AboutJohn (J.R.) McCollough Expertise I can answer questions pertaining to Health and Medicare insurance for individual and/or family coverage, students, retired/separated military members, small businesses under 20 employees and seniors in the United States.
Additionally, I can assist people in understanding their options if they've been turned down for insurance and do not know about what state and federal programs are available.
Experience I am the owner of a national agency that only attracts agents of the highest caliber to consult in Health, Life and Medicare insurance products. We emphasize a client-centered approach to the way we conduct business and can provide objective input to help you make an informed decision.
Organizations I belong to a variety of professional, consumer and military organizations. Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in a particular organization.
Past/Present Clients I don't divulge information about my clients on the internet due to respect for protecting information. Anybody is more than welcome to contact me if they wish to receive a list of past and current clients in their respective area whom have authorized my agents and/or I to release information.
Question Hi John!
I am an unmarried 23 year old girl and I live in Oregon. Until the first of this year, I have been on my dad's health insurance, and I would like to purchase some for myself now that I have no coverage. I have been looking at different sites online, but they seem to have made me more confused than I was before.
Most of the insurance I can afford right now has extremely high deductibles, because I would like to get coverage that covers doctors visits, prescriptions and specialist visits, as I broke my neck in 2004 in a car accident and had to get fusion surgery as a result. Although the fusion was successful, I still get occasional pain as a result of arthritis from the injury. I have never needed to be hospitalized after my initial stay, but I typically need to see a doctor a few times a year due to pain, and get prescriptions as well. I also have attention deficit disorder, so I take Adderall to keep that under control. Other than those 2 issues, I have no other health problems.
With this said, does it seem worthwhile to get high deductible insurance ($5,000+) given my circumstances? I was looking into Providence health insurance, and their policy waives the deductible for treatment of accidental injuries within the first 90 days of the incident. What exactly does "accidental injuries" entail? I know my neck injury wouldn't be included, but I'm not sure as to what possible future injuries would. Also, even with a $5,000 or $10,000 deductible, the website states my out of pocket maximum per year would be $2,500. To me that doesn't seem like near enough money for a $10,000 deductible, is there something that I am misunderstanding? I'm a little apprehensive about calling them directly because I know they will try to persuade me to buy a policy, and I would like to have some objective information first. Thank you so much for your time, I really do appreciate it, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Answer Hi Kristen,
Generally speaking, the decision to have a high deductible health plan rests with your comfort level and affordability. I'm a big fan of those plans, but the decision is yours.
There are plans that will cover your neck in the event of an accident, but they are far and few between. American National out of Texas has a good plan for accidents and injuries that covers pre-existing conditions if you're accepted. I'd look into some of the top A rated carriers (BCBS, UHC, etc.) in your state and see what they offer. You should check things out with a knowledgeable agent in your area who understands the local market.
