Compass Blog #004_By Nick S
I’ve never had my own health insurance.
When I got off my parent’s health insurance, I had always just been bootstrapping freelance work and odd jobs and working for smaller entities as an artist and designer.
Welcome to the “gig economy” everyone!
Thankfully, I’m a healthy person.
But still, when I’d tell people that I don’t have health insurance, ashamedly, now at 28 years old, with a wife whose time on her parent’s insurance was about to expire, they’d get this concerned inflection in their voice, “Oh no! You need to get some!”
To which I’d usually say, “Uhh…yeah, you’re right. I should!”
That’s all the further the conversation normally went…
To me, getting health insurance was like this ethereal thing that the big cushy corporate jobs offered, and if you were lucky, you didn’t have to pay $1000 a month for it or whatever.
Time to move to Sweden!
This was my perception of the average person’s access to health insurance in America before I started working with Compass Community Health as a contracted Marketeer and Designer, along with my buddies Ryan and Audrey Schiesser of AMM.
In my first few meetings with Compass CEO Summer Kirby, she explained how Compass can help people find a healthcare package by enrolling yearly into Healthcare.gov.
Later that week I went back to her in private, I was nervous, “Hey Summer…can you explain that Healthcare.gov enrollment thing to me again…I might be interested.”
Lol, might be??? I needed it!
Summer promptly set me up with Compass’ Outreach and Enrollment Specialist, Kristen Baker.
Kristen sent me a link to HealthCare.gov.
She told me to enroll, and that the enrollment basically evaluates your financial situation, and your level of need.
Kristen explained to me what a deductible is.
Since my wife and I are pretty healthy people, we chose a plan with a lower monthly payment, and higher deductible.
Food for thought, here’s a comparison of Higher vs. Lower deductibles I found helpful from Forbes:
High-deductible plans make sense for people who are generally healthy, and for those without young children. Because preventive care is free under the Affordable Care Act, and many policies allow you to see your primary care doctor with a copay rather than paying toward the deductible, a few visits to the doctor per year won’t be a financial setback for an otherwise healthy person.
Plans with lower deductibles and higher premiums are recommended for people who expect a considerable amount of medical care. Those with chronic illnesses, the need to see several specialists, or possible hospitalizations in the coming year will save more in the long run with a lower deductible. Also, families with small children can benefit from a low-deductible plan, particularly if the children are involved in sports or frequently ill.
Overall, Summer and Kristen were very helpful, and just generally decent and kind about the whole thing.
My wife and I have health insurance now. I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever see the day.
But know it’s true, Compass is compassionate. They are genuinely here to help.
Reach out today!
-Email: info@compasscommunityhealth.org,
-Message us on Facebook @ Compass Community Health
-Call: 740-355-7102
-Address: 1634 11th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662