2016 Health Insurance Premiums

[tjfogelberg]

Those of us in the private health insurance market in Minnesota are being socked with 40-50% increases in premiums eff 1-1-16. I may have to put the RV up on blocks and park it in the driveway. I have asked my Senator to work toward renaming the Affordable Care Act. It is an insult to have the word "AFFORDABLE" in it's title. My individual premium and deductible will now exceed $10,000 for 2016.

Todd

[RollandB]

My carrier dropped the plan. They filed with the State of Oregon for a 42% increase the State would not approve so they dropped it. Sunday I'll be shopping again.

[Walaby]

Just like gun control, there are folks out there that think government control is the answer to everything. There are people who think the government knows best, and they want the government to take from the have's, and give to the have not's. Profit is NOT EVIL folks. Our society would not be where we are today, if it were not for capitalism, and people pursuing the "almighty dollar".

I want companies to make absolutely as much money as they can, because that creates jobs, improves everyone's standard of living, contributes even more taxes that, in my world, would PAY DOWN THE DEBT.

Chris Bryant - have to respectively disagree with you. It is NOT wrong to "worship" profit (your words). The fact that my company (a Major Defense Contractor), is in pursuit of profit allows me to make the salary I make today, and to be able to afford to do the things I do today.

I actually had another contractor tell me a few weeks ago that "it's time your company does something out of patriotism, not just to make a buck"... To which I replied, "what was the last thing YOUR COMPANY did out of patriotism instead of making a buck".

I will acknowledge that government research does contribute to advances in medicine. I don't believe it is "the vast majority", because I know for a fact that companies contribute millions of dollars in research. Do they hope for a breakthrough that will allow something to be delivered to the market and "make money"? Sure they do, and Im glad they do. Because it helps them make informed decisions on what to spend their money on, vice just tossing it over to the government to decide. Don't forget, just about every major company out there have "investors", who are shareholders. If they want to keep those investors.. guess what, they better make a profit.

fitznj - I wish more people would hear what you say. Im with you 100%. Unfortunately, in America these days, it has become "cool" or "chic" to jump on the bandwagon of various causes without giving any real thought to what it really means.

Mike

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

tjfogelberg wrote:
It is an insult to have the word "AFFORDABLE" in it's title. My individual premium and deductible will now exceed $10,000 for 2016.

Todd

I too will be in that $10k price bracket - my premium has gone from $450/mo pre-ACA to $850/mo starting Jan 1st. I think the most maddening aspect was being required to carry maternity insurance. At my age (60+), that is NOT needed (and it's expensive)

[fitznj]

Odd how its' the fault of the insurance companies and the pharma and big corporate profits and share-holder greed. No one has mentioned the "patient" - it's a catch22 situation.

Most people who have health ins. think it's "free" (after the deductible has been paid) and have superfluous exams/procedures/scans etc performed over minor ailments.

Recently a friend of minor had over $10K worth of procedures/exams/scans over what was a simple chest cold. His reasoning was that he had already paid the deductible for that year, so now he was going get the "platinum" treatment. This obviously drives up the cost to the ins company needlessly which in turn drives up the premiums.

My neighbour had 2 ambulances at their house recently because their 6 yr old son cut his toe on a piece of glass !!! Think of the cost. They had the same resoning, "hey my deductible is paid off".

So... don't go blaming the ins. comp or big pharma - everyone is to blame for rising costs.
Gerry

[Chris_Bryant]

kyle86 wrote:

Thank you! Not to mention the innovation and advancements of modern medicine will cease if the govt starts regulating prices. All our wonderful health care advancements wouldn't exist if it wasn't profitable for the researchers.

I believe you will find this incorrect. The vast majority of advancements have come due to government sponsored research. Our problem is we are worshiping profit over all else, and that is simply wrong.

[mayble]

fitznj wrote:
"Your time may be better spent to encourage your congressman to look
at single payer"

Be careful what you wish for. I came from a country with a single payer.

Are you willing to sit on a waiting list for non "critical" surgery?
Are you willing to let a doctor select the "cheapest" procedure versus the "best" procedure?

Do you think there is a reason why the British have bad teeth?

Are you willing for a doctor to refuse a complicated procedure because you're 90 years old and your life expectancy is < 2 years?

