Trig
I get health insurance through the State of Ct. Retirees Union.
I pay $13 a month in premiums. My co-pays are $15. Drugs $3 generic, $6 non-generic. If I lose this coverage in the current health market, I would be deemed uninsurable. I ache for those who don't have insurance. One of my sons is in this situation, another is on Title 19 and Medicare. I gave much to receive these benefits, but these[my] benefits are an example of the true disparity in healthcare. And yes, I'm for change and coverage for all, even if that affects my insurance.

As a single self-employed person, I pay:

Monthly premium: $545.62
Co-Pay: $30
Drug: $ rated of prescription non-generic or generic
Deductible: $5,000
No Dental or Eye

I am paying through the nose for little or no real coverage - maybe, Mr. M can adopt me!

@gmgaston
send the papers. I'd be happy to as long as you do the cooking. :-)

Monsieur Mustard you seem to be quite fortunate but like you say if you lose coverage... U B screwed huh

Doomsday Brady thanks for getting me on the body bag search. Disturbing it is!

George $5000 deductible huh, and a pretty darned stiff premium. This is already getting interesting...

I have a full-time job with the Department of Defense as a civilian. I pay $180/month for healthcare coverage PLUS my co-pay every time I see a Dr. plus my co-pay for any prescriptions I get. I have a primary physician plus a gynecologist.

I also pay out of pocket to go to a natureopath and pay for supplements and acupuncture. I'm a firm believer that there is only so much that mainstream healthcare can do for us; the rest is up to us to be in charge of our own health: diet, exercise, supplements, alternative's like acupuncture, massage, etc. Mainstream healthcare is all about treating an illness once you have it. I try to work on preventing the problems from ever occurring. Interesting questions you pose.

Employer paid, $10 or so monthly premium for extras, $1000 family deduct, $500 single, overall good and pays for entire family with no additional premiums, but just because I have this job right now and am extremely thankful. i would hate to see what that cost is were I to pay for it out of pocket entirely.

peece,
dj

@ Trig
diabetes type II, many orthopedic injuries and the fact that I'm old. Yes I'd be very screwed. But as I said, the common good must transcend the individual.

For a long time, during my ski/kayak instructor years, I was uninsured and lived in fear of having a major accident and my mom having to support me and my medical bills. But buying insurance, even back then, was way more than my paychecks allowed. Since my husband and I have worked for non-profit organizations, we have usually been well cared for in the health insurance realm - they try to make up for the low pay where they can! Today,we get family (5 of us) Blue Cross coverage through my husband and pay less than $200 a month for it. Our co-pay is $10 and I have rarely had to pay a fee for uncovered expenses. Our employer had to cut expenses somewhere so they did it on the mental health side so we pay 50% of all of those bills which, in my family, has added up quickly - but I won't complain. I am totally in favor of a plan that provides care for everyone. It would be nice, as we have this health care debate, if those in charge understand how much mental health plays a part in physical health and treat them both the same.

My insurance is provided by my employer, the University of Oklahoma. I have Blue Cross. Last year I had Aetna. The university chooses the plan. The irony is that under Aetna, many of us doctors couldn't see physicians in our own group because we were not listed as providers with the insurance. We had to go to a different medical group. Is Blue Cross good? I have no idea. I guess I'll won't know until it's too late.

Trig I have insurance through my employer for my wife and myself. We each have a $500 deductible and a coinsurance deductible of $1000.

The PPO plan has a $20 co pay for PCP visits and $35 co pay for specialists.

There is a vision plan and prescription benefit. The presciption benefit has a tiered charge for generics and non generic medication.

Premium cost is low $80 per pay period which is off set by the deductible. The plans from my last two employers were quite different.

I also have a FSA health care spending account which is pretax money which I must use within the calendar year or lose at the end of the year. This reimburses my copays and deductibles.

All the plans I particpated in are different and are confusing.

I'm a federal civil service employee, so my health insurance options are pretty good. I get to select a plan - the bigger the city you live in the more options you have.

My agency picks up 70% of the premium. My 30% share is currently costing me $70 every 2 weeks. One of the conditions the Office of Personal Management puts in the contracts is that service cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions.

