DawnM Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 with the new AHCA? Ours hasn't changed much yet. We just got out 2016 benefits package and other than the costs rising a bit, it is pretty much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Do you mean for the upcoming year? 6% increase in cost, which will be covered by the employer. No other changes. It's pretty good coverage, we count ourselves lucky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Medicaid was expanded in our state so we now qualify for it. So pretty much everything is covered 100% for us. Prior to that, insurance was unreasonably expensive so we had about a 5 year period of doing without. Thankfully we are young and healthy. We made sure the kids always had insurance though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our premium payment (same exact plan) will increase $7 per month for 2016. Statistically, that's just noise compared to our cost. We have had the same plan for three years. Our 2015 premiums are actually lower than our 2014 premiums. We have utilized medical much more this year than in the past (2 kids with health concerns---lots of testing this year!). I am pleased with our coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We switched employers this year over insurance matters. Dh's previous employer had, prior to AHCA, been self-insuring and hiring a company to administer the plan. Leadership at the head of the multinational corporation changed, and the new leadership changed the business model. Many, many costs were shoved onto employees. One of the dramatic shifts was that the employer now only chipped in a token amount to an insurance plan and employees were expected to pick up the rest. In addition, the new plan dramatically shifted coverage amounts. Interestingly, after this happened, bonuses to senior executives increased dramatically. How did the rank and file employees react? Employees went through a year on the new business model, discovered the ginormous cost increases to themselves, and left. 2/3 of dh's fellow employees in his department left this year and went to companies with better employee benefits. The company lost a tremendous number of experienced, capable employees because they were short-sighted. My understanding is that they are now so understaffed that the bulk of many departments are being run by contract employees and that productivity is on a sharp decline. Dh's new employer has good insurance, and we should be saving about $10K a year on premiums, copays, etc. (He is also paid more, given more vacation time, and is valued.) Our premiums are less than 1/2 of what they were under the previous employer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We've had so many insurances over the years--some good, some not. Most recently, we've seen slight increases in premiums. However, the deductibles and out-of-pocket limits have gone up, up, up. We're definitely paying more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We used to have a $2000 family deductible. Now it's $10,000. Yep, a big change. For the first time ever, the insurance didn't cover all of my 14 yo's well check this summer - not a big deal but a surprising change. I've been putting off getting an MRI on my shoulder for a few months now. I'm going to wait until January so that if I have to have surgery at least it will happen in one calendar year (one deductible year). At least I have the choice to put it off. Not sure what people do who have emergencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Dh's new employer has good insurance, and we should be saving about $10K a year on premiums, copays, etc. (He is also paid more, given more vacation time, and is valued.) Our premiums are less than 1/2 of what they were under the previous employer. :hurray: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Dh is a teacher, so we are on the state health benefit plan. We've been on an HRA for years, and the money they put in up front has shrunk considerably through the years. The options aren't great, and you end up paying loads out of pocket if anything does happen. We are taking a gamble and went with the lowest premium HRA plan. I figured up the out-of-pocket expenses for gold, silver, and bronze. Honestly, they are aren't that different if you end up having to meet it. We aren't on any regular medications and only go to the doctor if we are really sick, so I figured why not go with the cheaper premium of the three. We only pay $260 a month for all four of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I had to stop using our doctor unless I wanted to pay 100%. Now we have to go to the HMO headquarters (much farther away) and get whichever doctors happen to be around. It isn't worth it most of the time, so we go to a chiropractor instead. When we went to buy my kid a new pair of glasses, we were looking at all the frames on the wall, like we always do. But they told us none of those frames were available to us. Per Obamacare there is a box they pull out with 6 choices of plastic kids' frames. I did not even have the option of paying out of pocket for different frames. My older daughter will forever keep popping her lens back in when it falls out rather than get new ugly glasses. Not much else to report since we just don't go to the doctor unless I think we need medicine or a cast or stitches. My costs have not gone down btw. My overall out of pocket costs have gone up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 