[ECHOES]

In the past 4 years, there has been a trend to move from the level of health insurance coverage we had known for many years, to plans with a high deductible.

While I have many opinions and concerns about this, I'm posting a poll because I'm curious how far this trend has reached. And I want to change jobs to acquire better health insurance, but that might not be a releastic expectation. (Ironically, I work in the health insurance field ).

[Kiya]

aw there's no "No; it has gotten worse" button. alas!

[ECHOES]

Originally Posted by Kiya

aw there's no "No; it has gotten worse" button. alas!

Sorry Kiya! I guess I am looking at that being implied in the high deductible options.

[pgrundy]

Well, my husband got sick in October 2009 after paying into the insurance program he has through work for over 20 years. This was the first time he had ever needed to use it. He stayed sick until April of 2010, had three hospitalizations, three operations, and numerous outpatient procedures. Supposedly the plan is NOT a high deductible plan, but he has 80/20 after the $600 deductible with a $12,000 out of pocket limit. So by April we had two maximum out of pocket limits.

He lost almost six months of work and we had to sell off much of what we own just to pay our bills. We had 90 days to pay in full and then all the bills were sold to debt collectors, even though we were paying on all of them--a little each month. It wasn't much because there over 50 separate bills, but we were trying.

This year we filed for bankruptcy because our monthly medical bills from that illness are higher than our combined incomes. The debt collectors added thousands in fees and interest, garnished his wages, and called day and night.

The health care system in the U.S. is brutal. Health insurance is fine so long as you never get really sick. Meanwhile INSURED people who can't pay immediately are forced to default or go bankrupt. This makes costs rise faster and faster. For instance, five years ago a GP visit cost $80 (for about 5 minutes). Now it's up to $130. In only five years. And it keeps getting worse.

Common sense will tell you this can't go on.

They keep talking like insuring everyone will fix the problem. It won't. Insurance IS the problem. We have 'good' health insurance. And look what happened. And we are by no means unusual.

[Perna]

We have always done the high deductible route as it costs less in the long run for us. My DH and I are generally healthy and able to afford "a broken leg" just not the "heart transplant".

Like with a car, how often do you have accidents that you insure "in case"? I think that's a form of worry, yes you need coverage but not such low deductibles. That's how they make most of their money, people think they are actually getting $10 prescriptions but the costs are just shifted elsewhere and even increased. If your prescription costs $100 but your insurance is $10 a month more because of a low deductible, that's $120 you're paying a year, plus the $10 for the prescription.

Make sure prescriptions and how often you go to the doctor, etc. add up. I go to the doctor 4 times a year; $80 for a doctor's visit x 4 times a year is $320 (out-of-pocket) so if I'm paying much more than that in health insurance so I can get the doctor's visit for only $10, I'm ripping myself off, thinking I'm "saving" money; $320/12 is only about $30 extra a month so if an insurance agency charges me more than $350, I'd be better off paying the $80 each time rather than thinking I'm getting a good deal for $10 and higher premiums.

We use our insurance to just get the insurance "rates" instead of the crazy charges they charge the insurance company initially which the insurance company "disallows". So the "cheaper" the insurance is because of allowing high deductibles, the cheaper it is for us :-)

[ECHOES]

pgrundy, I'm sorry your husband was sick and that caused you such financial hardship. I hope his health is better today.

More bankruptcies are due to enormous medical bills than ever.

And, yes, the days of paying a little each month are gone. The providers want their money up front or within 3-6 months after services are rendered. When I had an emergency involving my eye last year, the medical bills came fast - faster than I could keep up with. Now I am permanently "severed" from the professional group where I received all but my retina care. I didn't pay fast enough for them.

When my employer switched from a nice HMO to this high deductible plan, it was like an immediate pay cut.

While I can afford a doctor visit, I cannot afford any follow up testing. So there is not much point in seeing the doctor in the first place.

I am looking for a job with better benefits, although if this trend continues...

[pgrundy]

Echoes, that's how we are too. We have insurance but are afraid to see the doctor. They immediately run tests or at least blood work, and since we can't be sure of the cost we can't be sure we can pay within 3 months.

It seems insane to have insurance and still be afraid to get health care.

The one exception is my hospitalization in January of this year. The psychiatric hospital IS letting me pay that off at $100 per month. I dare not miss a payment, but I'm grateful for the arrangement.

DH is doing much better. Wish I could get him out of his job--he works too many hours--but I make part-time minimum wage since I lost my full-time job in 2008.

Still, we are grateful to have each other and enough to eat, a roof over our heads, nice kids. We're blessed, but the health care system still sucks.

[pgrundy]

BTW the last round of blood work I had cost $765! I couldn't believe it. For blood work!

Costs are just going up so fast. When I had a full time job, every year we lost our raise to hikes in premiums, so we actually made less each year. It was nuts. Everyone complained about it, but there was nothing we could do. Now, here in MI, people who still have jobs have mostly taken pay cuts. No more raises. So it cuts even deeper.

[pīwakawaka]

I feel fortunate that I live in a country where most medical costs are paid through taxes. Those that are not covered fully are heavily subsidised. Medicines cost NZ$3.00 per prescription (about US$2.50) and a doctor's visit NZ$25.00. Public hospitals are free. The only disadvantage I can see is that there is often a long waiting list for non-urgent cases.

I have chosen to pay for some tests instead of waiting. An MRI scan cost me NZ$1800.00 and a neurologist cost NZ$450 per hour. I pay membership fees to the Saint John Society (they provide most ambulance services around the country), so I get a free ambulance service. The service is subsidised through taxes, but non-members pay about NZ$45.00 per call-out. Family membership costs NZ$55.00 per year, but I usually round it up to NZ$100.00. As I have already used their service 3 times this year, it's money well spent.

I know health insurance is a hot topic in many parts of the world and particularly in the USA. As I see it, health insurance may be cheaper than taxes if you are wealthy, but if you're poor, it is way beyond your means.