Are you okay with a doctor NOT recommending certain drugs because they are extremely expensive and that money would be better "invested" on "younger - healthier" patients?

Are you okay with a dentist extracting 4 molars because it's cheaper than root canal/crowns and proper dental care?

You okay with your income taxes increase substantially to pay for this?

I've seen examples of each of the above in the single payer systems. Give me the American system and let ME make the decisions and let ME take personal responsibility.



gerry

As it stands now, the insurance companies make those decisions. Unless you are paying out of pocket for your medical treatment, your care is determined by a group of analysts weighing the costs against the benefits. I guess I'd rather have those analysts work for the government than for corporate shareholders.

[mayble]

cant_remember_ID wrote:
As long as the health care industry is for profit, premiums and deductibles will continue to increase while coverage decreases. Nothing to do with ACA. When a treatment for Hep C runs $84,000, there are a lot of Baby Boomers that are going to cost a lot of money. Your time may be better spent to encourage your congressman to look at single payer.

Exactly.
Don't blame the ACA. Blame the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies.
I am the benefits coordinator for my employer, and I've seen premiums rising at an increasing rate for at least twenty years. As long as the system is rigged so the hospital can charge you twenty dollars for a band-aid you'll have outrageous insurance costs.

[bob_nestor]

fitznj wrote:
"Your time may be better spent to encourage your congressman to look
at single payer"

Be careful what you wish for. I came from a country with a single payer.

Are you willing to sit on a waiting list for non "critical" surgery?
Are you willing to let a doctor select the "cheapest" procedure versus the "best" procedure?

Do you think there is a reason why the British have bad teeth?

Are you willing for a doctor to refuse a complicated procedure because you're 90 years old and your life expectancy is < 2 years?

Are you okay with a doctor NOT recommending certain drugs because they are extremely expensive and that money would be better "invested" on "younger - healthier" patients?

Are you okay with a dentist extracting 4 molars because it's cheaper than root canal/crowns and proper dental care?

You okay with your income taxes increase substantially to pay for this?

I've seen examples of each of the above in the single payer systems. Give me the American system and let ME make the decisions and let ME take personal responsibility.

You REALLY think it's going to be chealer under a single payer? Once the government gets involved in anything - the costs skyrocket; Look at the escalating costs of education since the Feds got involved.

And finally - who's going to pay? you think you're taxes aren't going to sky-rocket?

gerry

Thank You! Unfortunately I fear we have developed into a society that by and large has lost the ability to use Common Sense, ask probing questions, do the math or consider the unintended consequences of any decisions make by government. They (or we) would rather believe in unicorns and lollipops living in a utopian future portrayed in Star Trek where this is no poverty, no hunger, everyone works for the good of the collective, there are virtually no personal possessions and high tech health care is freely available for all.

[kyle86]

fitznj wrote:
"Your time may be better spent to encourage your congressman to look
at single payer"

Be careful what you wish for. I came from a country with a single payer.

Are you willing to sit on a waiting list for non "critical" surgery?
Are you willing to let a doctor select the "cheapest" procedure versus the "best" procedure?

Do you think there is a reason why the British have bad teeth?

Are you willing for a doctor to refuse a complicated procedure because you're 90 years old and your life expectancy is < 2 years?

Are you okay with a doctor NOT recommending certain drugs because they are extremely expensive and that money would be better "invested" on "younger - healthier" patients?

Are you okay with a dentist extracting 4 molars because it's cheaper than root canal/crowns and proper dental care?

You okay with your income taxes increase substantially to pay for this?

I've seen examples of each of the above in the single payer systems. Give me the American system and let ME make the decisions and let ME take personal responsibility.

You REALLY think it's going to be chealer under a single payer? Once the government gets involved in anything - the costs skyrocket; Look at the escalating costs of education since the Feds got involved.

And finally - who's going to pay? you think you're taxes aren't going to sky-rocket?

gerry

Thank you! Not to mention the innovation and advancements of modern medicine will cease if the govt starts regulating prices. All our wonderful health care advancements wouldn't exist if it wasn't profitable for the researchers.

