Horizon Blue Cross increase!

[GramGun79 226]

Healthcare going up BIG TIME for NJ! Got the notification letter today that my plan will be increased 40% for next year. Now my healthcare will cost me more than my mortgage payment. This is getting out of hand.

[Zeke 5,504]

18 minutes ago, GramGun79 said:

Healthcare going up BIG TIME for NJ! Got the notification letter today that my plan will be increased 40% for next year. Now my healthcare will cost me more than my mortgage payment. This is getting out of hand.

Yes, it is

[1LtCAP 4,262]

getting?

[GramGun79 226]

9 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

getting?

Very true...its been out of hand. Now its really really out of hand. LOL 

 

[1LtCAP 4,262]

1 minute ago, GramGun79 said:

Very true...its been out of hand. Now its really really out of hand. LOL 

 

yea. it was kinda/sorta outta hand before osamacare. then osamacare came along and we went straight to plaid on our course of heading to crazy.........

[Gunsrlegal 140]

I just found out how much I'll be paying through the NJ State Pension (my husband was a teacher, but is deceased, so I have to pay to keep the coverage.) I will now be paying $1386/month for just me! And no, he wasn't a pension double-dipper nor did he make a huge salary, no overtime, etc. I still get his pension (we went for that option, but we got less than if the pension ended when he died), but most of the pension goes to pay for the health insurance.

I don't even want to think about how much more expensive this can get.

One of the many reasons I have to get out of NJ. I've lived in NJ for 55 of my 60 years, but I just can't afford all of the taxes and higher costs. PA is probably in my near future.

[Rob0115 1,105]

3 hours ago, Gunsrlegal said:

I just found out how much I'll be paying through the NJ State Pension (my husband was a teacher, but is deceased, so I have to pay to keep the coverage.) I will now be paying $1386/month for just me! And no, he wasn't a pension double-dipper nor did he make a huge salary, no overtime, etc. I still get his pension (we went for that option, but we got less than if the pension ended when he died), but most of the pension goes to pay for the health insurance.

I don't even want to think about how much more expensive this can get.

One of the many reasons I have to get out of NJ. I've lived in NJ for 55 of my 60 years, but I just can't afford all of the taxes and higher costs. PA is probably in my near future.

For 17k / year is it worth investigating options?

[Howard 538]

Just wait till Murphy becomes governor he will probably give illegals free healthcare, and have the rates raised even more on us fools who work and pay taxes to give to those that don't.  This crap has to end.

[1LtCAP 4,262]

what's your deductibles looking like?

[Redlines 202]

16 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

what's your deductibles looking like?

They are going thru the roof.

[1LtCAP 4,262]

figured as much. one friend is a pasrts dude at autozone....has one of their supposedly better health plans. but he's got a $6k/year deductible. and it's costing him the same as the plan that he had through a previous employer that had a yearly deductible that was over 10 times lower.

[Fred2 367]

The only bright side to this, is that these increases are showing up the week before the election.

[njJoniGuy 2,131]

1 hour ago, Howard said:

Just wait till Murphy becomes governor he will probably give illegals free healthcare, and have the rates raised even more on us fools who work and pay taxes to give to those that don't.  This crap has to end.

It's the democrat way!

Just ask Dr. Sardonicus

https://youtu.be/0V0Vu_utUZY

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

5 hours ago, Rob0115 said:

For 17k / year is it worth investigating options?

As a freelance writer who buys on the greatly over-promoted individual marketplace - I can tell you that I have fairly crappy insurance with a high deductible, and yet this past year it cost nearly 8K. The higher level platinum plans, which I would prefer, were just too prohibitive. And the paltry selections available through the marketplace all had similar costs. So, if one is going up 40%, they're probably all going up 40%. 

@Gunsrlegal can certainly shop around... but I'm 100% confident she's not going to find some "great deal" on the individual marketplace - because there simply are none to be had.

2018 is going to be a disaster for health insurance in this state. The only thing that makes me feel somewhat hopeful for the future is that I read an article recently about some new guidance, etc. passed by the current administration that could make it easier for freelancers (like myself) and other individuals to form insurance pools. That is NOT allowed right now, not in NJ anyway. I can't join with 1000 other freelancers to form our own "group plan". That problem, and the inability to buy plans across state lines, are (in my mind) just 2 of the problems that help to keep rates unnecessarily elevated. I laugh (and cry!) when I think it's called the "Affordable Healthcare Act" - one of the greatest misnomers in history.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Thanks, Obama

[1LtCAP 4,262]

other than catastrophic coverage, health insurance really shouldn't even exist. it drives up the price of everything. it insulates us from the true cost, which in turn causes many to abuse/over-use it....which then drives up costs. there is no reason in the world that ANYone should be using insurance of any kind for a basic doc visit. or to take little johnny to the doc 'cause he's got a runny nose and is breaking out in a rash on his arm.

 on the other hand, there's always the falling off the hike and breaking your leg or arm......but that comes under catastrophic.

 

 now i'll go seek cover for the incoming fire.

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

1 minute ago, 1LtCAP said:

other than catastrophic coverage, health insurance really shouldn't even exist. it drives up the price of everything. it insulates us from the true cost, which in turn causes many to abuse/over-use it....which then drives up costs. there is no reason in the world that ANYone should be using insurance of any kind for a basic doc visit. or to take little johnny to the doc 'cause he's got a runny nose and is breaking out in a rash on his arm.

 on the other hand, there's always the falling off the hike and breaking your leg or arm......but that comes under catastrophic.

