency among some of the people who post here and on the FU site to paint everything that FU is doing in the worst possible light. I don't think this is helpful, and in my opinion, it's part of the reason why we haven't been more successful in getting the media attention we've sought.
On the other hand, while I've been pleased to see an improvement in communications, I'm waiting to see a commensurate improvement in customer service. (Whatever happened to the three e-mails I wrote on November 11 that have never been answered? Did they go into some "black hole of Brooklyn," or will they be answered many months from now?)
But far more important even than the issue of customer service is the issue of being underinsured. (I'm the one who posted the PwC discussion of the underinsured.) Although I signed up for PPO 1 in early December, I remain extremely concerned about the fact that I will be underinsured under this plan and that the plan is not designed to encourage preventive care and regular screening exams. I've been researching another plan that appears to meet my needs much better than any of the FIC plans, Media Bistro plans or other plans that have been discussed here, including those that David and Lisa are suggesting as "interim" insurance until their plan is available. In January I intend to begin the process of applying for that plan so that my new coverage will be effective by April 2009, when my next round of annual checkups and screening exams begins. I have enough of my one prescription to last until early April, so with any luck, if all goes well with the enrollment process and I have no medical emergencies, I won't ever have to use the FIC plan in 2009 or even pay the prescription deductible again. If I don't have any medical emergencies, my choice will actually end up making sense financially because the new plan I'm considering costs about $60 a month more than PPO 1, and at least I will have saved that $180+ by not participating during three months when I wasn't using the plan.
Under the new plan I'll have a true safety net and, by my calculations, I won't be underinsured. Although my monthly premium costs unfortunately will be higher, my out-of-pocket costs will probably be considerably less than they would be under PPO 1, especially if I have outpatient surgery or need extensive screening exams.
After I've gathered more info on the new plan and have enrolled, I'll write again to this blog to pass on info about the plan and how the enrollment process worked. But that will probably be the last time that I'll post anything here, and I don't expect to post anything between now and then.
I'm no longer interested in the plan that David and Lisa are starting. I realize that most of you are quite a bit younger than I am, and therefore you're interested in seeing new plans for freelancers that will work better for you than the FIC plans for many years ahead. In my case, I'll be eligible for Medicare (and Medicare supplement plans) in about three years, so I'm just trying to ensure that I have reasonably good coverage until then. I'm not willing to take on the extra work and extra risk involved in being part of a new group like the one David and Lisa are proposing. And for the most part, I think FU does an excellent job as an association of freelancers if not as a provider of insurance, and I expect to continue to be a member of FU after I take my insurance business elsewhere. In fact, I expect to be a member for many years to come since I don't expect to "retire" until about 15 years after first becoming eligible for Medicare, if ever.
For the minority of FU members who are 50 or older: You may want to look into AARP's dental insurance plan through Delta, which I've just joined. You may find it much more attractive than the FU/FIC dental plans, especially if you need three cleanings a year instead of the two covered by the FU plan, and if your dentist participates in Delta, as mine does. Delta's Plan A costs about $55 a month in New York, and has a maximum annual benefit of $1,200. It covers the full cost of three cleanings and two exams a year, and like the FU PPO, requires a 12-month waiting period before major work (gum disease treatment, crowns, bridges, etc.) is covered at 50%. However, oral surgery and root canals, which are subject to the waiting period under the FU PPO, are not subject to the waiting period under the AARP plan.
Carolyn
hello all-
ReplyDeleteDue to life situations, I was just not able to carefully look over the available options in the short deadline time and thus I'm opting for insurance with FIC. Temporarily. I do plan to use something else tho.
By the way, I got this tip from another poster somewhere, you can just mail your check in and thus only be required to pay for TWO months in advance while the March one would be due by March 1, they don't ask for that premium. When enrolling, just opt to pay by mail and NOT have it taken automatically out of your checking account.