I picked a Bluecross/Blueshield plan. Not much dental, optical, or mental health coverage, but basic medical is good. There is a co-pay and a (usually) small fee for drugs.

In the past year, I've had a cardiac catheterization, 3 out-patient surgeries, and 6 weeks ago spent about 10 days in the hospital having 4' of bowel removed. My total cash outlay is probably under $2,000. The recent hospital stay was around $38,000 - my bill was $200 (plus $500 for 2 weeks of Lovenox after I was released - Bluecross only covered $1,000 for the Lovenox).

When I retire, I'll be able to keep the insurance and as best I can tell, Uncle Sam will continue to pay 70% of the premium.

I am very lucky and very grateful to have this!

Deb Young I like your observations about taking responsibility for our own healthy lifestyle with an eye towards prevention and alternate views i.e acupuncture, massage, etcetera (all of which however are pretty much looked upon as witch doctory by our esteemed AMA).

DJ damn you got it good man, but once again like you said, what would it cost for the same on your own?

Mustard you would be riding in the same boat as Parrotdead. Wow.

mamoore very good point. Stress and other mental health issues lead to poor physical health. Hmmm

Dr. Blevins, a perplexing situation it sounds like, screwy yet typical.
But congrats for being covered some kind of way at least.

Dog glad to see you have what seems like decent coverage for the moment.

MarkinKentuckiana yeah man lucky for you you have what you got it sounds like ... 4 feet of bowel? Lordie! Best of health to ya.

None of my four jobs provides health insurance. I have purchased a policy with a $10,000 deductible (not a typo) for which I pay something like $708 per year. I also have dental insurance for which I pay $128 per year.

No health care.. none for 13 years since I was crippled on the job. No insurance now for a couple of reasons.. One being limited cash and the second because no Insurers will cover me because of my injuries.

My wife had some great insurance through her Union though so at least one of us is protected.

Everyone go to GM Gastons and read this... PLEASE

http://open.salon.com/blog/gmgaston/2009/08/09/what_healthcare_reform_needs_is_good_old_common_sense

P Hahn, do you have 10G in the bank to cover your deductible in case of a medical emergency? Man o man.

My employer offers three plan choices: basic, standard and the gold HSA, with the employee fully funded and then two additional levels: +1, which covers any domestic partner, and +F for a family with dependents. For the HSA level, I pay something like $48 a month to cover my husband.

Because we're a self-funded plan, our benefit trust board gets to decide what's covered and what's not and so far we've been pretty quick to respond to patients' actual needs. Every year, though, we have long meetings trying to figure out how to keep premiums low and still cover what we want to cover. (We have decided to shoot employees who are actually sick or hurt.)

My husband gets the handy-dandy government insurance which pays 70 percent of the premium. Somewhat like Steve only different, he isn't allowed get care from the IHS despite spending every waking hour there, but he does anyway.

Anyway, my point: We have good coverage because we both have good jobs and can backstop each other's plans.

I am on Medicare. My wife is not until November. I will use those figures.

Medical $350.60(I can reduce that to $205.00 per month if I want to pay an $1800 deductible per person)Then it woulde be Medicare 80% and me 20% the rest of the year.
Company pays 164.40
Dental $69.44
Total $420.04 per month. I also pay $15.54 for some group life insurance by choice.
Eye Care...no premium but 40% discount on frames and $50 for basic frames. $70 for bifocals.

Under medical we each have a $300.00 deductible.
After that Medicare pays 80% and we pay 20% of what is left over until our out of pocket reaches $1500 each.

From 1966 to 1984 I paid no monthly premiums. I never had dental coverage until 1992.

I believe the reason we pay more is because our company has to pay more and the cost of all medical care has gone up quite a lot in the last 10-12 years.

My premiums actually go down this year by $100 a month.

Over the years I have had Blue Cross and Blue Shield and 2 different HMO's. No problems with care. Early on the HMOS had packed offices then they must have learned how to manage better because long waits went down over the past 5-10 years.

Most of my health problems have been since 2001(Stents, Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, etc) but my only complaints have been getting some bills corrected.

