The reality of heath care cost

[Lansbury 19]

Had a telephone call from Blue Cross/Blue Shield today.

They thought that had better warn me before I saw the letter that the annual increase in my health insurance would be a bit higher this year as I was 60 last month. The bit higher is a monthly increase from $368 to $570 or 55%.

[eau_xplain 2]

[Chica Yeyé 41]

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

NHS is looking pretty cheap right now?

[Lansbury 19]

NHS is looking pretty cheap right now?

That's the truth.

Give BC/BS their due they recommended I change plan to one with a much higher deductible but the the coinsurance maximum is a third less. So I would have an extra $2000 deductible but the coinsurance is $2000 a year less. That would reduce the monthly premium $160.

Unless I'm not understanding the system correctly that seems a good option.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

wow, US health insurance boggles my mind

[Dr. Obvious 49]

wow, US health insurance boggles my mind

It depends a lot on what your employer is willing to spend. My employer has a plan that is HSA based with a $4k deductible. My employer contributes 70% of the deductible by depositing $230 a month in my HSA. I have to pay the overage. After the deductible is met, everything is 100% covered. This is a fairly good plan, which I doubt I will use much of. After doing the math, I figured out that this coverage costs $840 something a month altogether for my family. I pay $228 a month of that.

If you go on your own with individual coverage, that can be cheaper than the employer plan, but they generally cover less and exclude more. You also have fewer rights with individual plans compared to group under the law. Few individual plans cover maternity or mental health. It can also be difficult to get an individual plan if you have known health problems.

Right now, the group plan I have is fine and I won´t go bankrupt if I get cancer. But my coverage is dependant on my employer keeping it, which they could discard at any time. Also if I change jobs, I may get worse health care coverage if I get any at all. Health insurance can be a problem here. Both my husband and I know that if we were facing many thousands in health care costs because of some unforseen event like cancer, we would be on the first plane out. It was one of the real reasons I was reluctant to come back here. So far it has worked out, but tomorrow is another day.

I am sorry to hear of your premium increase, Lansbury. I hope you are able to work something out.