My daughter's monthly health insurance premium just went up by a full 50%.

[Fridays Child]

No reason except that she's turning 15. So, what's the problem, all of a sudden? Are they assuming that she'll get an STD or become pregnant? This really pisses me off. I wonder if the premiums increase by 50%, for boys, when they turn 15. I think I'll call and ask. :mad:

[glinda]

1. What Company?

Report them to your Senator.

[Fridays Child]

3. Blue Cross, and thanks for the advice but...

...somehow, I doubt that John McCain and Jon Kyl will be getting right on it, for me. :D Maybe my congress critter, Gabrielle Giffords, should hear about it, though.

[glinda]

22. We were with them. I still am and

they soaked us monthly for 1250. Now it is just me and I pay 350 for not a lot of coverage. They suck. What are you going to do? I wish I could do something.... I hate them.

[Fridays Child]

23. Tomorrow, I'm checking to see if it's less expensive to put her on the group...

...policy through work. Previously, it was cheaper to get an individual policy for her because the group family option is the same price whether you have one kid or ten, making it a lot more expensive than the individual plan we found. But her premiums have gone up, over the years, by 102% beyond the original monthly price. And, now that they're are going up another 50%, over the current price, I'm going to re-visit the group plan. Ironically, it's Blue Cross, as well. So those m'fers will get our money, either way. Universal health care can't get here fast enough for me!

[NikolaC]

33. They Are Horrible

and frustrating to deal with. If they can get away with not paying any claims by stalling, they will.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Universal Health Care is the only answer to this.

As long as there's competition, the most ruthless will win.

[Fridays Child]

4. HR 676!

n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

12. Yup!

[NikolaC]

34. Exactly!

They really need to do this, it is long past ridiculous what passes for "health" insurance these days.

[deaniac21]

21. Now there is something my econ professors never told me.

[taught_me_patience]

5. They don't want her anymore. n/t

[Fridays Child]

11. I just got off the phone with a supervisor.

I told her that she'll be losing her job, soon, because this country is more than ready for universal health care.

[taught_me_patience]

18. God I hope so

50% increases in health insurance is pure shit.

[aikoaiko]

25. I don't understand how a 15 year old has a premium.

Isn't a part of a family plan?

[Fridays Child]

26. In our case, getting her an individual plan of her own was less expensive...

...than adding her to the group plan, at work. The problem with the family option, on the group plan, is that it's priced the same whether you have one kid or ten. It ends up being rather unfair to families with only one kid, and the individual plan we found for her was much cheaper. But, tomorrow, I'm going to compare prices, again, because her premiums have gradually increased over the years, not even including this latest 50% jump.

[aikoaiko]

29. Thank you for explaining.

Good luck. It can be tough keeping dependents well insured.

[cboy4]

6. This is payback for the insurance companies screwing

boys when they get their driver licenses.

50 percent?! That sucks. :wtf:

[Fridays Child]

16. Pretty effing draconian, huh?

I told the supervisor I just spoke to that, if her house payment suddenly increased by 50%, she'd want a little more information than, "Well, ma'am, that's just what the rates are for girls aged 15 to 18."

By the way, at 18, the rate goes up, again, this time, by 27%. But, at 19, it drops by 32%.

[SmileyRose]

7. males get burnt on car and life insurance, females on health insurance

[Fridays Child]

9. For boys, the premiums go up only 28%, at 15. n/t

[Horse with no Name]

8. Funny thing is

I bet it does NOT cover dependent pregnancies. Mine doesn't.
It's insane.
My premiums rose quite a bit this year too--but my daughter is almost 21.

[Fridays Child]

10. Well, it's an individual plan, so she's the primary.

But I hear you. That's just nuts!

[Horse with no Name]

13. Ahhh then you were completely correct

Pregnancy, STD's, accidents, birth control, etc...you know they gotta get their $$.:(

[liberalhistorian]

14. Individual plans are the worst ever (not

that groups plans are much better, though). All they do is charge horrendous rates and raise them endlessly, yet hardly cover anything and/or have ridiculously high deductibles. And if you got the sniffles ten years ago and didn't put it down on your application, they will then find a way to not pay a claim and cancel coverage. And forget it at all if you're over 35, no matter how healthy you are.

[Fridays Child]

27. It started out at a reasonable rate, several years ago.

But $48 per month gradually became $100 and, now, $150 per month. The supervisor I spoke to said that, for 18-year old girls, it's $191 but, for 19-year old girls, it drops to $130 (go figure). I said that I hope we have universal health care, long before then, and I asked her if she was ready to lose her job, when that happens. It was kind of snarky of me but she kept trying to blame the rate increase on doctors and hospitals, even after I pointed out that Blue Cross was doing pretty well for itself, too.

[Zywiec]

15. I've never seen any premiums rise because of kids' ages

My company offers: single or family, and you pay the same family rate no mater what the ages.

Strange.

[Fridays Child]

19. It's an individual plan. No risk pool.

I think it's still cheaper than the family plan at work, which is the same premium amount for all families, whether there's one kid or ten. But I'm going to call the office, tomorrow, and find out, whether, now, it's still less expensive to keep her on her own policy. When we started doing it that way it was because we could save at least $100 per month.

[JitterbugPerfume]

17. mine went from free

to $95 a mo last month . The co went bankrupt and now the Union is carrying it but it is $95 a mo! I do not think I can afford to keep it on my limited income .

Thank goodness for Medicare

[Fridays Child]

20. It's time for this to stop.

It's insanity and everyone in the world knows it.

[Arger68]

24. Mine went up 29% the day I turned 40.

And it's a lovely $10,000 deductible basically catastrophe only policy.:eyes:

[Fridays Child]

28. Yep, but the pisser is that, if you allow it to lapse, you're screwed, later on.

If you stay healthy and never use the insurance, all you're really paying for is the privilege of being eligible for full coverage, later on. And portability is a joke, too. After my son changed jobs to one that offer no coverage, he checked into continuing coverage after his COBRA benefit expired but, with his health issues, the premium would have been about $1,000 per month. It's an effing racket and completely shameful--a real black mark on the character of a supposedly enlightened and compassionate nation.

[Corgigal]

30. Wow same thing happened to my daughter

and her bill was 150.00 dollars a month when she turned 18. I too thought it was insane and I will tell you what we did. I switched her to an Aetna plan with prescription coverage for 72.00 dollars a month. My son, who is 16 is now being charged 92.00 dollars a month so I know what is going to happen to him also. I will also change him to Aetna next month.

Crazy and if I can help you in anyway please IM me.

[eridani]

31. PLease! Share these stories with Consumers Union!

Thank you again for sharing your story with us. We just put it up on the web for other people just like you to read!

Just go to http://www.prescriptionforchange.org/story.html#12409. You can even tell your friends and family that this is you! Then maybe they too will share their stories.

If you ever have any other experiences you want to share on this or healthcare issues, feel free to send us a note telling us about them.

It is consumers like you who are making the marketplace better for everyone.


Thank you!


Sincerely,


Vickie Valadez
Share Your Story Intern
valavi {at} consumer.org

And

Morgan Jindrich
Online Outreach, Education and Recruitment
Consumers Union
Publisher of Consumer Reports
506 West 14th Street , Suite A
Austin , TX 78701
[phone] x111
jindmo {at} consumer.org

[Fridays Child]

32. Did you already post it?

I looked but didn't see it. If you did post it, you can add that it's from Mary in Tucson, AZ.

[eridani]

35. Yes, my story is at the link.

Yours could be too. Do it!