Ric Tresa I'm glad for Theresa having insurance at least.
You though my friend have "slipped thru the cracks"

High Lonesome I'm glad for you and your husband :)

Blackflon, Medicare? Is that not a government run program?
Sounds like you're fairly well covered.

tricare plus - about $500 a year for family, $12 copay, 3 and 9 dollar drugs. All you have to do is go to war and get blown up for your family to have this deal.
Meanwhile my 23 year old son has no health insurance whatsoever.
And one of my daughter-in-laws is killing herself at a job at an insurance agency so that her family can be covered.
Another daughter-in-law with cancer is depending on medicaid.
I want a single payer system. I think insurance is a scam.
A single payer system won't cure all our ills, but it would do the minimum necessary to make sure people can take care of a crisis.

My hubby and I are both self-employed. We had a small group policy through my husband's business but we paid the premiums personally - but the premiums got to be $900 a month which was more than we could afford - particularly since we don't go to the Dr. all that frequently - usually just annual check-ups.

So about 2 months ago we signed up for an HSA compatible policy where we're paying about $471 a month with a $5000 deductible and no prescription coverage. We're putting money into the HSA to help pay for potential medical bills, but to be honest it now makes me second guess a trip to the Dr. unless it is dire as I have to pay the $100+ office visit/tests/prescriptions rather than the $40 copay I had before. I'm also hesitant to get prescriptions since I'm not paying a $10 copay for those either. The ones I can get in a generic form I'm going to get at Walmart because they offer that $4 program - but for more expensive stuff I may skip across the border rather than pay $270 a bottle.

No health insurance.

I used to think the pre-existing conditions thing just meant you wouldn't be covered for those conditions. No, it means I can't get even catastrophic coverage.

It's a life changer. I've become paranoid about activities I used to love, from rollerblading to a casual bike ride. Catastrophe has taken on a whole new meaning.

I'm lucky because my company self insures. The monthly payment is 180.00. It is a PPO with a 20 dollar copay. The plan is administered by Anthem, but my company self insures, which is why it is so low.

I do favor single payer insurance, or a bland concept like France. I would favor it even if I end up paying more for my monthly expenditure.

I did have employer-provided health insurance, which I think I paid part of the premium - they recently cut back their coverage, and would only cover my family if I was legally married (impossible in our state), and that at a very steep price - most employees did family coverage through a spouse, if possible.

The coverage for basic stuff was pretty good, and was theoretically good if you encountered something like kidney stones. I say theoretically because nearly everyone who encountered anything but basic Dr. visits ended up fighting with the insurance company for about 6 months or more in order to make sure it got covered.

Ex-husband is in the military, so my daughter will always be covered. I get free health care from my aunt, who is a nurse practioner. She can only provide whatever is available at her clinic for free- so I just make sure that I don't get very ill- and need surgery.

I once had an unneccessary surgery to remove my gallbladder, recommended by a doctor. Now, I no longer believe doctors, anyway.

poetess I feel for your children

Iamsurly you and your husband are fairly well positioned but yet feeling the squeeze it seems

helloshelied you like myself would be defunct as a member of this kinder and gentler society if a catastrophic illness or injury happened

Bill good to see you and glad you have some good coverage. Interesting to know that you would be willing to compromise it for the better treatment of the rest. Thanks

Owlie good point. You think you have insurance until you file a claim. Then they fight about paying it. Would be bad for profits to just up and pay for actual coverage. And oh no, needless to say your significant other won't be covered. Couldn't do that.

Mr. M…. I have a ‘birth certificate’ from Kenya… is that all right? Plus, I will need Sunday afternoons off from cooking… that is when I go to my (KANU) Kenya African National Union meetings.

Hey Tai... maybe we should all join the military. Glad to see you guys are getting coverage... by hook or crook in your case it sounds like.

I mean, I believe my good health is up to me.

Trigster, I ain't had no health coverage since mid-2006.

Small company pays 60%, deductible $2000 for family (myself and 2 kids). Copay for standard doc visit $20, other copays at the whimsy of billing (who knows? whatever they feel like?). 3-tier prescription benefits $20, 40, 50. (We are the chemically dependent family & those psych meds are never generic.) Ex-husband pays for half of kids' medical not covered by insurance. It's still a big chunk of my income, and benefits continue to erode. Sad but it could be worse. I could be a Republican.