 

 now i'll go seek cover for the incoming fire.

If there was a good system of catastrophic coverage, coupled with health savings plans, and coupled with aggressive measures to contain medical/hospital costs -- I would tend to agree. I think there needs to be all those moving parts though, or too many people will get financially ruined by relatively common illnesses.

[remixer 1,645]

Thanks Obama..

 

I got a dumb question.. 

 

If trumps Travel Ban can be called  a Muslim ban and the courts back that up because of what he said on the campaign trail . Would a court strike down Obamacare because you cant "Keep your Doctor" or "Save 2500 Per year"

 

[WP22 1,558]

17 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

other than catastrophic coverage, health insurance really shouldn't even exist. it drives up the price of everything. it insulates us from the true cost, which in turn causes many to abuse/over-use it....which then drives up costs. there is no reason in the world that ANYone should be using insurance of any kind for a basic doc visit. or to take little johnny to the doc 'cause he's got a runny nose and is breaking out in a rash on his arm.

 on the other hand, there's always the falling off the hike and breaking your leg or arm......but that comes under catastrophic.

 

 now i'll go seek cover for the incoming fire.

You are not wrong. I just had the exactly same conversation this weekend with my eye doctor when I told her I didn't have vision insurance and was going to pay out pocket for the appointment.

There are things one has to be responsible for. We are not talking about heart transplants but it doesn't make any sense to force the insurance to cover everything little thing; it just makes it more costly to cover the really important stuff. 

[1LtCAP 4,262]

1 hour ago, Mrs. Peel said:

If there was a good system of catastrophic coverage, coupled with health savings plans, and coupled with aggressive measures to contain medical/hospital costs -- I would tend to agree. I think there needs to be all those moving parts though, or too many people will get financially ruined by relatively common illnesses.

that's the thing. it's insurance and our collective over-use of it that's driven these costs up. without insurance for every little thing, we won't be insulated from the actual cost, and will accordingly price shop for the best service/value. this will have the effective result of driving costs down, as will the lack of paperwork and extra staffing associated with insurance. it will drive the costs of everything down. the industry will still make their money, but things will be more affordable. as it stands now, many people are being finacially ruined because of this mess. my friend i mentioned? he found out about his deductible(he'd made the mistake of assuming it stayed the same) when he went to the er for a mini-stroke. he had to pay for all that outta pocket. so really.....what good was his insurance?

[remixer 1,645]

not sure why people think you can offer insurance to people after they get a serious illness or cover people who were never covered before without fucking it up for everyone else who has been responsible by purchasing coverage for years.  Its time hospitals start to deny care for people who use them as a primary doctor... you got a headache. Go see a doctor... you have a small cut on your leg.. goto your doctor.... instead those who now have coverage by fucking up ours still goto the emergency room for every single issue they have.

 

[1LtCAP 4,262]

through previous employers i used to have insurance. was an excellent plan. no yearly deductible bs. copay per visit. had it for nearly 20 years. in that time, i used it exactly 3 times. each time i used it, it would've been something i could've payed for outta pocket had i not been spending my extra income on my share of the plan.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

17 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

we went straight to plaid on our course of heading to crazy.........

Oh balls, I see what you did there.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

1 hour ago, remixer said:

not sure why people think you can offer insurance to people after they get a serious illness or cover people who were never covered before without fucking it up for everyone else who has been responsible by purchasing coverage for years.  Its time hospitals start to deny care for people who use them as a primary doctor... you got a headache. Go see a doctor... you have a small cut on your leg.. goto your doctor.... instead those who now have coverage by fucking up ours still goto the emergency room for every single issue they have.

 

Normally I would like to be a little more empathetic... But it really isn't sustainable, at all. 

And Democrats argue that we pay for them either way, either directly through increased cost of uninsured, or through government subsidizing. 

The answer is pretty clear, unless someone is dying, unfortunately it's time to start turning them away if they refuse to pay for insurance. 

[remixer 1,645]

I’m empathetic to those who buy ins and can’t afford to use it 

[remixer 1,645]

Btw those who are truly poor should be helped 

Thosr who have no ability to pay but have the latest iPhone, drive a new car are not poor, just bad at setting priorities 

[1LtCAP 4,262]

those too poor to pay have always been able to walk into the er and get care. i believe the hospitals are paid by govt from our taxes for that care

[Fred2 367]

5 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

other than catastrophic coverage, health insurance really shouldn't even exist. it drives up the price of everything. it insulates us from the true cost, which in turn causes many to abuse/over-use it....which then drives up costs. there is no reason in the world that ANYone should be using insurance of any kind for a basic doc visit. or to take little johnny to the doc 'cause he's got a runny nose and is breaking out in a rash on his arm.

 on the other hand, there's always the falling off the hike and breaking your leg or arm......but that comes under catastrophic.

 

 now i'll go seek cover for the incoming fire.

Given the cost and the deductibles, all insurance policies are Catastrophic Loss plans.

The problem is that they do not have the premium that is appropriate.

[voyager9 3,434]

This thread scared me so I looked at enrollment for next year. I guess I got lucky, only going up around ~$20 a month.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Mine went up like $50/mo.