My first poll -- Increases in health insurance premiums...

[mlktwins]

Because it is that time of year again  :closedeyes: , if you were to keep your current (2017) health insurance plan, how much is your monthly premium going up for 2018?  I am trying to create my very first poll.  Hope it works!

[Arcadia]

Our insurance is employer subsidized and the employee portion didn’t go up much (less than $50 per biweekly paycheck for him) in the recent enrollment cycle but the employer contribution did go up quite a bit. His employer is a MNC. If we are counting my husband and three dependents, then the premiums went up by more than $100 per paycheck.

[DawnM]

Dh currently carries him and the kids on his insurance.  It goes up a little bit every year. Just a percent or two DH says.

I have my own, included in my benefits package.  Adding the kids on mine is the same cost as with DH and his is better insurance.

[Annie G]

I'm shocked that our premiums aren't going up at all and the coverage and deductibles are remaining exactly the same.  That hasn't happened ever in the 23 years dh has worked for the company.  I feel like we've won the lottery or something. 

Edited November 30, 2017 by Annie G

[SparklyUnicorn]

Up $20 per month.

[Guest]

As I recently mentioned, we are looking at other options because ours (as self-employed folks) is increasing $768/ month.

[mlktwins]

As I recently mentioned, we are looking at other options because ours (as self-employed folks) is increasing $768/ month.

 

I can't like this post at all  :angry:  :ohmy:  :thumbdown:  :thumbdown:  :thumbdown:  :thumbdown:  :thumbdown:

[Joker]

We have ours through dh's employer. It's going up about $10/month. The employer portion didn't go up very much either. With this increase, we finally broke $100 for our monthly premium for all four of us.

[Loowit]

DH's employer hasn't said anything about it going up. I am hoping that it means that it is staying the same, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear it was going up.  I hope if it is that we hear about it soon for planning purposes.

[AppleGreen]

As I recently mentioned, we are looking at other options because ours (as self-employed folks) is increasing $768/ month.

Not liking your post because it is a good thing, but because we are in a similar boat as self employed folks. Sigh. It really stinks, and is quite ridiculous, IMO. 

[mlktwins]

Not liking your post because it is a good thing, but because we are in a similar boat as self employed folks. Sigh. It really stinks, and is quite ridiculous, IMO. 

 

So...what does one do if they are self-employed?  We are in the same boat :-( !!!

[amy g.]

Our health insurance remains free for another year. We do have deductibles but if Dh participants in a health screening, they will put the amount of our deductible in a heath savings account which carries over year after year.

 

Dh just had his health screening this morning and the results were “optimal†in all areas. I don’t think they the results affect how much is put in your account.

 

There are plenty of things we don’t love about working for this company, but so far, no other offers can make up for what changing jobs would cost us in insurance.

[Butter]

If you include dental, our insurance premiums are going up $1.42 a month.  Health insurance is not going up at all (and coverage is actually increasing with the deductible and co-pays staying the same) and dental is going up $1.42 a month.  Dental insurance also covers vision.  We pay 100% of our dental premium, the government (my husband is a federal employee so his employer) covers something like 70% of our health insurance premium.

 

Between dental and health last year, premiums went up about $3.50 a month, but that's when dental started including vision so we saved $15 a month from dropped vision.  These are the first two years *ever* since Jamie got his first "real" job in 1997 that premiums haven't increased at least $20 a month.  Prior to ACA premiums were increasing by $50-100 per month every year.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Butter

[Tap]

My premiums barely went up, but my deductible per person doubled to $1000pp and out of pocket max increased to $5500pp.

That is still better than lots of people have, but I pay about $200 per month for 4 of us.

Then dh pays for himself thru his employer too. 

 

 

ETA: we pay about $4000 in premiums for our insurance each year, and and additional out of pocket between $1000-$11,000.    Compared to what many people here have, we feel blessed. 

 

We have decent (not great) insurance, but we usually have over $100,000 of claims billed out to insurance.   Just for example....dd19 met her $5500 out of pocket max just 4 months into the plan year.  (The $5500 was $1000 deductible + 10% of claims).  A few years ago, we hit over $200,000 in claims in one year.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Tap

[OrganicJen]

Mine went up a few hundred dollars per month so I was forced to choose the cheapest plan which was still way more than what I paid for a better plan last year and the new plan doesn't have any of our current doctors on it. It's depressing.

Edited November 30, 2017 by OrganicJen

[displace]

I think there should be caps, like no more than x% increase per year. It reminds me of the NY rental prices going up with a new lease thousands of dollars per month.

 

ETA - in reality I believe in universal free healthcare (paid by taxes) but dare I mention that and derail the thread? 🙂

Edited November 30, 2017 by displace

[QueenCat]

We thought it was going up, but they sent out corrections. No premium increases. The deductible is going up $150.