[wbwood]

We have pretty good insurance through my employer.. for the 4 of us (myself, wife, 14 yr old and 25 yr old) we currently pay $312/month with $0 deductible if we stay in-network...if we go out of network, it's $300/individual or $600/family. This is 90% coverage. It's going up to $343 next year, but we are ok with that. This is BCBS

We pay only $56/month for dental for the family. With 100% preventative coverage, 90% coverage of basic services. $0 deductible, but there is a maximum of $2500/per person/per year. This is through Cigna

Vision is $16/month through VSP (going up to $18/month next year). Coverage is different based on what you are doing. There is a $25 copay and after that there are allowances on lenses, frames, contact lenses, etc. We rarely ever have to pay out of pocket as those in the family that wear glasses/contacts stay within the allowances.

According to my employer, they currently contribute about $17,000 year to my health/wellness plans. I am currently contributing about $4600/year or less than $400/month (for health/dental/vision).

We know we are extremely lucky with this. And why I have no plans of leaving. I need to work with them at least another 9 years (until age 55) so that I can continue to purchase my insurance through them. For comparison...my wife worked for a large hospital company for 11 years and never took her insurance. She now works for a major healthcare insurance company and still do not take their insurance. It seems that many are going the HSA route and putting the costs back on the employees. They will match what you put in, but there are high deductibles as others have mentioned.

[wing_zealot]

Yea, the goberment does so good with Medicare, VA, and Social Security, let's put them in charge of our health care also.

[fitznj]

"Your time may be better spent to encourage your congressman to look
at single payer"

Be careful what you wish for. I came from a country with a single payer.

Are you willing to sit on a waiting list for non "critical" surgery?
Are you willing to let a doctor select the "cheapest" procedure versus the "best" procedure?

Do you think there is a reason why the British have bad teeth?

Are you willing for a doctor to refuse a complicated procedure because you're 90 years old and your life expectancy is < 2 years?

Are you okay with a doctor NOT recommending certain drugs because they are extremely expensive and that money would be better "invested" on "younger - healthier" patients?

Are you okay with a dentist extracting 4 molars because it's cheaper than root canal/crowns and proper dental care?

You okay with your income taxes increase substantially to pay for this?

I've seen examples of each of the above in the single payer systems. Give me the American system and let ME make the decisions and let ME take personal responsibility.

You REALLY think it's going to be chealer under a single payer? Once the government gets involved in anything - the costs skyrocket; Look at the escalating costs of education since the Feds got involved.

And finally - who's going to pay? you think you're taxes aren't going to sky-rocket?

gerry

[Old-Biscuit]

jrobert01 wrote:
SO TRUE

3oaks wrote:
"Thank you to all of the politicians who voted for this terrible law."

And I'll bet the vast majority of people complaining about the hefty increases in health insurance premiums will vote for those very same

politicians when they come up for re-election. :R

Everyone talks about voting them out....except for theirs cause they are one of the good ones :S

[CKNSLS]

The Health Insurers are in part culpable in regards to the current problem. They excluded a person like me who takes a very, very small amount of blood pressure medicine prior to Obama care. But someone who never went to the Doctor for a checkup who could be walking around with high blood pressure or worse could get insurance. So-they had all these people come in with pre-exisitng conditions who couldn't get healthcare before, which they did not anticipate, consequently they had to raise the rates.

If this was factored in previously, then the premiums would have been adjusted accordingly and none of us would have known the difference.

Not fair you say? That is the way your car insurance works as well, as does your homeowners and other types of Insurance. The risk is spread around accordingly.

[pira114]

Single payer would quickly destroy our quality of health care.

Currently, I have great insurance and I can afford to pick the best care available to me. I pay for it. But I can because it's available and I've worked my butt off to get where I'm at. Nothing was handed to me.

Conversely, with single payer systems (of which there are many types by the way), I'd no longer have to pay out of pocket. Kinda. My taxes would go through the roof and I'd no longer have that choice in health care. I'd get what everyone gets. And with no incentive to do better, meaning money, what quality do you all expect to get?

I won't ever get Medicare and won't ever get Social Security. Don't pay into them. Can't pay into them in fact. Which is great for me. But it's not luck, it's design. I wanted no part of a socialistic system and found a career path that allowed me to earn what I needed and I've worked hard for that. I have no desire to pay for other people's health care, and crappy care at that.