Health insurance increases

We're in the same boat- we changed to 'the new plan' last year because it at least gave us dental insurance for the kids, so that helped justify the rise in costs some.

I'm fixing to change to a non-HSA plan to get some prescription coverage. New meds are killing us this year.

But hey- 'It's a write off!'

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I'm paying $2100 a month for a family of four as self employed with a $3000 deductible. $800 a month for a family of four as a self employed individual sounds cheap in this day and age.

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Wait...what? Why is yours so expensive?

It's a company policy. We live in Northern Virginia so that probably has something to do with the cost and my wife and I are both in our mid 50s. Then there's ObamaCare which means if you can afford more you pay more to subsidize those that can't pay as much.

I hear you. There are benefits to being self employed and then there are things like health insurance where you pay through the nose.

The thing with that is that I'm willing to chance keeping what we have as it seems the obamacare plan premiums would have higher increases each year based on what I read. I have no facts that that would be the case.

And out of curiosity, is it dental/vision with any provider? I will NOT change those providers for the kids or myself.

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In the past 2 years, he had a hernia repair, son had a fractured wrist repaired, I had 2 knee scopes. Other than that we're as healthy as horses.

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Pretty expensive year for healthy people

but regardless, health or cost of claims no longer plays a role in the cost of premiums. The only questions they can rate you on is age, smoker/non smoker and sex. All in all $800/month is not that bad for a family, I pay 1200/month for me and my wife. Look at a new policy, being grandfathered into the old is not as important as most people seem to think

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being grandfathered into the old is not as important as most people seem to think

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100% agree. Unless your plan has benefits no longer offered under Obamacare mandates, it's worth it to shop around.

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what part of your benefits are you really trying to hold onto that would prevent you from shopping and leaving that plan?

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Actually, I guess we're trying to protect ourselves from astronomical increases. When I talked with someone at BCBS (granted 2 years ago maybe) about the benefits of being under Obamacare, she told me that I could get FREE lactation consultations .. have 3 kids; youngest is 14 don't need that. I could get FREE STD testing; um happily married without the slightest concern about that for 23 years so I don't need that. I could get a FREE colonoscopy ... I can pay for that.

When I asked her what the downside was she flat out said you're going to pay a "whole lot more". So keeping that in mind I guess is why we haven't done anything. I'm honestly worried that it maybe reasonable for a year or 2 and SKYROCKET where as ours year to year has never increased at what I would call skyrocket levels. Reading stories about doubling and tripling freak me out.

Any of you agents?? Can you guarantee that wouldn't happen? I know that you couldn't guarantee that it won't happen with our current plan either.

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When I talked with someone at BCBS (granted 2 years ago maybe) about the benefits of being under Obamacare, she told me that I could get FREE lactation consultations .. have 3 kids; youngest is 14 don't need that. I could get FREE STD testing; um happily married without the slightest concern about that for 23 years so I don't need that. I could get a FREE colonoscopy ... I can pay for that.

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Excluding the lactation consultant, those are preventative services that are now free under ANY plan. Covered preventative services are required in order for it to be a "qualified plan". But maybe that is why you're grandfathered in...b/c your plan doesn't offer all the necessary benefits to be considered "qualified" under the ACA. That would explain your relatively lower premium.

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When I asked her what the downside was she flat out said you're going to pay a "whole lot more". So keeping that in mind I guess is why we haven't done anything. I'm honestly worried that it maybe reasonable for a year or 2 and SKYROCKET where as ours year to year has never increased at what I would call skyrocket levels. Reading stories about doubling and tripling freak me out.

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Also supports what I posted above. That being said, you're always going to have industry increases. My broker said that was 10%-11% this year. The other 3% increase was from BCBS, and our group, specifically. But she's right, in theory. As more people utilize exchange/Obamacare plans, plans that have "qualified" (i.e. too many) benefits, overall spending will increase and facilitate yearly premium increases. Your plan, with less benefits, wouldn't increase as much b/c your utilization isn't as high. But I could see the procedures you mentioned earlier as the reason for your higher than expected increase. Insurance companies target utilization rates at 75% of total annual premium, so if you used up 85% of your premium in medical expenses last year, they will increase your premium accordingly to get back to 75%.

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Any of you agents?? Can you guarantee that wouldn't happen? I know that you couldn't guarantee that it won't happen with our current plan either

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I'm not an agent, but I run a medical practice and understanding this is pretty essential to my job. That said, I would never guarantee it wouldn't "skyrocket". You and I have no control over that. Increased access to health insurance = Increase utilization = Increased healthcare spending = Increase premiums for non-subsidized policy holders.

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The numbers confuse me but I get the gist of it. Husbands surgery was 100% OOP but with network providers. They probably paid several thousand for my sons wrist surgery as by that time our ded had been met ... the months of treatment before to allow time to heal, CAT scan that finally decided it was NOT healing at all and then surgery itself. By that time we'd met our ded prior to the fracture. The next year they spent a couple of thousand on ME for the knees. Basically they're just trying to get some of their money back ... if it's that simple I get that.

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Sounds like you get it.

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But the $1200 per year doesn't get much of their money back. Have to say BCBS has always been good to us in the few years we've met our ded (had them for 18 years now).

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I agree. And it's why the "qualified" obamacare plans are worthless for those who aren't poor enough to be subsidized. The premiums are not cheap, the deductibles are high, co-insurance is high, and networks are highly restricted. There is nothing affordable about them, and they are full of benefits that most buyers will never need.