I just spent 15 minutes with Chris Serraro on the phone as he walked me through the forms I needed to fill out to get a new plan (I went for Oxford Freedom Direct). He was incredibly helpful, patient, and "normal," as it didn't feel as if he were hustling a product or trying to get off the phone quickly.
ReplyDeleteI was so irritated by the new insurance packages offered by FU that I decided to switch, too. I moved to HIP via Fractured Atlas (http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/healthcare/). Unfortunately, my current doctor does not take HIP and I really like him. Oxford sounds like a good option, I'd be interested in more details. Will they be posted here?
ReplyDeleteThank you all of your insightful comments. I, too, am frustrated and a little overwhelmed by this forced change.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any insights/commentary on Fractured Atlas and the HIP PPO plan? To me, that seems the most reasonable amongst the limited and unappealing options. It is sort of seems like a cross between FIC PPO 1 and 2, but cheaper than both @ $299/month (and with a $5000 out of pocket max). Just wondering why it hasn't been mentioned more as an alternative. Anyone have problems?
Does HIP have a wide network? Oxford Liberty seems to have a very small network, while the Oxford Freedom (which seems more widely accepted) subjects you to paying the full fee for doctor's visits unless you have fulfilled your deductible, as there is no copay.
I, too, spoke with Chris Serrero -- his phones must be off the hook -- who was incredibly helpful and couldn't have been nicer or more patient.
I just finished setting my wife and my health insurance with Chris Serarro. He was very helpful and worked quickly to get our insurance set up for January 1.
ReplyDeleteGive him a call. He was helpful and very knowledgeable.
Chris Serraro
914-277-8600
800-969-5663
Dec 31, 2008 2:45 PM
ReplyDeleteThank God for Chris and Trevor Serraro at About Health Insurance. Chris literally just stayed at work to ensure that my family will have coverage come midnight tonight. Its a shame when a company like FLU abuses its members.
I was pretty nervous about what to do. I want to say thank you very much to whoever found these guys and dropped them onto this blog. They were able to turn this around for us in 2 days flat. Good luck everybody, Have a safe happy and healthy 09.
About Health Insurance Brokerage, Inc.
340 rte 202 Somers N.Y. 10589
914-277-8600 (fx)914-277-3452
800-969-5663
David,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help here. I have an interim plan in place that frees me from the nightmare that I'm afraid FIC will evolve into.
Is the idea of forming a group to keep the Empire plans still viable?
Having been under the gun on all fronts these last few weeks, I have only now begun to explore the blogs, alternative blogs etc. regarding FU and the insurance debacle. I have currently signed with one of the FU plans (I had my family to think of and did not have the time to do the proper research for an alternative), so may be stuck for the year. However, I would be interested in knowing if 1)There will be a concerted effort to take the org. to task for what has transpired (e.g. legal and/or complaints at the State gov. level, 2) Anyone has been on "Sara's Talk Show" and whether anything positive has been indicated regarding this huge issue, 3)Anyone knows where one can find the financial information of the FU organization,including salaries and total salary expenses for top management, and 4)How far along any plans to broker a separate deal with Empire have gotten, and how to stay abreast of this movement. Anyone with answers to all or any of these are free to contact me at seymourpeter26@hotmail.com Thanks, and happy new year.
ReplyDeletePeter,
ReplyDeleteYou can get a copy of FU 990s from guidestar.org (requires a free registration). You have to search by their former name "Working Today".
How do I join this group? We are DESPERATE. Husband has brain cancer. Email me at lbshrink@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI find it quite irritating that in all of this FU continues to post these fluff pieces on their website blog--I'm feeling like we're paying for the writers to come up with this stuff... (with the extra gaps in our insurance coverage)
ReplyDeleteYour Viagra Pen Now a Collector’s Item
January 5th, 2009 by Freelancers Union
A whole bunch of pharmaceutical hotshots–Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, etc.–have signed a “revised” and “enhanced” voluntary code, effectively pledging to stop gifting doctors with yo-yos, zip drives, click pens, and mugs with drug brand names on them. Side effect warning: dwindling supplies may cause eBay bidding wars of Happy Meal-beanie-baby proportions.