To keep the same coverage as last year would have been a doubling of our monthly premiums. Yep. I have lowered us to a lesser plan where our deductible and max yearly is $13,000. We pay 100% until deduct is met. I have to have a separate plan through the private sector for one dc. We chose to have that be the one who has health issues. She has a better plan with a lower deductible and max out ($2100 for each since she is the only one on it). Our total monthly will be slightly less than it was (but with much less coverage). In our case, this is a wise move since the 5 of us on the no coverage plan have never made the deductible. We are still paying a large monthly fee, much larger than before AHCA was implemented (and we paid it all then). I have injured my rotator cuff this summer. I will not be having it treated. I just don't use my left arm very much any more. I must say that getting dressed has gotten to be a pain in the a## (that is arm people!). But, if one of us does have a life threatening event, we can go to the hospital. In the meanwhile, I will continue to tape and glue us back together when necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Well, we used to have private insurance in the state of NY and the coverage there was much better. Now, we're in FL, which is one of the states which has fought the AHCA so much...and so things are worse. We ended our COBRA from NY in July and went on a healthcare.gov plan in August. There are basically three companies in the state and we went with the one (Assurant...deal with Aetna) which worked best for us. For a gold level plan, it was $1700/month for the six of us. Literally three days after I enrolled with them, I got an email and phone call saying that they were leaving the state at the end of the year and we needed to pick a new plan. It's now just Blue Cross Blue Shield or United HealthCare. Neither is great. The cost for a comparable plan to what we had before is +$200 or so/month. Even with that, we have to either choose between needed a referral to go to a specialist or an HMO no-ouside coverage at all. Neither choice thrills me. Copays are up as well. One plan had an insane copay thing with I want to say a copay of $180 for a specialist. Can that be right? That would cover most anything I'd think. I was spoiled, though. I used to work for Big Pharma and we had insanely good health insurance that was almost fully covered. I think I paid less than $100/month for it. No deductible. Tiny copays, etc. H used to work for the VA and we also had really good insurance through that. So this being on our own stuff sucks. ;) I really really want universal medicare for all. Really really. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 It is through dh's work, at a hospital n less. Premium up, deductible up, co-pay up- generally I'm feeling angry about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I had to stop using our doctor unless I wanted to pay 100%. Now we have to go to the HMO headquarters (much farther away) and get whichever doctors happen to be around. It isn't worth it most of the time, so we go to a chiropractor instead. When we went to buy my kid a new pair of glasses, we were looking at all the frames on the wall, like we always do. But they told us none of those frames were available to us. Per Obamacare there is a box they pull out with 6 choices of plastic kids' frames. I did not even have the option of paying out of pocket for different frames. My older daughter will forever keep popping her lens back in when it falls out rather than get new ugly glasses. Not much else to report since we just don't go to the doctor unless I think we need medicine or a cast or stitches. My costs have not gone down btw. My overall out of pocket costs have gone up. your health care covers vision? I didn't even try to get my son's eyes checked and eyeglasses paid for on our health insurance. Should I have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 When we went to buy my kid a new pair of glasses, we were looking at all the frames on the wall, like we always do. But they told us none of those frames were available to us. Per Obamacare there is a box they pull out with 6 choices of plastic kids' frames. I did not even have the option of paying out of pocket for different frames. My older daughter will forever keep popping her lens back in when it falls out rather than get new ugly glasses. Check out Zenni Optical. We've bought many pairs of glasses from them over the years. My daughter broke her frame and we still had another 11 months before she could get a new frame on our vision insurance. So she got a new pair there for about $26 (with shipping) and has had more compliments on her cute pair of glasses than any other pair she has ever owned. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Individual health plan with high deductible here. Over $1600/month premium for two of us.... Premium forecasted to go up 20-30% in the coming year. Not happy. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our premium is going up a few dollars but my husband's employer is increasing the match they offer for the HSA. So there is a net decrease in our cost when taking the HSA into consideration. When we went to buy my kid a new pair of glasses, we were looking at all the frames on the wall, like we always do. But they told us none of those frames were available to us. Per Obamacare there is a box they pull out with 6 choices of plastic kids' frames. I did not even have the option of paying out of pocket for different frames. My older daughter will forever keep popping her lens back in when it falls out rather than get new ugly glasses. Now this I do not understand! What prevents you from paying out of pocket? And if one optician only has frames on the wall for display, surely another will take your money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ours hasn't changed at all in 12 years. $750 family deductible, well visits and vaccinations covered at 100% 20% co insurance and a $10 copay per visit Dental is covered at 50%, 2 checkups and 1 set of xrays per year covered at 100% Vision- we get 1 check up and $100 towards glasses per year $10/prescription for generic, $40 for name brand A good plan overall, but that 20% adds up depending on services. We pay around $400/month for our portion and DH's company paid out $22,000 last year for our insurance according to the end of year report he received for taxes. Not cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 High deductible, rates went up, and then we to make auto our primary in case of accident which means that went up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our costs went down a bit last year, this year they went back up a teensy bit, more of a COLA than a big jump. Other than that, no real change. But I live in NY and it is a high reg state for insurance, so the ACA didn't cause any huge changes for people who already had insurance through their workplace. And there was already stuff that NY said insurance companies had to cover. But, because the costs came down we switched to what had been the more expensive health care program. The cheaper one was ok, but my family doctor didn't accept it b/c the reimbursement was even less than medicaid. So, the bigger change for us is that we can now use our insurance at the doctor's office with only an 8$ co-pay. But that is because we switched programs. One change for us with switching companies is that now I have to have a referral to see a specialist. With our old company I could call any specialist that I wanted. But, again, that is a policy of the company we picked, not of the ACA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 your health care covers vision? I didn't even try to get my son's eyes checked and eyeglasses paid for on our health insurance. Should I have? It can't hurt to ask. :) ETA it was only the glasses that were paid by insurance. My kids see a developmental optometrist and I pay out of pocket for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I liked our plan the way it was. That's the thing. Nobody asked me what I wanted. I was willing to pay a little more to go to the nearby doctors with whom I felt I had a good vibe. Obamacare took away that option. They promised it wouldn't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 That's the thing. Nobody asked me what I wanted. I was willing to pay a little more to go to the nearby doctors with whom I felt I had a good vibe. Obamacare took away that option. They promised it wouldn't. No health care plan promises that they will always have the same providers, though. That didn't exist before Obamacare either. Insurance companies drop providers.... providers drop insurance companies all the time. Now, if we had universal coverage... things would change. Very few providers in the United States do not accept Medicare (save pediatricians, I'm sure). Why? Can't afford not to as too many people are covered by them. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 That's the thing. Nobody asked me what I wanted. I was willing to pay a little more to go to the nearby doctors with whom I felt I had a good vibe. Obamacare took away that option. They promised it wouldn't. Well, for years before the ACA I could see the doctor I wanted, but that practice didn't take our insurance. That meant I had to pay out of pocket and we got reimbursed by our insurance company. We did that for 10 years. The only reason we are not still doing it, is that the more expensive plan got less expensive and we switched. But, there is nothing in the ACA stopping me from continuing with my old insurance and continuing to pay out of pocket. If it means that much to you, then keep seeing who you want and just pay and get reimbursed. It might not be optimal for you, it certainly wasn't for us, but it is an option. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Well, for years before the ACA I could see the doctor I wanted, but that practice didn't take our insurance. That meant I had to pay out of pocket and we got reimbursed by our insurance company. We did that for 10 years. The only reason we are not still doing it, is that the more expensive plan got less expensive and we switched. But, there is nothing in the ACA stopping me from continuing with my old insurance and continuing to pay out of pocket. If it means that much to you, then keep seeing who you want and just pay and get reimbursed. It might not be optimal for you, it certainly wasn't for us, but it is an option. No, the ACA has mandated changes by insurance companies that make it non-feasible for them to continue certain flexible plans that they offered before. I cannot get reimbursed at all if I don't go to the HMO facility and use its doctors. (Exceptions for emergencies, of course, but you have to prove it was an emergency and you didn't have time to get to the HMO's emergency.) The HMO canceled the flexible plan I was on. I could lobby my company to drop the HMO and pick up another insurer that covers my preferred doctors and chiropractors. But then it comes down to my preferences/priorities vs. others', and to inertia. We've been talking about switching for years, but I don't know if it will happen. Switching a company to a new insurer is not without significant costs. And the new insurer will also be subject to the ACA rules. