health ins.in buffalo ny.

hi,my name is steve and i am new to this forum.i was in an accident in 2001,fell 20ft. to the concrete below.i have some pre-existing injuries to my feet and back.i'm looking for medical insurance,so far i've looked into univera,ind.health and community blue.they all want 1,000.oo dollars a month,thats crazy to me.i'm also may need to enter a substance abuse rehab in the future as i've been on lotab for quite some time.univera was actually the cheapest $973.00 a month.i lve in buffalo ny. can anyone recommened a good but cheaper insurance,or any ideas at all.thanks

[Amir Mostafaie]

Dear steveo30,

NY (especially upstate) is a tough market for obtaining Individual and/or Family health insurance. That is because NY is a) a guaranteed issue state, which means no one can be declined based on their health history & b) community rated which means all residents of one area pay the same for a plan regardless of their age. Under the circumstances you need to decide if spending the $1000 is the best course of action or can you go with a less expensive plan that covers fewer benefits.

In your area, GHI offers a rather catastrophic PPO plan that covers hospital stay, surgeries and prescription medications, but doesn’t pay for office visits. You might think, why would I buy insurance if it doesn’t pay for office visits? You'll have to decide whether it makes more sense to spend $1000 month & have your office visits covered or would you rather spend $388 a months & pay for those visits out of pocket. The details of the GHI Alliance Value plan can be found through a link to eHealthIsnurance.com under “Get Quotes” on this Forum & you can call eHealth & speak to a licensed rep with any questions about the plan.

Sincerely,

Amir Mostafaie