This is really interesting... everyone posting about their coverage- or lack there of. You' all don't know what your missing since you have never been in my aunt Shelia's office. A brown-eyed blonde, she missed her calling as a comedian. However, Shelia has an illness, her health is fading- and I don't know what I would do with out her as my aunt or doctor.

Yes, my ex is raking it in working for the military.

I am jealous of his health care, but, then I don't jump out of airplanes or have high security clearance.

Gotta respond to Tai -

Taking care of yourself only goes so far even if you don't think about what the actions of others may do to you.

My mother did her best to have a healthy lifestyle - she's had breast cancer plus a serious stroke that left her aphasic and mostly paralyzed on one side. For much of her adult life she had diabetes (not now for some reason) and her cholesterol numbers are through the roof - genetics, not lifestyle.

To date, no one has identified any lifestyle issues as causes for the 2 life-threatening blood clots I've experienced.

Trying to stay healthy is a good thing, but it isn't a guarantee that you'll have good health or won't need medical care.

trig... thanks for the bump.

We all need to read as much as we can about HealthCare reform. As you post is showing, those that have coverage are paying entirely too much for what coverage we have. And God forbid if we have to submit a claim... then our cost goes into a tailspin - or worst, we are dropped!

Delia babee we is out there on the fringe left to hope against hope for nothing bad to happen.

Hells Bells the word I will highlight from your comment is "erode"

Tai, who is covering and taking care of you're lovely Aunt Sheila?

And Mark makes a good point Tai, sometimes genetics override all our best efforts of living a healthy lifestyle.

Amen George. The insurance industry is hell on collecting premiums (and don't pay it late!) but not so quick to pay up when we get sick. And yeah, then the bastards can decide to just drop ya!
Ain't right it seems.

What a bunch of ingrates the uninsured are. They should just be glad that if blood's running out of their bodies they can usually get treated in the ER. We live in a society which valuates people based on how much money they have, which is as it should be. It's all about survival of the fattest really, and who are we to question that?

Nanatehay I know right!

And this just in, I received a PM from our own Freaky Troll, who has plenty of cake but absolutely no HC insurance.

De Nile. That's where I'm at, and it ain't just a river.
A single mom... afraid to speak up, and speak loud.
And, afraid not to...at the same time.

I've got Medicare, which I never use. It covers most things on an 80/20 payment, which is too much for me to afford. the premiums are about $92 a month, too.

I have VA care, at 40 percent service connection. There is zero money premium, but a terrible "buy in" cost. 8 bucks co pay for prescriptions, and covers everything that they feel like doing.

I pay through the nose for the Medicare because the VA facilities are way too centralized, and getting emergency transport to the VA is out of the question.

I'd love to get rid of the 92 buck medicare premium, but may need it at some point.

I am thankful to have my eye's opened some-
-Markin, and even Cap'n.

UK...carecredit.com now that sounds truly evil. Pay the doctor on high rate credit. He gets paid and you get debt.

Zuma you're a veteran which is a good place to be as far as healthcare I think. Thanks for visiting and weighing in.

Tai we all learn a lot around here don't we...

all should read this posted by JK Brady also

http://open.salon.com/blog/jk_brady/2009/08/09/flooding_the_healthcare_debate_with_dixie_cups

