I messed up big time with health insurance, advice desperately needed

You might want to start here: https://www.mnsure.org/help/find-assister/index.jsp

Why are you so interested in health insurance. Are you sick?

You should be very healthy at that age.

I'm more than 50 years older than you, have never had health insurance and have no intention of ever getting it.

You're 20.... wrote:

Why are you so interested in health insurance. Are you sick?

You should be very healthy at that age.

I'm more than 50 years older than you, have never had health insurance and have no intention of ever getting it.

You're saying take tax penalty? Noted.

Not sure about this, but you might qualify for medicaid, which I'm pretty sure you can sign up for at any time. Yeah, feels weird to be "on assistance," but it gives you an insurance card to stick in your wallet so you don't go bankrupt if you get hit by a bus.

You're 20.... wrote:

Why are you so interested in health insurance. Are you sick?

You should be very healthy at that age.

I'm more than 50 years older than you, have never had health insurance and have no intention of ever getting it.

So you're 70+ years old and you claim that you never had health insurance. Wow. I am going to assume that you live in a third world country where people don't have much of anything.

If you live in the U.S. of A. then I assume you never signed up for Medicare when you turned 65 if you truly claim that you don't and have never had insurance. I also have to assume that you worked lousy, low paying temporary jobs your whole life where they don't offer health insurance for minimum wage temporary workers. That is hard to believe because when you were a young man in the 60s and 70s they threw in health insurance like it was nothing. I also assume that you have little or no assets to protect by having insurance. If you have even one major medical event without insurance you will probably go bankrupt, but by having no assets, big deal, you have nothing for them to take.

Basically, either you live in a third world country, or you are a loser, or you are lying.

Just consider yourself lucky that you're now free to choose whatever health insurance you want.

I wrote:

You're saying take tax penalty? Noted.

No, there has been no penalty.

And as far as I know, the IRS doesn't enforce any penalties for not being forced into paying for health insurance.

Yes I do. I live in California.

I had to sign up for it at age 70 to get the social security payments, but only signed up for A which doesn't cost anything. They tried to push me into B but that didn't work. I guess that I had health insurance working as an administrator prior to becoming self employed in my 30's, but not thereafter.

[quoteI also assume that you have little or no assets to protect by having insurance. If you have even one major medical event without insurance you will probably go bankrupt, but by having no assets, big deal, you have nothing for them to take.[/quote]

Actually I do, but protected, and you're much more likely to go bankrupt with your health insurance than I am without it. Meanwhile you've been paying much more all your life then I have. Heck with just my savings I'm better off then you are with health insurance.

Actually I'm a genius, and you're not able to comprehend what I do.

You're 20.... wrote:

Why are you so interested in health insurance. Are you sick?

You should be very healthy at that age.

I'm more than 50 years older than you, have never had health insurance and have no intention of ever getting it.

Unless you have a crystal ball or you're a multi-millionaire that's not the way to look at it. I almost decided to forgo health insurance in 2016 but decided to get a cheaper Bronze plan for catastrophic protection. And wouldn't you know a few months later I get T-boned by an idiot who ran a red light while texting. He had no insurance & no job, and I had only liability on my car. The insurance plan saved the day paying for most of the medical bills which including ER services which were in the $20,000 dollar range. And let me tell you if you need ER services they'll come after for payment like sharks after prey. The day I got out of the hospital they were hounding me to pay the ER bill even though I have insurance!

I used to think as long as I take care of myself and stay healthy I wouldn't need health insurance. But if you drive or run out on the roads, you can't control other people's behavior.

I think Trump did away with the Penalty.

Yes, people have gone without but the have high deductible and pay out of pocket. Obamacare Screwed that up Big time, that socialist.

I know a doctor that barters bc patients dont have money.

I once had a $2300 bill that my Mom helped me pay off at age 23. Didnt have insurance back then, even that was unnecessary bc of an idiot Sports doctor. He was dumb, his collegues even said it.