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I think the other trend I am seeing is that a number of providers are going to cash-only transactions---no billing of insurance at all. I've had three providers go that direction this year. I am also seeing a lot of doctors go to "concierge" practices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 One of the larger doctors' offices in our area changed to a concierge/cash-only model and no longer accept insurance. This has added to the wait times in the other practices, which were already considerable. My premiums through work went down, but the deductible is so high now that we'll be paying out of pocket all year for pretty much everything that a regular doctor's office visit won't cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 with the new AHCA? Ours hasn't changed much yet. We just got out 2016 benefits package and other than the costs rising a bit, it is pretty much the same. Ours is crap. It's like, "Pay 75-80% of ridiculously inflated costs out of pocket, and we will give you a small discount." Gee, thanks. If this tells you anything, I paid out of pocket for a surgery. I paid several thousand dollars for my first-ever extensive dental work recently - yep, straight out of pocket. Thanks, insurance racketeers! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 One of the larger doctors' offices in our area changed to a concierge/cash-only model and no longer accept insurance. This has added to the wait times in the other practices, which were already considerable. My premiums through work went down, but the deductible is so high now that we'll be paying out of pocket all year for pretty much everything that a regular doctor's office visit won't cover. Many are going this way. It isn't worth it to them. That's the way it is now. Insurance is ridiculous and mainly for catastrophic use only. We pay $7500 per person deductible AND several thousand in premiums. So, unless it is a catastrophic year, God forbid, we get nothing and are just lining some racketeer's pocket. We will be fined if we choose not to do it. Thanks, Obama! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ours quadrupled in price, dropped dental and optical and raised the deductible to $10,000. Basically, it no longer pays for anything. $881 for an ER call--insurance paid $8. It's a JOKE! And yes, we long since met our deductible this year. Pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed? Not with "ACA". Wow! I thought our $7500 was bad. And our first ever ER run was paid 50% anyway. I guess I should rejoice. In the old days, like 10-15 years ago, almost everything was paid. My mom's final illness cost me like less than a grand out of pocket, after a 2 month hospital stay, therapy, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom23Boys Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ours hasn't really changed at all. They switched to free well-checks, etc., before it was required, but after the change was announced. Our monthly cost has risen a little each year. I think the increase for 2016 is about $10 a month. We recognize how good we have it. We are able to have health, vision, dental, short & long-term disability, life insurance for all 5 of us (for different amounts), and put money in our FSA for a very reasonable amount per month. We are happy with our co-pays/deductibles as well. We did choose the most expensive plan DH's company offers due to our specific health needs. If nothing happens, we end up equal with the cheaper plans. If we have any major illnesses/injuries, we come out ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 No, the ACA has mandated changes by insurance companies that make it non-feasible for them to continue certain flexible plans that they offered before. I cannot get reimbursed at all if I don't go to the HMO facility and use its doctors. (Exceptions for emergencies, of course, but you have to prove it was an emergency and you didn't have time to get to the HMO's emergency.) The HMO canceled the flexible plan I was on. I could lobby my company to drop the HMO and pick up another insurer that covers my preferred doctors and chiropractors. But then it comes down to my preferences/priorities vs. others', and to inertia. We've been talking about switching for years, but I don't know if it will happen. Switching a company to a new insurer is not without significant costs. And the new insurer will also be subject to the ACA rules. Yeah, this is how they have screwed everybody with that kind of plan. Sure, you can have insurance. You can just see that one guy 100 miles away who we choose and who is never available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 That's the thing. Nobody asked me what I wanted. I was willing to pay a little more to go to the nearby doctors with whom I felt I had a good vibe. Obamacare took away that option. They promised it wouldn't. Right. It sucks. We pay out of pocket for who we want to see. There is one doc we have kept seeing. His appointment charges went from $50 to $175. We get a tiny discount from the ACA-mandated insurance. Gee