A New York Times article expresses some skepticism that this will really change the dubious interactions between drug makers and doctors. The photo in the article shows one doctor’s art installation of drug-peddling pens (at first glance, they actually look like rows of medical files). Will he take them down? Does art neutralize marketing?
In case you’ve never had the pleasure of borrowing your neighbor’s Viagra pen, you can browse the whole gamut of tchotchkes at the Drug Rep Toys blog, which keenly questions “the wisdom behind advertising an anti-coagulant with a sharp object [scissors].” But if your pen cup runneth over, you can send the whole lot off to the Pen Amnesty program.
Posted in Health care & insurance | No Comments »
New Year’s Perkolution
December 30th, 2008 by Freelancers Union
We really don’t mean to be plugging our discount partners all the time, but we thought this was worth pointing out:
The YMCA has waived its joining fee until February 2. New York Sports Club will waive joining fees January 1–31. Combined with the discount on monthly rates, your fitness resolution might weather the recession.
If it takes you until February to go from resolution to action, that’s okay too. The David Barton Gym and The Gym always waive joining fees for our members.
Posted in Members, New York, Useful stuff | No Comments »
Freelancing Tool from Our Neighbors to the North
December 16th, 2008 by Freelancers Union
Another score for organization and innovation. FreshBooks, a business service and one of Freelancers Union’s discount partners, was just named one of the top ten international products of 2008 by ReadWriteWeb. FreshBooks offers a discount to Freelancers Union members nationwide: 30% off paid FreshBooks accounts and 50% off a customized log-in page. (Member or not, FreshBooks lets you try their product for free.)
From ReadWriteWeb:
FreshBooks, the Canadian online invoicing, time and expense tracking service for individuals and small companies, has been showing steady growth over the past year according to Compete, and claims to have over 500K new users since May 2004.
We compared FreshBooks with other online accounting services in August this year, and decided it was easy to use, includes a host of useful features, has an active forum, and offers benchmark data by industry to its users. More recently, we looked at FreshBooks Report Cards which provide an insight into how your business fares in relation to other businesses in your profession. Selected as one of the PICK 20 top Web 2.0 leaders in Canada in September this year, we think FreshBooks deserves a mention here too.
Posted in Useful stuff | 1 Comment »
Just want to post a short note to agree with those above regarding the About Health Insurance group. Just signed onto an Oxford Plan that all my doctors take which offers better coverage and lower costs than the new FIC plans.
ReplyDeleteChris and Trevor Serraro are very helpful, professional, and get results quickly. I already have my insurance card # less than 2 weeks after sending out the papaerwork.
So give 'em a call.........
Chris/Trevor Serraro
914-277-8600
800-969-5663
Hi Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteI'm very eager to get a sense of the plan you've found--as soon as you can post anything it would be great. Thank you so much!
Most people have found interim health insurance now (or are going without). What's the status of the new group?
ReplyDeleteWill there be another conference call?
Please update us on the progress. Thanks!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. How can get more information or be involved in a conference call? I am interested in this discussion about health insurance options in NYC for freelancers. I am considering the HD 10K from FIC for the meantime.
thanks
Shane
FU debited my bank account after I explicitly canceled coverage - this is the second unauthorized debit after I was told that there would be no further withdrawals. I am now covered by Oxford so why does FIC think they can continue to take money? I am so glad to be out of that cess pool. I am contacting the police tomorrow and filing a complaint for theft and fraud.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - this is Nathan, one of the suddenly overworked people at Total Capital Planning (the people working with Mediabistro to provide info on the plans available). We have sole proprietor plans for freelancers with Oxford, Atlantis, HIP, and GHI.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd stop in and say hi - I know there's been a lot of interest in light of the whole Freelancer's Union... spectacle? Debacle? And reiterate that we are happy to help with any questions we can.
