Yet another health insurance premium rant thread - 2015

[TXHokie]

So I bitched about this 5 yrs ago on this forum how my premium went up 20% and it was blamed on the impending Obamacare back then. Since then I've switched to the lower HSA plan with big deductibles. Not even going into how our first ER visit pretty much wiped out the HSA saving account that first year...ok I just did.

Fast forward, I just got our next year premium HSA renewal and it jumped 20%. No reason was given but my sarcastic self is saying that thanks to Obamacare, it's "only" 20% increase instead of 30% so just suck it.

How do guys with family coverage go about managing this cost? I think I need to look for another job with companies that just provides better insurance benes. Crazy.

/rant

 

[RearAdmiral]

Many govt. folks were really excited for the self +1 coverage to be implemented. Total savings is $4 over the family plan while being more expensive than last year's family plan. So it is essentially a joke.

I think I pay something like 350/month. Doable but kinda gets irritating when it goes up double digits every year.

 

[Jeeebus]

For a relatively young and healthy family, our "platinum" HMO costs around $1300/mo

 

[Schfifty Five]

So I bitched about this 5 yrs ago on this forum how my premium went up 20% and it was blamed on the impending Obamacare back then. Since then I've switched to the lower HSA plan with big deductibles. Not even going into how our first ER visit pretty much wiped out the HSA saving account that first year...ok I just did.

Fast forward, I just got our next year premium HSA renewal and it jumped 20%. No reason was given but my sarcastic self is saying that thanks to Obamacare, it's "only" 20% increase instead of 30% so just suck it.

How do guys with family coverage go about managing this cost? I think I need to look for another job with companies that just provides better insurance benes. Crazy.

/rant

I'm pretty fortunate that my firm covers like 90% of the premiums for the employees. So I'm only paying like $18 for my HSA/HDHP per paycheck (about $40 per month). It'll jump up a few bucks next month but not a big deal.

Though when I add my spouse/child soon, yikes, that premium really jumps up.

 

[rpanic]

I pay about 500 a month for the whole family through work. Obamacare would cost me over a 1000 a month with my income and the coverage wouldn't be half as good. If you don't get coverage through work and your middle class you get fucked.

 

[TonyG]

Yeah, my bottom of the barrel bcbs plan is increasing by 24.49%, just got the notice yesterday. I do see some cheaper plans for next year from molina, so maybe I will swap providers, or maybe I will just re-evaluate the fine for not having insurance...

 

[Brovane]

I pay about $300 a month through my work for coverage for family. Trying to purchase Health Insurance outside of a work plan yeah get screwed over. Before ObamaCare it was without lube, now at least they use lube before they screw you over. :thumbsup:

 

[purbeast0]

benefits at my job are incredible in general.

i haven't had to pay health insurance premiums since i've been with this company. myself and my whole family is covered. i am on a high deductible plan with HSA. my deductible for family is $3000.

my company puts $110/pay period into my HSA, and i in turn put $150/mo into it, so that basically balances out the cost of the deductible.

at the point i'm at now, i have like $1500 in there since we had a child this past year in March, and i had made sure to put $1000/mo into it prior to his birth, so i could cover the $3k deductible. so all of the extra money since then isn't really being used for much other than medicine here and there, but even for my prescription meds i'm only paying $25 out of my HSA instead of $300.

 

[Fenixgoon]

For a relatively young and healthy family, our "platinum" HMO costs around $1300/mo

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

 

[brianmanahan]

health insurance costs is part of what kept me from doing independent contracting

found a place where it is 40$ a month for 0$ deductible insurance for a single person

i consider that as like an additional 5$k of salary

 

[Strk]

$1200/month, but 100% company paid (union plan) $5 preventative, $15 specialist, $75 ER (waived if admitted)

Kind of nice

 

[CraKaJaX]

our enrollment period just opened on Monday. I don't know anything about what I'm going to find.... but I know there were changes. I'm sure it increased. Again. I have BCBS

 

[Sonikku]

According to gubnit inflation and cost of living are flat. You must simply be misreading the numbers.

 

[Homerboy]

Insurance costs (whether paid for by your employer or by you) are simply ridiculous.

They absolutely crush the middle class and/or small and mid-sized employers -- paying high premiums every month, and if you unlikely enough to have an "incident" you'll be paying a shit ton for it regardless.

FWIW: Northwestern Mutual is building a brand new BEAUTIFUL campus in downtown Milwaukee. New high rises, marble lobbies, fountains/waterfalls, impeccably manicured lawns and gardens. Oh, your premium and deductibles are probably going to go up...

 

[Gunslinger08]

I think my premium went up about $1/month. I have a HDHP with an HSA, so I'm probably a little more immune to rate hikes than a normal plan.

Family plan rates are insane. It's around $900/month cheaper for my wife and I to carry separate insurance.

 

[OverVolt]

Something something somebody's gotta pay (hint: you) for the $100million dollar electronic health record systems required by law something something nobody read it TLDR.

 

[Homerboy]

My company has paid nearly $12,000 in Health Insurance for me this year -- and I have paid nearly $4,600.
I also have medical bills due from this year where I owe (OOP) just south of $5000.

Such a great deal.

 

[Gunbuster]

Obamacare, insuring everyone so now we can all act like we have no insurance and avoid the doctor because the deductible max out of pocket is now so ludicrous and punitive.

 

[Art&Science]

My PPO which was $2,600/month for EVERYTHING (medical, dental, vision, disability (short term), life insurance for myself (4x salary), spouse and both children) was dropped this year by my employer. My only option to get the same coverage now is to go to an HMO which is double the cost. My company cited "rising healthcare costs and new government regulations which go active in 2016" for dropping the plan. I believe them.

Obama care is a COMPLETE JOKE. Rather than simply accept my costs doubling, I decided to go to healthcare.gov and see what I could get. For my income level (which is modest I assure you) and pricing out a "Bronze" plan (which only covers 60% of cost - you do the rest out of pocket) it was $13,000.00 a year!!! That was for medical ONLY. No dental, no vision, no disability, no life insurance. What a FUCKING JOKE.

So of course now, the private insurance has NO PROBLEM doubling their costs because it's still LESS THAN HALF what you have to pay with Obamacare.

 

[rcpratt]

My medical premiums are going up 2.2% in 2016 :twisted::whiste:

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Have two large medical centers here and one has stopped acceptance of BCBS. Will be interesting, all the unions around here are BCBS.

 

[BoomerD]

I have Medicare, and they haven't yet announced whether my premium will go up...but MIGHT since there's no COLA this year.

My wife has a HMO policy under Obamacare. She was just notified by her insurer that her plan would no longer be available at the end of this year...and has to choose another. Doing research, we found that the premium will actually drop by about $18/month for the same coverage.

 

[edro]

I assume everyone is getting updates from their employers right about now for upcoming open enrollment / cost increases?

I haven't received one yet, but they didn't raises costs last year, so I expect they will this year.

 

[96Firebird]

My premium is staying the same next year, however they are tacking on a $5/week fee if you are a tobacco user. I am not, so I'm good.

 

[nakedfrog]

My rates have been pretty stable for the last three years.