thanks, $25 off! But hey, if I ever have a prostate problem or another baby (now that I am well over the age), I'm covered! Woo hoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 This coming year, dh's company changed insurers. The insurer that they went with is sort of the low-price leader in the big names in our area. It is hard to find in-network providers that are willing to take new patients. Our pediatrician, for example, will grandfather us in and take our insurance, but they do not take new patients with the same insurance. I'm concerned as to how this will impact us in the future. Our healthcare costs began to climb when the recession hit in 2007ish, and the company began to make massive cuts (it went from 6000+ employees to around 1500). For our baby's birth in 2006, we were paying premiums of less than $100/month and had a $100 copay total. For our last baby's birth in 2012, we were paying premiums of $400+ month, and our out of pocket costs were $12,000. Our current deductible is $4500, and our out of pocket is $12,000. Our premiums are around $600/month. This is employer sponsored insurance, and it's our only option. They subsidize single person policies so that the costs are far below the limit for AHCA, so we do not qualify for any subsidies on the market, though I think that the costs/policy benefits would be very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 No, the ACA has mandated changes by insurance companies that make it non-feasible for them to continue certain flexible plans that they offered before. I cannot get reimbursed at all if I don't go to the HMO facility and use its doctors. (Exceptions for emergencies, of course, but you have to prove it was an emergency and you didn't have time to get to the HMO's emergency.) The HMO canceled the flexible plan I was on. I could lobby my company to drop the HMO and pick up another insurer that covers my preferred doctors and chiropractors. But then it comes down to my preferences/priorities vs. others', and to inertia. We've been talking about switching for years, but I don't know if it will happen. Switching a company to a new insurer is not without significant costs. And the new insurer will also be subject to the ACA rules. Well, we got reimbursed such a small amount, approx 25$ for a 150$ office visit, that we didn't really consider it a reimbursement lol. We just lived with it. And when I had to pay 450$ for vaccinations or needed lab work we didn't get reimbursed at all. We used our tax refund for that. Chiro is always out of pocket. So, again, you could chose to just see the doctor you want to see and not use your health insurance. That was how it played out for us financially. It wasn't pretty, and required a lot of budgeting, but it was worth it to us. Unless of course, the doctor you like won't work on a cash only basis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 No, the ACA has mandated changes by insurance companies that make it non-feasible for them to continue certain flexible plans that they offered before. I cannot get reimbursed at all if I don't go to the HMO facility and use its doctors. (Exceptions for emergencies, of course, but you have to prove it was an emergency and you didn't have time to get to the HMO's emergency.) The HMO canceled the flexible plan I was on. I could lobby my company to drop the HMO and pick up another insurer that covers my preferred doctors and chiropractors. But then it comes down to my preferences/priorities vs. others', and to inertia. We've been talking about switching for years, but I don't know if it will happen. Switching a company to a new insurer is not without significant costs. And the new insurer will also be subject to the ACA rules. I think part of the issues you are seeing arise from using an HMO. That's how they worked prior to the ACA as well, IIRC. If you're part of an HMO, you use HMO facilities. Can you switch to a PPO? Does your employer offer that option? It's more expensive, but worth it to us. Now is the time of year to discuss this with your employer. We are reviewing policies here, and deciding on next year's plans. DH is the one to decide for his company, and it is hard to please everyone. He welcomes input from employees. Fortunately, everyone is happy right now, and with only a 6% increase, the CFO is happy too. It made the yearly insurance agony less painful this time. For the glasses, we also use a dev optometrist and pay OOP. Our coverage for glasses and contacts stinks, so we just pay OOP for that, too. You could take your DD to Costco and get some new glasses for her. No reason to deal with a lense that pops out. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ours hasn't changed too much. I think our premium (family coverage) is going up about $7 a month. There is some change to prescription coverage that may affect us negatively, but we haven't really figured it out yet. And the coverage for eyeglasses is being reduced slightly. Co-pays and deductibles are the same as they've been for several years. DH's employer is self-insured. I don't know if that makes much difference or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I think part of the issues you are seeing arise from using an HMO. That's how they worked prior to the ACA as well, IIRC. If you're part of an HMO, you use HMO facilities. No, it's the same company. The dropped our plan. It was always an HMO but they used to have options. ACA forced the change. ACA forces many changes that cost companies