[OrganicJen]

So...what does one do if they are self-employed? We are in the same boat :-( !!!

You have to pay a ton for a plan that sucks...that's what we have to do. When the ACA first happened our rates went down so they were closer to what people not self employed paid and for similar coverage, but now they are back to being high rates for little coverage again next year. It really sucks we feel like we are being punished for being self employed...at least we had a few years with affordable rates and decent coverage.

[zimom]

My husband's company shops for new insurance every year and they change plans in July or August.  It really makes it confusing when you switch plans, deductibles and more mid year!   They have always applied the deductibles, etc. even with a new companies but the first few months of the change over are more then difficult.

[JeanM]

You need an option in the poll for health insurance rates going down. I can't believe this is happening (happy, but shocked), but our rates are going down. And we're self-employed.

[mlktwins]

You need an option in the poll for health insurance rates going down. I can't believe this is happening (happy, but shocked), but our rates are going down. And we're self-employed.

 

This is awesome!  Especially if it's for the same coverage!!!

[OrganicJen]

You need an option in the poll for health insurance rates going down. I can't believe this is happening (happy, but shocked), but our rates are going down. And we're self-employed.

Wow, how? We are self employed and ours went up so much with no changes in our health or anything...we only are at the doctor for check ups so nothing we did caused the huge imcrease.

[Laura Corin]

My tax bill is due to go down this year, so I suppose that means my contribution to my healthcare cost is not rising.  I didn't vote.

[JeanM]

Wow, how? We are self employed and ours went up so much with no changes in our health or anything...we only are at the doctor for check ups so nothing we did caused the huge imcrease.

 

I can't explain it, and I'm scared that I've done something wrong because every other year it has gone up. I had dh look at it too, and he didn't spot any errors.

[MomtoCandJ]

ACA wants us to pay $400 a month with a subsidy for the 4 of us, we can’t afford that. That’s also with a $13,000 deductible. We are not getting insurance again this year because of the high costs. It doesn’t cover dental or vision either. We looked into MICHILD (Michigan’s chip program) and had that for a while but the county DHS office keeps losing our paperwork and so the girls got booted off.

Good thing our NP has reduced fees for those without insurance and same with our dentist.

[PinkTulip]

As I recently mentioned, we are looking at other options because ours (as self-employed folks) is increasing $768/ month.

I feel your pain. We are self-employed, too, and ours is going up nearly $600 per month. DH walked away from our biggest client this summer (asking him to do unethical/illegal things) so we are already dealing with that income loss.

Edited November 30, 2017 by PinkTulip

[OrganicJen]

ACA wants us to pay $400 a month with a subsidy for the 4 of us, we can’t afford that. That’s also with a $13,000 deductible. We are not getting insurance again this year because of the high costs. It doesn’t cover dental or vision either. We looked into MICHILD (Michigan’s chip program) and had that for a while but the county DHS office keeps losing our paperwork and so the girls got booted off.

Good thing our NP has reduced fees for those without insurance and same with our dentist.

That's far less than ours, where did you get these rates?...I don't know what you mean by "ACA wants us to pay", it seems like where you found rates might be less than where we did. Ours are going up so much I'm willing to explore any options.

[BarbecueMom]

I think it's about $60/month higher. Maybe a bit more? Dental also went up and we added legal this year to get wills and estate stuff taken care of, and I can't remember what was what.

[Spryte]

I can’t answer the poll because I don’t know monthly info, yet, but for comparison: DH is the director of the US branch of his company, and has to decide on the new plan for the US employees. It looks like costs will increase by $11K, for the year. I’m not sure yet if that means the co will continue paying all costs, or if they will opt to have employees chip in. Personally, I’d prefer to chip in if it means a better plan.

[displace]

That's far less than ours, where did you get these rates?...I don't know what you mean by "ACA wants us to pay", it seems like where you found rates might be less than where we did. Ours are going up so much I'm willing to explore any options.

Probably the poster is in a different state. Some states subsidize ACA more than others, thus lower premiums, or have a higher coverage percentage based on income.

[OrganicJen]

Probably the poster is in a different state. Some states subsidize ACA more than others, thus lower premiums, or have a higher coverage percentage based on income.

Oh yes that makes sense.

[kewb]

I got hit with an increase that I found a bit disproportionate but it is what it is. My premiums have only gone one way since I entered the workforce some 30+ years ago.  Sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot.  Nothing new here.

[MomtoCandJ]

That's far less than ours, where did you get these rates?...I don't know what you mean by "ACA wants us to pay", it seems like where you found rates might be less than where we did. Ours are going up so much I'm willing to explore any options.

