Health Insurance going up again..

[Christina]

HELP!!! WHEN IS IT GOING TO STOP??? /
Unless my husband and I find another health insurance provider that won't exclude pre-existing conditions our health insurance will increase from $883.91 to $1354.00 per month as of 10/01/05. ($6000 per year)
How can anyone afford these rates when they keep increasing them. What will it be 5 years from now?
In 1998 we were paying $200.00 per month so go figure?
I seldom go to doctors and haven't seen my PC since last July. I only see my cardio once a year. I do my own Protimes, bought my own Protime machine, am paying for my supplies out of pocket and have to pay $50.00 per prescription, that is $50.00 per Coumadin prescription. I take 23 mg a day, so I need 2 Coumadin prescriptions to cover the 23 mg per day. That is all the prescription drugs I take.
I need coverage for hubby and myself.
Any recommendations or suggestions?

 

[Ross]

It's never going to stop. Until the Government steps in and regulates this crap, it's going to keep going like it is. I feel your pain. It has wrecked this family now financially and it's moving on to take out others as well.

I could say call your Congressman and others, but you know what, they don't care. They're set for life in there little world and have no worries.

 

[hensylee]

It's never going to stop. Until the Government steps in and regulates this crap, it's going to keep going like it is. I feel your pain. It has wrecked this family now financially and it's moving on to take out others as well.

I could say call your Congressman and others, but you know what, they don't care. Their set for life in there little world and have no worries.

I recall a time when Nixon (I think it was Nixon) declared a freeze on certain price increases. Wonder why this has not happened now, in view of the situation in which our country finds itself. Especially health care. Every time we pick up a refill on rxes, the price has gone up - and it's not 1%; it's way more. The medical community has gone crazy. I really believe that when they allowed advertisements for medicines, our demand to 'have it' caused a great leap in costs. After all, don't our citizens live by TV!

My supplemental ins has more than doubled in less than 10 yrs. And coverage is less. Go figure.

our country right now has a bunch of messes.

 

[Jan]

Christina

I really sympathise with you,how on earth are you expected to pay that much each month,?

Love


Jan

 

[hensylee]

Many are no longer able to pay it, Jan. You'd think the richest country in the world would be covered up with health care - not. Look at Ross' situation. He and Lyn are now deeply in debt, probably for the rest of their lives, due to her recent emergency surgery. She was without health insurance because of the high cost.

 

[bvdr]

I know it is a mess. Our company also had our premiums really increased. And at the same time I have read that after this December my doctors at Duke will no longer accept my insurance plan. So....pay more money for less. I know that I am a heavy user of insurance benefits and I feel so guilty sometimes because I know my healthcare costs have caused all our other employees to have higher premiums.

The time is coming when I fear health care will be rationed and I don't really see a way around it. Insurance is so expensive but so is health care. I sure don't know how to solve it.

 

[Guest]

*sighs*

This topic is enough to get anyone depressed ... quickly. Especially for those, like me, are currently employable.

Aye aye aye.

Ironic thing is ... I had a bad bad nightmare last night that I couldn't afford my health insurance or doctors visits ... so I had to sell all of my MCs. Even sadder for me is that I actually may have to. Might as well put me in the ground then....

*shakes head*


Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 31swm/pig valve/pacemaker
'72,6,9/'81,7.hobbies.chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
MC Guide = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html
"There's things goin' on make me mad down to the core" ... Charlie Daniels ... 'Simple Man'

 

[hensylee]

millions of stories like yours and Ross, Cort. Sad to say.

 

[Sherry]

Christina, I'm sorry to hear this. I can't imagine having to pay that much for health insurance premiums. You are certainly in my thoughts, friend.

 

[Guest]

millions of stories like yours and Ross, Cort. Sad to say.

*nods*

Yeah, I know. Which depresses me more because I know my situation could be a lot worse. It's just ... well, eh, never mind.

At least my health, except for the pacemaker, is good....lol.

 

[Christina]

We found a new Health Insurance Provider.

We found a new Health Insurance Provider.