To the 70+ year old who lives in California:

So, it turns out that you DID have health insurance. So, it turns out that you WERE lying.

And regarding your comments about not paying the penalty, you admit to cheating on your taxes.

You are a liar and a cheat, and as I stated earlier, a loser.

This conversation is over. I don't care to converse with your kind.

Do you have parents? Do they have insurance? I think Bush said you can stay on your parents plan until 26. You might have to do it during open enrollment, however.

Also, you can marry one of your friends that has insurance through work. It would be a qualifying change, so you can do it outside of open enrollment.

I think you can buy insurance direct from an insurer anytime. You won't be able to go through the ACA portal, just go directly to whoever the big insurers are in your area. You won't get a subsidy but I think you can get covered anytime.

I doubt this old guy's story wrote:

To the 70+ year old who lives in California:

So, it turns out that you DID have health insurance. So, it turns out that you WERE lying.

And regarding your comments about not paying the penalty, you admit to cheating on your taxes.

You are a liar and a cheat, and as I stated earlier, a loser.

This conversation is over. I don't care to converse with your kind.

+1

X1000

Thumbs up for calling out this dbag for offering terrible advice. He was clearly exceedingly lucky for never having a severe incident in his life. He also forgets his age. he skirted health insurance when medical costs were a small fraction what they are today. More importantly he was never married and never had kids. No self respecting man would forgo health insurance on his family to save a buck, unless he’s an a$$ which actually sounds like him. For the rest of us, health insurance is a bit of a necessity to protect our life savings and the ones we love from accidents and severe illnesses.

medicaid? wrote:

Not sure about this, but you might qualify for medicaid, which I'm pretty sure you can sign up for at any time. Yeah, feels weird to be "on assistance," but it gives you an insurance card to stick in your wallet so you don't go bankrupt if you get hit by a bus.

Thanks for the advice everyone, but THIS guy specifically. I called, got shuffled around a little (a lot) and ended up talking to my county's human services, and I qualify for what looks like the same free insurance I already had.

This is exactly what I love about asking questions on open message boards. No one trying to sell me anything (google) or talking above my head (MNSure). Thanks a million, a pretty heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

You might want to start here:

https://www.mnsure.org/help/find-assister/index.jsp

Also thank YOU very much. That's something I should have gotten to myself.

I am the OP again wrote:

This is exactly what I love about asking questions on open message boards. No one trying to sell me anything (google) or talking above my head (MNSure). Thanks a million, a pretty heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

You're quite welcome, but you're no better off, because health insurance is a crutch.

You're much better off to not have it at all.

To the weak minded idiots, you should be more tolerant of people who aren't so needy like you are.

You're 20.... wrote:

I am the OP again wrote:

This is exactly what I love about asking questions on open message boards. No one trying to sell me anything (google) or talking above my head (MNSure). Thanks a million, a pretty heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

You're quite welcome, but you're no better off, because health insurance is a crutch.

You're much better off to not have it at all.

To the weak minded idiots, you should be more tolerant of people who aren't so needy like you are.

You said you were done talking. Anyone not willing to pay zero dollars a dollars a month to make sure a bad driver or a missed step doesn't send them into bankruptcy is mentally ill.

I am the OP again wrote:

medicaid? wrote:

Not sure about this, but you might qualify for medicaid, which I'm pretty sure you can sign up for at any time. Yeah, feels weird to be "on assistance," but it gives you an insurance card to stick in your wallet so you don't go bankrupt if you get hit by a bus.

Thanks for the advice everyone, but THIS guy specifically. I called, got shuffled around a little (a lot) and ended up talking to my county's human services, and I qualify for what looks like the same free insurance I already had.

This is exactly what I love about asking questions on open message boards. No one trying to sell me anything (google) or talking above my head (MNSure). Thanks a million, a pretty heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

This is actually good to know as I don't think most people would have thought about Medicaid.