Health Insurance premium increase

[NOW tense]

It is that special time of year when your insurance provider tells you how much more you will be paying for the same services they offered last year.


What percentage was your increase this year?

Mine is 34%

Inflation this year is .4% (please correct me if I am wrong)

[firgad]

1. big jump

My wife's PPO went from $124 to $164, bi-weekly. 32% increase.
We had to put the kids on her policy so we downgraded to have even the barest of coverage for her and the kids at $195, bi-weekly.
Kinda hard right now.

[Lasher]

2. A 367% increase.

From $269 to $1,256

[kirby]

3. Carefirst - 36.46%

And this increase was from last year when I switched from a regular plan to a Health Savings Account (where the insurance company pays nothing until I hit $1200 deductible and there is $2400 per person out of pocket max) in order to reduce costs.

I do notice that they were nice enough to create a new HSA plan that would cost about the same as last year. That plan increased the deductible to $2700 per person with out of pocket of %5250 per person. It increases all the deductible and changes prescriptions to a con-insurance model (I pay 25%) after I hit the $2700 deductible.

This plan has been going up around 12-18% every year. This is the first year with a >30% increase.

[3waygeek]

4. Zero...

but copays have at least doubled. I have no idea how my employer managed to swing this, as their plan has lost money (more paid out in claims than collected in premiums) the last two years, and we're limited to roughly five insurers as we're scattered in smallish groups across the US.

[Uben]

5. This is really strange....

I got my annual letter last week. I always hate to open it becase I know they are going to raise it. I already pay over $18,000/yr in premiums alone. So, I hand it to the wife to open. Believe it or not, it went down by 5%! HAve you ever heard of a premium going down? I was shocked. I'm thinking they must be scrutinizing their accounts and trimming the ones they have been abusing so badly it looks suspicious or something.

Anyone?

[MineralMan]

6. Now is the time to send a copy of your increase announcement

to your congress critter and senators. The cover letter should emphasize the comparison between the rate of inflation and the increase. Demand that they do something now or face defeat in the next election in which they run.

[NOW tense]

8. Something like

I could have given you this amount of money, but I am forcibly giving it to the health insurance lobby instead.
Is that too forward?
Or, Will they think, I should ask for 34% more from my master.

[iamjoy]

7. Only $5 Per Pay Period

Mine only went up $5 every other week for my husband and myself - about 10%.

My deductible went from $200 to $1000 per person - and it is not a Health Savings Account. This year we have a $50 office visit copay for Specialists and pay nothing for labs. Next year all non-preventive care - including office visits to specialists, non "routine" lab work, etc. will not have a copay - we have to meet the deductible and then pay 30%. The Out of Pocket Max is $2,000 (not including the deductible).

So, my husband and I will learn to be smart consumers by rescheduling our physician recommended care to make better use of our plan. We will also learn to just suck it up and deal with little problems/pain by assuming they are just part of the aging process rather than paying hundreds of dollars for a medical professional to confirm it.

And I keep telling myself I'm one of the lucky ones because I have insurance

[Atman]

9. Mine is up about 33%

They're just milking every last drop before they get hit with new regs. THAT is the real crime behind holding up this health care bill. It gives the insurance companies time to further rape and pillage. I think the news of AETNA's eliminating 650,000 members should be considered THE TRIGGER -- they've proven they are incapable of reforming themselves. a REAL public option is the only way to go.

.

[NOW tense]

10. A real public option before 2013

is the answer.

[Atman]

11. I actually have a pretty good policy; the company at least gave us a choice.

They tried to find a plan that wouldn't increase our out-of-pocket. They did, but all the options were among the worst companies out there (like Oxford or ConnecticutCare). We have the option of an POS or HSA, most of us chose the HSA. Fortunately, the company also contributes the majority of our "deductible," that first $4,000 before the insurance kicks in. Now that's up to $5,000, and the company's cost is up, to, so they won't be contributing any more than last year. Which means that $1,000 comes out of our pockets (or paychecks, pre-tax). To top it off, previously, after we hit that $4,000 everything was covered, no co-pays. Now, in addition to the rate increase we'll be hit with drug co-pays. Lucky for me, my wife and I are healthy old geezers (I'm 50, she's 47) and neither of us on are any medications, so we cross our fingers and hope it won't impact too much (besides the $1,000 increase in premiums).

Bottom line, and something the idiots in Washington don't get -- people, for the most part, are willing to pay for a service if it is a worthwhile service. The employees of our company decided it was worth paying the extra $1,000 because the insurance plan is very good, covers pretty much everything, don't bury you in denials and paperwork -- exactly the opposite of the other options we had. IOW, having shitty insurance might be better than nothing, but not much if you're still too broke to come up with the exorbitant co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses.

.