Pamela H in Texas Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We pay $44.45 every other week for health insurance from hubby's job. There is no deductible. It paid 80% of anything. We could see anyone. The max out of pocket was $1250 for one person, $2500 for the family. By most people's standards, this was EXCELLENT health insurance and the price was great also. I got so many comments from health care providers and in casual comments about how wonderful for us to have great coverage. Hubby comes home yesterday saying they changed the insurance and we have 3 options with the most expensive one being 200 something per month. That was bad news #1. On top of that? a) deductible of $250 indiv/$500 family. b) out of pocket of $1750 indiv/ $3500 family c) pays 70-90% depending on network d) 70% on medications e) only 40 mental health visits per year On the old plan, I met my oop each year. I also needed those mental health visits. I currently went off my meds but likely will end up on meds and of course that 30% won't be part of my out of pocket amount required. And HOPEFULLY my kiddo will stay in remission (it's been a year...YAY!), but we need healthcare coverage for if she doesn't! But honestly? I just can't afford 200something dollars per month! We're struggling NOW. I'm SO depressed about this. I have wanted to cry the last 14 hours straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 :grouphug: I'm sorry to hear this!!! Health insurance is just so outrageously expensive!!!!! We're paying $400 a month for coverage, just for myself and the children. My hubby is self-employed and a diabetic and they wouldn't cover him at all (pre-existing condition clause). So we've started putting extra money into a savings account, just in case of emergency, but said extra money is very hard to come by these days!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We pay $44.45 every other week for health insurance from hubby's job. There is no deductible. It paid 80% of anything. We could see anyone. The max out of pocket was $1250 for one person, $2500 for the family. By most people's standards, this was EXCELLENT health insurance and the price was great also. I got so many comments from health care providers and in casual comments about how wonderful for us to have great coverage. Hubby comes home yesterday saying they changed the insurance and we have 3 options with the most expensive one being 200 something per month. That was bad news #1. On top of that? a) deductible of $250 indiv/$500 family. b) out of pocket of $1750 indiv/ $3500 family c) pays 70-90% depending on network d) 70% on medications e) only 40 mental health visits per year On the old plan, I met my oop each year. I also needed those mental health visits. I currently went off my meds but likely will end up on meds and of course that 30% won't be part of my out of pocket amount required. And HOPEFULLY my kiddo will stay in remission (it's been a year...YAY!), but we need healthcare coverage for if she doesn't! But honestly? I just can't afford 200something dollars per month! We're struggling NOW. I'm SO depressed about this. I have wanted to cry the last 14 hours straight! Personally, that plan is still amazing coverage! My dh's job provided (until he recently switched) cost $450/mo for family coverage $1100 deductible/person 1 person had to completely meet their deductible before family total was considered $3600 family ded (Keeping in mind the family piece, technically we could have had 9 people reach $1000 and not have met the family ded b/c one person didn't reach $1100) Only 20 mental health visits 80% coverage after ded (and a million phone calls) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm sorry that the price is going up, but like the pp, I agree that it still sounds pretty good. We have basically the same coverage, and ours is $430 per month for the family. :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Oh, I am so sorry. That is such a shock to have someone spring a price increase on you for a service you MUST have. What are the prices benefits of the other two plans? My dh's insurance is $200 a month and the deductible is $500 per person. The other benefits you listed are similar to ours. Insurance is just expensive.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shell in SC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I hear ya Pamela. . .I'm so afraid of ours skyrocketing as well. DH has AWESOME coverage. It's like $20 week for the fam, and we have a 10% co pay, no charge for generics, 10% co pay for ANY brand name drugs, and $200 deductibles. DDs surgery a few years ago cost us NOTHING with the hospital. . .and she was in for 11 days, ICU for 4, had blood transfusions. . .you name it. . .didn't cost a penny. I pray often that if it changes we will still be able to afford it. . .actually though the great insurance is one of the reasons he's stayed in this job. If the benefits lessen maybe he will be able to find something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 :grouphug: I'm sorry to hear this!!! Health insurance is just so outrageously expensive!!!!! We're paying $400 a month for coverage, just for myself and the children. My hubby is self-employed and a diabetic and they wouldn't cover him at all (pre-existing condition clause). So we've started putting extra money into a savings account, just in case of emergency, but said extra money is very hard to come by these days!!! Would your dh's schedule allow him time to drive a bus, or could you help in the business so he could? I know several self-employed people that do that in order to have better insurance, plus you get to participate in the school retirement system here in GA. My dh is in the school system and our coverage for the whole family will be $135 a month in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm sorry that the price is going up, but like the pp, I agree that it still sounds pretty good. We have basically the same coverage, and ours is $430 per month for the family. :grouphug::grouphug: With my dh's old job, family coverage was roughly $540 a month, with $500 deductible, $30/60 copays, and 70% coverage. Think of it this way - 40 mental health visits per year would cost you $3200 per year oop, so you come out ahead there! That's how my Dad justified the $2500 a month he was spending on insurance - his prescriptions were $4000 a month, so he figured he was doing well (he has a blood clotting disorder.