Hi Pam...

No, the school district that my husband was employed with is increasing the premiums, but I am sure that UHC, the provider they went with last year is also wanting more money.
We have been with the same district since 1969 and have had insurance through them ever since. They have switched insurance providers about every other year and the premiums have changed every time as well, but never this much. I remember paying $200.00 in 1998 and since then it has steadily increased to $883.91 per month, and now the major increase of $500.00 per month as of 10/1/05. We simply refuse to pay those high premiums.
Since Friday I have called several companies to find new insurance and all of them excluded me because of my pre-existing condition of heart valve disease. Some of them required a waiting period of up to 18 months before I could be insured, and that is way too long. God forbid if anything were to happen, we would lose everything and have to go deep into debt.
Anyway, we found something else but it is not an insurance policy or an insurance company but a membership group. Once you lock in the premium rate it can NEVER increase. Our premium will be $349.50 for the Diamond Plus Plan. A $1000.00 savings for us per month.

FYI....
http://www.4mydsp.com/index.htm

(DESIGN SAVERS PLAN has established agreements with leading healthcare providers to provide services direct to the consumer at deeply discounted rates that usually only large insurance companies can attain!
Depending on the Membership Level, the IAB program has certain limited insured benefits through a group blanket policy, but all insurance matters and claims are handled by the member directly with the licensed insurance companies.
The DESIGN SAVERS PLAN is NOT an Insurance Policy, and DESIGN SAVERS PLAN is NOT an insurance company)

It does not cover 100% for everything but they include pre-existing health conditions so I am covered from the start. I don't run to doctors for every pickin little thing anyways, and unless something is really wrong with me I simply won't go. I also hope and pray that the mechanical valve I have will last me the rest of my life.

Take care,

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Maybe another avenue to go...

Maybe another avenue to go...

Christina -- check with the AZ Insurance Commission or whatever it's called in AZ and see if they have a "Health Insurance Risk Pool."

Texas does -- and I switched to it when my premiums topped $1K a month... Of course, there are stringent guidelines and having an "artificial heart valve" is one of them in Texas so I automatically qualified. It's administered through BCBS and is a PPO here. Here's the URL to the Texas site.. http://www.txhealthpool.com/

Hope the same is available for you in AZ.

 

[Guest]

*frantically scribbes down notes*

Christina,
Did you sign up for that program? I tried to contact them via the web and phone ... to get more information sent to me ... but nobody has contacted me yet .


Janie,
Thanks for that info/link. I'll have to check to see if IL or TN has something similar....


Now, if only we had similar assistance for life insurance .

 

[Christina]

Cort, yes we did.

Cort, yes we did.

Hi Cort,

Yes, we signed up for that program. They called us back rather quickly. I had left my name on their site over the weekend and they called me already on Monday morning. It is a month by month program and if you don't like it you just cancel. They charge our credit card every month. We just hope we don't have to go in for an operation or something big because that would set us back 20-30% of the bill as they mostly pay 70%. We are going to put $500 into our Health Savings Account per month so we have the money available if anything cathastrophic were to happen.
Don't you hate the way things are going with our Health Care Program?

Take care,

 

[Georgia]

Cort - IL has the CHP plan for uninsurable people - problem is, they restrict coverage to the number of people the legislature's provided funding for. WHAT IS THAT????????? There's frequently a waiting list.

 

[Guest]

Cort - IL has the CHP plan for uninsurable people - problem is, they restrict coverage to the number of people the legislature's provided funding for. WHAT IS THAT????????? There's frequently a waiting list.

*shakes head*

Best not get me started...lol.

Thanks for the info, dear Georgia. But, I sheepishly ask what does CHP stand for? (I, for whatever reason, keep seeing it as CHiPs...lol...and I KNOW it doesn't stand for California Highway Patrol in this case .)

Don't you hate the way things are going with our Health Care Program?

*nods emphatically*

Yes. It seems that, more'n'more, those of us with health issues get punished for it....

Again, best not get me started...lol.

But, I am frustrated ... they haven't so much as called me back .