We really do just want to help you guys out, I know you're all in the lurch over this. So if you need anything feel free to give us a call at 212-879-0122. Even if you're not eligible for these plans (FU has had some slightly different requirements in the past than these do), we'll try to point you in the right direction for something.
re: julian's comment above. This is disturbing to say the least. Did you contact your bank to put a stop payment on Freelancers Union transactions? Please keep us posted on your situation... Good Luck - hope you get your refund soon!
ReplyDeletei originally qualified for, and was let into freelancers union under (if i recall correctly) their legal services section, as i am a medical examiner and licensed private investigator, the latter speciality focusing on white collar crime/fraud...perhaps it is now time for this dawg to turn on its "master."
ReplyDeleteAll,
ReplyDeleteFreelancers Union might be all some of us are left with as an option. Let's try to be constructive in our thoughts about them. Many of us don't want to see them go under.
My alma mater alum asn has a deal for $25-100k deductible health plan. HSAs sell like 2k. I figur eI need $5-10k. I can't seem to find it in NYC/NYS. Anyone know why?
ReplyDeleteI have been reading the forums on FU (and occasionally posting) on this insurance situation. The focus both here and at FU seems to be NY state residents only. To that end it seems you ahve found a very good agent to service your needs and you should by all means support him.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if any individuals or the group like to know about some options around the rest of the country I would be happy to assist.
I currently work with two groups of voer 25,000 members each assisting their individual members in need of health insurance. In my home state of CA it can be even more challenging since all individual coverage is fully underwritten. Despite that I have never failed to find a plan for every client.
If I can be of any assistance please feel free to call 866-786-5402 or email stuart@criticalmarketing.net
Thanks...Stuart Phillips ACBC, MBA
David and Lisa,
ReplyDeleteCould you please let us know if plans for a group for bcbs are dead in the water? Thank you very much.
Dear Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear about the alternative plan you thought you might have found? Thanks!
I am also interested in joining this group. I signed up for FIC PPO #1 back in December. At the time, I will admit that I didn't fully research these changes due to other personal issues. I am now in the process of trying to get Lap Band surgery. FIC has been very vague about what they will cover. Plus, I am stuck with that awful deductible and coinsurance fee for the surgery. I don't know if it will work at this point to look for a new insurance company that will cover the surgery due to pre-existing conditions, but it is worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteDuring our conference calls in December, we asked for volunteers to form a steering committee and share the work necessary to form a group and get insurance. Although many people wrote in here to join the group on this blog and in tons of emails too, unfortunately very few (almost none) volunteered to do any work involved in making this idea a reality. If you want to form a group to get better & cheaper insurance, please email to volunteer. Otherwise, this group will surely "die in the water" as one person above put it...
ReplyDeleteFollow up comment to prior email:
ReplyDeleteTo volunteer your time, your expertise, your contacts in the insurance field or most importantly TO PROVIDE AN ATTORNEY'S SERVICES to our group, or perhaps a lead on how we can find the right attorney, please email us at the address you've used to contact David before: member.upsetfu@gmail.com
can you allow me to advertise my online business in your blog..
ReplyDeletewww.onlineuniversalwork.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMedigap4Seniors Provides Medigap Policies, Medicare Supplemental Plan, Medicare Supplement Insurance, Aarp Medical Supplement and Compare Medigap Insurance Online.
ReplyDeleteHello just wanted to give you a quick heads up
ReplyDeleteand let you know a few of the pictures aren't loading correctly. I'm not sure why but I think
its a linking issue. I've tried it in two different browsers and both show the same outcome.
my weblog: espresso coffee makers
I for all time emailed this blog post page to all my contacts,
ReplyDeletefor the reason that if like to read it afterward my friends will too.
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I am looking for an insurance policy for myself. I am a freelance article writer. I have written an article about freelance union insurance. But one thing is not clear....
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