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Would your dh's schedule allow him time to drive a bus, or could you help in the business so he could? I know several self-employed people that do that in order to have better insurance, plus you get to participate in the school retirement system here in GA. My dh is in the school system and our coverage for the whole family will be $135 a month in January. Must depend on the state - here, bus drivers don't get insurance (unless they are also teacher assistants, which most are) and the state health coverage is expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschool2boys Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Wow our insurance must be really good. I dont know what it costs per month, I would have to ask my husband. We pay 25 dollars if you go to the doctor and 75 if you go to the ER. There is a copay on meds, I think the highest one is 55 dollars because one of my meds is very expensive so they charge me the max copay. Generics are 8 dollars. I think we have the same plan as congress does. I think its the plan they give to all federal workers although my husband now works for the state. We do get a choice of health care plans every year but we stick with this one because we like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm sorry for the shock a and such. I have no idea how they were providing such a plan before for such a minimal amount. I bet this barely even touched what the employer had been paying. We pay $391 a month with a $5,000 deductible per family. We looked into getting a group plan b/c we hired someone (my husband is self-employed), and it would go up to $800 a month just for our own family. I am sure you could still never get a private plan for the cost and benefit you are getting -- it still sounds great. Could you get a part-time job just to pay for the health insurance? Forgive me if you are already working. Sometimes it helps to see how much you would be spending out of pocket too. Does your family use over $2,400 worth of medical a year currently? We really only have insurance for those high-cost, unexpected things, but usually you get your services discounted if you have insurance (b/c of the contract between the two). We pay $91 a month for the dental rider, for example, and I calculated it and found out that the five of us would pay more than $1,092 over the course of the year for cleaning and sealants alone, so it is definitely worth it for us. Does your plan cover dental? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm sorry for the shock a and such. I have no idea how they were providing such a plan before for such a minimal amount. I bet this barely even touched what the employer had been paying. I had a similar plan 6 years ago when i worked at Best Buy (i had 3 to pick from - this was the best one, and still cheaper than our individual coverage had been by far). My Cobra amount for that plan was about $1500/mo. You husbands employer has been paying a HEFTY amount towards it, and i'm sure this new one isn't cheap either. We paid about $1300 for a similar plan from Blue Cross before DH left his last job (we had to pay 100% of it ourselves). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Wow our insurance must be really good. I dont know what it costs per month, I would have to ask my husband. We pay 25 dollars if you go to the doctor and 75 if you go to the ER. There is a copay on meds, I think the highest one is 55 dollars because one of my meds is very expensive so they charge me the max copay. Generics are 8 dollars. I think we have the same plan as congress does. I think its the plan they give to all federal workers although my husband now works for the state. We do get a choice of health care plans every year but we stick with this one because we like it. I think we must have the same plan - PPO, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm sorry you're facing a budget crunch now. It's very stressful, I know, when costs go up and we have no control. You are still getting pretty good coverage, though. We pay $600/mo. for health insurance. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschool2boys Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I just thought about it and I am sorry if I offended anyone in my other post. I dont mean to sound like I am bragging. Actually we need good insurance because my health isnt good. I would hate to see the bill for this year, I am grateful our insurance covered it all or else we would be sunk. Two hospital stays for me this year, I would hate to see the bill for that. I dont think we could even afford all of my meds if not for the insurance. Just one of my meds is over 400 dollars a month and I dont know how much the others are. Now one of my meds is messing up my eyes and I have to see if there is anything they can do about it. I may just have to learn to live with it because the pharmacist said he was not sure if they could treat it because its the meds causing it. I dont know if glasses would help but I somehow doubt it. Anyway I hope I did not offend anyone, I did not mean to come across as bragging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Our insurance has steadily increased in price over the years with reductions in coverage so I understand how you feel. Those increases are hard to handle. However, the plan you described is much better than ours and for less money. Don't know if that helps or not. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Well, I guess I'll have to suck it up. It doesn't really help much that it's better than what many of y'all have. I guess I just feel more sorry for y'all. But more than doubling our cost while changing coverage is upsetting me. But again, I'll just have to suck it up. It'll work out somehow....right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 :grouphug: I'll send a hug. Rising prices of everything are hard to take. Your new plan is better than our current one too ours has a yearly per person cap. I do wonder if there will ever be affordable health coverage because this seems to be one of those issues that keeps on keeping on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Health care in this country is ridiculous. We are the laughingstock of the world. I encourage anyone to watch the documentary Sicko. It is a real eyeopener. DH & I both talked about moving to another country after watching it. IMO, it is appalling how poorly we treat our fellow citizens here in America in the name of Democracy and Capitalism. And I can't believe what a scoundrel Richard Nixon was, and how we continue to let the insurance companies get away with their scams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyX8 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We pay about $225 a month as our portion of dh's BCBS company plan. We will be changing in 2010 and it will go to about $500 per month. We also put just over $6500 into our flexible spending account this year, for deductibles/copays/out of pocket charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 The increases do stink, even if you have a good plan. For that I'm sorry. I also tend to have poor health and spend the most on medical costs in our family. Our out of pocket for medical costs usually runs $4,000 to 7,000 year with insurance when you count premiums, copays, and coinsurance. It sucks but you do the best you can. Right now, my husband is uninsured completely so we have to hope nothing happens to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Thanks for these posts. What is has done is changed my attitude from despondant (because we have no health insurance) to feeling blessed (because we have no medical problems in my immediate family.) :grouphug: for those with high medical expenses, even WITH insurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayT Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We are in TX too and if our insurance hadn't changed last year from GREAT to CRAP I would be asking you if our DH worked for the same company's! Every time we went in the office personnal couldn't believe how lucky we were to have such great insurance...not any more. If misery loves company...here I am... ((((HUGS)))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Personally, that plan is still amazing coverage! My dh's job provided (until he recently switched) cost $450/mo for family coverage $1100 deductible/person 1 person had to completely meet their deductible before family total was considered $3600 family ded (Keeping in mind the family piece, technically we could have had 9 people reach $1000 and not have met the family ded b/c one person didn't reach $1100) Only 20 mental health visits 80% coverage after ded (and a million phone calls) This plan is very similar to our health plan through dh's job. It has been a hardship, because I needed to have several tests done this year, and I had to pay the entire amount ($1500) out of pocket because our family deductible is around $5000. There were several other tests that my doctor recommended, that I just couldn't afford to have done. It's awful when you have to decide whether tests are really, really necessary because of the expense, and whether the risk of skipping the tests outweighs the cost. It stinks, really. Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Wow, all of that sounds great! We paid $875 per month for family coverage while my husband's portion was paid for. It was still a high deductible plan where insurance didn't kick in until you hit the $2000 deductible, then it paid $0%. When he quit his job, we got private insurance for $500 but it did not have maternity coverage and you had to pay for each doctor visit. Not so good, because we get strep throat weekly and then I got pregnant. Luckily, my husband's new job has insurance with maternity coverage. Our portion is still $600 per month and our copays are $40 with $500 deductible. I know it doesn't look that way, but you still will have awesome insurance at a cheap price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hubby comes home yesterday saying they changed the insurance and we have 3 options with the most expensive one being 200 something per month. That was bad news #1. On top of that? a) deductible of $250 indiv/$500 family. b) out of pocket of $1750 indiv/ $3500 family c) pays 70-90% depending on network d) 70% on medications e) only 40 mental health visits per year Sorry to say, but you've gone from having an incredible plan to having a good plan (in the US anyway). Check the definition of "mental health visit," DH's therapist is classified as a medical practitioner and there are no limits, even though "mental health visits" likewise limited in our plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 