and individuals. It's a simple fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Well, we got reimbursed such a small amount, approx 25$ for a 150$ office visit, that we didn't really consider it a reimbursement lol. We just lived with it. And when I had to pay 450$ for vaccinations or needed lab work we didn't get reimbursed at all. We used our tax refund for that. Chiro is always out of pocket. So, again, you could chose to just see the doctor you want to see and not use your health insurance. That was how it played out for us financially. It wasn't pretty, and required a lot of budgeting, but it was worth it to us. Unless of course, the doctor you like won't work on a cash only basis. Sure, I "could" pay $10,000 per year for insurance and then pay for most actual care out of pocket. In fact, that's what I do. Except, when I'm paying 100%, I find it too risky and inefficient to go to an MD vs. a chiropractor or home remedies. If money was as tight as it is for most single moms, I wouldn't really feel like I had a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnae Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 My insurance is dropping the plan, so I need to shop for a new one. I'll be paying at least $100 more a month than I am now (just for me, not for the whole family). Kids qualify for CHIP. Husband is insured through work (small company), but the insurance company his employer is with is leaving the state. So we're not sure where the company will land with insurance or whether we'll have to kick in any costs. The company covers 100% of his insurance premiums now, but who knows if they will still do that with the rising costs and a new company. We are in limbo. Not happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our insurance is through dh's employer (the city). Our premiums have gone up the last 3 years. Our deductibles and percentages have increased as well . I just love paying more for less coverage. :glare: However, it is pretty good coverage in general and the city pays much more of the premium than we do. So, I feel bad complaining when I consider the position some people are in. The bottomline: If I compare each year to the last, then I get grumpy, but it looks pretty good compared to elsewhere (other people's situations). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our insurance will increase $50/month for the same plan ($10,000 deductible). We've met the deductible the past two years ("met"= we have $20k in medical debt) but were covered after that. DDs have Medicaid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaS Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our insurance will be going up $650/mo. making our monthly payment for insurance higher than our mortgage. It was amazing insurance. I'm going to miss it but we cannot afford that kind of price hike. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We were priced out of the market such that a Christian health share plan was our best (and only affordable) option. My kids lost their pediatrician due to this move, as we switched to a family doctor who would accept cash pay and give discounts. Being self-employed with a family is not for the faint of heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Slight increase in cost (first time in years). No changes otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Our insurance will be going up $650/mo. making our monthly payment for insurance higher than our mortgage. It was amazing insurance. I'm going to miss it but we cannot afford that kind of price hike. :( Oh that's awful. So sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Ours has changed a lot in the past few years. Through dh's employer we had a Cadillac plan and when it was announced that they'd be taxed some 40%, Honeywell decided not to wait until the tax hit. (The tax on Cadillac plans may never really happen but it was a good reason for dh's employer to scale back the health insurance). They completely changed our insurance offerings. Up until then, we had low deductibles and reasonable out of pocket expenses. Due to dh's heart attack, we maxed our out of pocket four years in a row. Now that things have changed, our deductible is higher than our entire out of pocket used to be. Deductible used to be $500 with an OOP around $4000. Now deductible is $6000. Don't know what out of pocket is. Premiums are up and we have other limitations that we never had before. I'm still grateful that dh's employer offers it. But it does stink that it's not nearly as good and we have no options- we used to have four plans to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Less coverage for more money. Higher premiums and MUCH higher deductibles. The premiums are taking a big jump in January, too. I'm shopping around but we are not happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Dh's work couldn't afford to keep our previous provider. They increased the cost by, IIRC, 25%. They switched providers entirely. So far, so good. The copays are all the same and our contribution didn't change. A year ago was the big increase in our cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Individual health plan with high deductible here. Over $1600/month premium for two of us.... Premium forecasted to go up 20-30% in the coming year. Not happy. Anne This is very similar to us. Ours is set to increase $420.00/month in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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