Back in early December I asked readers for health insurance recommendations. I received the following:
- 10 Sources of Free Agent Health Insurance
- Fortis Health Insurance
- Association of Internet Professionals
- Insurance Finder (which yielded the name of an Allstate agent who only had very expensive plans to offer)
- Media Bistro, a site for media workers, offers insurance if you sign-up for their premium membership
- A NY Chamber of Commerce membership can get you group rates from several providers
- Working Today
I also called Empire Blue Cross for some quotes because I had a Blue Cross/Shield policy for a while in California. They were the most expensive quote by far ($450+ a month for individual coverage), though they also offered a sort-of "emergency only" policy for around $150/month. But it didn't cover doctor fees, so from what I could tell, if you got run over by the bus, it would cover the ambulance and hospital charges, but not the surgeon's fees for reassembling you.
I've decided to go with Working Today because it seemed to provide the most benefits for the price, offered a good website which explained what I needed to know, was recommended by many people, and provided (so far) a pretty painless sign-up process.
It's still insanely expensive compared to what I paid in California — four times more a month — but I haven't turned up anything else that meets my requirements (which were individual coverage, low monthly rate, protect me from bankruptcy if some disaster befalls me). What I've ended up with is far more comprehensive coverage at a much higher rate than I wanted to spend.