We pay around $1100 a month for health insurance! I think the deductible is around $500 per person. That is health, vision, and dentistry, but no orthodontics. This is a group plan and we are SO frustrated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I understand this must be hard for you, but quite honestly, even with the changes you're getting a good deal by many people's standards. I can't fathom paying only $200 for health insurance! We pay four times that much for what is essentially catastrophic coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Oh -- I forgot about maternity. That rider would be an extra $71 a month, plus you cannot add that rider until your policy is up for its annual renewal, and you have to wait 6 months to get pregnant. And, you still have to pay the $5,000 deductible first. We don't have the maternity rider, though. To my knowledge, group plans provide maternity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I'm sorry this has impacted your budget so heavily, but everyone is right, it still sounds like great coverage. Unfortunately the trend is for higher medical expenses, so it sounds like something to get used to! One thing that changed my attitude was reading Little Heathens, a memoir about life in Iowa during the Depression, by Mildred Kalish. She has a fascinating chapter about health care during that time. You didn't go to the doctor unless you were absolutely dying and home remedies couldn't do anything for you. She had blood poisoning once, and her mother dealt with it at home! If the economy keeps going along the way it has been, those might be good skills to relearn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 To the OP, does your husband work for a company with more than 50 employees? If so, don't worry about the mental health portion because in the financial bailout package passed by Congress and signed by Pres. Bush, we now have mental health parity. That means, any plan that has mental health coverage has to have the same rules for mental health benefits as diabete or heart disease. Our plan is the military plan. We pay nothing, we have a 150/300 deductible, pay 15-20% copays for visits, pay from $3 to $21 per medication, and have a catastrophic cap of $1000. We hit the catastrophic cap every year and just figure it in our budget- $1000 for medical care. Our dental benefit, however, is worse than most private plans and costs us almost $28 a month. I soon will be paying more thousands for my youngest's orthodontics treatments since we have to change dentists since we are being transferred. They have already paid out the maximum lifetime benefit of $1500 and we have to pay extra because of the move. Overall, I am pleased and feel blessed by our coverage but am looking forward to when our dental bills wil be only $1000 a year like our medical bills when dh retires and gets better coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelbelle7 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I'm SO depressed about this. I have wanted to cry the last 14 hours straight! If it makes you feel any better, we pay $975/mo and our primary care doctor doesn't even accept our insurance anymore. I won't switch doctors because I finally found one that I really like. We have really horrible Rx coverage, nothing for optical or dental. In our area, our coverage is actually considered about average in price. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Overall, I am pleased and feel blessed by our coverage but am looking forward to when our dental bills wil be only $1000 a year like our medical bills when dh retires and gets better coverage. Good luck with that! Dental Insurance is NOT what it used to be at all - in fact what you have now sounds par for the course from what i have heard. We don't have it - no employers around here have found it worth paying for.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 To the OP, does your husband work for a company with more than 50 employees? If so, don't worry about the mental health portion because in the financial bailout package passed by Congress and signed by Pres. Bush, we now have mental health parity. That means, any plan that has mental health coverage has to have the same rules for mental health benefits as diabete or heart disease. Our plan is the military plan. We pay nothing, we have a 150/300 deductible, pay 15-20% copays for visits, pay from $3 to $21 per medication, and have a catastrophic cap of $1000. We hit the catastrophic cap every year and just figure it in our budget- $1000 for medical care. Our dental benefit, however, is worse than most private plans and costs us almost $28 a month. I soon will be paying more thousands for my youngest's orthodontics treatments since we have to change dentists since we are being transferred. They have already paid out the maximum lifetime benefit of $1500 and we have to pay extra because of the move. Overall, I am pleased and feel blessed by our coverage but am looking forward to when our dental bills wil be only $1000 a year like our medical bills when dh retires and gets better coverage. Tricare has been a huge blessing for us. It seems my kids get weird issues when dh is deployed and we would be Broke (yes, with a capital B) if the coverage weren't so good. We've been through several hospitalizations, having a baby, numerous CTscans and MRIs and the total out of pocket is negligible when you consider the total costs. The best part is we get to keep our doctors since there isn't a MTF near us. The year dh was home we were still able to keep the tricare for only $253/month. Gotta love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.bc80ba616e40e55a2fd485c5996f4456.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.