We live in Michigan. We wouldn’t mind paying that much (though would be really really tight budget wise) if the deductable wasn’t so high and it included vision and dental for the girls. But as it is we might pay $1000 total a year in medical/dental and vision costs out of pocket (I’m including that in 2018 we are paying $300 for an ortho consult for oldest DD, 2 cleanings each for dd1 and dd2, a well child visit and a few sick visits per child, vision exams for each child and myself with glasses, and wellness checks for dh and I along with dh’s meds)

[gardenmom5]

our current plan is not being offered next year.   every single plan here, is switching to a HMO model. (NO PPO's) goody./

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

Not going up.

[OrganicJen]

Percentage increase might be interesting to know. $100 can be a small increase on an already big premium.

 

Our $100 increase was a 14% increase.

The option of changing carriers would have produced an 82% increase.

 

We have a (comparatively) decent plan.

That's a good point...ours was around a 50% increase to keep everything the same.

[guilfordlake]

Our is going up $150/mo. Dental increased by just a couple dollars. I'd have to check into percentages.

[AppleGreen]

So...what does one do if they are self-employed?  We are in the same boat :-( !!!

Unfortunately, we are making plans for me to possibly return to work next year.  :sad:  :scared:  Ours is so high, like more than a year of college high. We are a healthy family that rarely uses the doctor. Like another poster, ours actually went down for a few years or at least stabilized with ACA, but now we are paying for it. I don't think they are even offering our plan next year (I think it was a PPO). It is really such a crap deal. 

[Carrie12345]

We're currently paying just under $500 cash, with a subsidy around $600, but we will be paying most to all of the subsidy back.

 

New cost is just under $1000/mo cash, around $400 subsidy, likely to be paid back.

 

So anywhere from $300-500, depending on bonus and commission income next year.

[Pawz4me]

Our insurance is through DH's employer. They're self insured. I think he said our portion will go up about $8 per pay period, which amounts to a $208 increase for the year. No change in deductibles, co-pays or max OOP.

[Zinnia]

NONE!! Amazing.

 

We went from $4500 to $6000 deductible, $12,000 to $15,000 out of pocket. And a crazy ELAP plan that is on the very, very edge of mainstream insurance practices. So that premium comes at a fairly high cost.

[historically accurate]

Ours went up $10/mo. However, DH's employer added a middle tier between the PPO we had and the high deductible plan, so we are stepping down to that. Our premium will be going down $50/mo for not that much of a difference in coverage with the different plan. 

[OrganicJen]

It seems like most people who have it through an employer aren't seeing the huge increases which makes sense since the point with a lot of the ACA changes that we are now losing was to help those of us who have to pay privately to get better rates more in line with those that groups with employers get. So many of us who pay privately are going back to how things were before ACA where since we don't have the bargaining power of a group plan we have to pay huge premiums for awful coverage or go without. It's hard to know what to do since it's scary to think of going without but the premiums are so crazy high.

[Sandwalker]

No increase, same as last year. We have had increases nearly every year, so it was a nice surprise.

[OrganicJen]

Unfortunately, we are making plans for me to possibly return to work next year. :sad: :scared: Ours is so high, like more than a year of college high. We are a healthy family that rarely uses the doctor. Like another poster, ours actually went down for a few years or at least stabilized with ACA, but now we are paying for it. I don't think they are even offering our plan next year (I think it was a PPO). It is really such a crap deal.

Wow I hadn't thought of it that way but ours is in that year of college category too and that's even more depressing to think about. Sheesh.

[Frances]

Virtually no change, except $5 copay increase. We already pay less than $100 per month for family medical, dental, and vision and double medical coverage for my husband and double vision for everyone. Our family medical deductible is $750. We are very fortunate.

 

Edited to add our primary insurance is through my job and secondary is from my husband's employer. Ironically, he's in healthcare, but our family premiums would be much higher through his job.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Frances

[RootAnn]

Through employer, 7% increase, only $15/month increase. Company changed dental plans so as to keep the increase lower. Company is self-insured, so the combination of the employee premiums, deductibles, and what the company puts in is supposed to offset the cost for all the insurance payouts. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our health insurance company is leaving the individual insurance market so I can't compare their rates from last year to next.  But the only plan I could afford this year is much crappier insurance for more money per month. 

[Davysmom]

We only have 2 options where we live.

Kaiser is the cheapest, but has no doctors in our area! The closest is 2 hours away in another state. I find that so frustrating. There isn’t even an hospital close.

 

The other option is $2240 a month!

[Arcadia]

It seems like most people who have it through an employer aren't seeing the huge increases which makes sense since the point with a lot of the ACA changes that we are now losing was to help those of us who have to pay privately to get better rates more in line with those that groups with employers get.

My husband’s employer’s insurance is using Aetna which CVS is in the process of buying. The employer has been absorbing most of the increase in premiums year on year as an employee benefit. So if I add the employee and employer portions up, the volume discount for the employer isn’t much. Our coverage has been the same the past few years. His employer does give the added benefit of a HSA which the employer contributes to.