Health care insurance? You want to talk about health care insurance? What could have possibly brought that on? Boring! I kid, of course.
I move to this wonderful right to work state called Florida over 27 years ago and during that time, I doubt that I've been covered more than three years total. We could very well be the king of small business down here. You can't really make much of a living working for anyone because the pay scale is so friggin' low, so most people start a small business, hoping to build a better life. Of course the cards are stacked against you from day one with insurance cost, license fees, fiscal responsibility, credit checks, municipal fees from every town, etc. This causes a great deal of competition in the construction field. Doing high quality work rarely enters the equation. It's all about the bottom line.We are a Red state so it's all about who you can screw to get ahead and the first people to get screwed are the employees. Many small business have less than 10 people so they aren't even required to off health coverage of any kind. Those companies that do offer coverage, offer token coverage at best with outrageous deductibles high rates and copay or they would get priced out of the market, so they offer minimum at best so they can compete with all of the guys that don't have to comply.
It makes offering any decent coverage a death sentence to the business. The best way to get coverage is to work for a large business and there really aren't that many of those or to work for the government were the coverage is great, but the pay is shit for the most part. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I receive benefits through two employers -- mine and my husband's. Between Medicare and the two employee benefit plans, I pay virtually nothing. Of course, I live in Canada. And FYI, I haven't been ill very much (knock wood) but I know some who have been/are and they didn't pay much even for advanced cancer treatments compared to the U.S.. Some of what they did pay was reimbursed by the government, including travel expenses.

I am employed by a non-profit organization. My husband is self-employed, so he is covered under my insurance, which is the main reason I stay employed where I am. Our staff is unionized, so we bargain for our health benefits. Currently, we have coverage through United Healthcare, and my employer pays 100% of employee, employee/spouse, or family coverage, and 100% of employee dental and vision coverage (employees pay extra to have spouses or other family members covered for dental and vision. I do not bother to pay for coverage for my husband, as the premiums equal more than half of the maximum benefit. We'll take our chances there. Thank goodness for Costco's vision department.)

Co-pay is $15 for an office visit. I believe the deductible is $400 per person. (We've been lucky and haven't really had anything that has exceeded the deductible for several years.) My dental insurance covers up to $1,000 per year, and my vision insurance covers up to $400 per year. Three-tier prescription plan ($10/$25/$40).

The health insurance premiums premiums paid by my employer have risen at least 10% per year for the last several years. (The premium this year for employee/spouse coverage is around $15,000.) At the bargaining table, it has come down to keeping fully-paid health insurance instead of salary increases. (I did get a $300 salary increase this year, though!)

If I retired before age 65 (fat chance), the current arrangement is that my health insurance would continue to be fully paid by my employer until I reach age 65 and go on Medicare.

I have very generous benefits, and I am thankful for them. However, I worry about my brother, who is 50, self-employed, and a very hard worker. He cannot afford health insurance.

United Healthcare through a state university where I work as an adjunct. My boss fought hard to get us these benefits and I am thankful even thought is amounts to $685 a month with prescriptions and dental. Otherwise I would have no insurance since my Cobra ran out this summer on previous insurance.

Trig I am so glad you are healthy. You need insurance.

So many different answers. I have health insurance through the school where I work, for me, paid by the school, almost. Then I pay an extra $830 a month to cover my two boys and husband. That has to end this year so I am looking everywhere to try to find my boys different coverage as my 18 year old loses his disability payment of $300. the day he graduates ( Their dad is disabled and has been for three years) and I figure to get one insurance for both boys put my husband on medicare and VA and hopefully keep mine for now for just under $100. a month. It covers health, eye, and dentist so it is excellent and I will be sorry to lose it for my boys but I just keep procrastinating getting into looking up other choices for them.
In the past when my first husband lost his job for being stupid I worked at my job for free after insurance premiums for two years as he was diabetic and I couldn't afford to lose my house!
I for one would love to keep my insurance the way it is except for the cost and everyone else to have the same wonderful care I get.
Oh yeah in the past 30 years I have had to change Dr's. 5 times and I now have one I love and crap I don't want to be told to change again. Please can I keep her?
Oh yeah and one more thing we at the school have been told our insurance premiums are high because teachers use there insurance!!!!! Huh!

Haven't had health insurance since 1987 when I lived in Hawaii, and it was the law. That was a great system then, with Kaiser Permanente as I recall. There was no issue with pre-existing conditions and coverage began as soon as started my first job there.

All the people who are against a single payer governement run program for everyone should read this. Sounds like the best programs (both in coverage and cost) are all the government ones.

Good thing I'm healthy! The only serious injury I ever had was the result of an injury I sustained at work, and my surgery and VIP level of rehab/physio therapy didn't cost me one red cent.

I have no health care of any kind. I am an infrequent cash customer.

Trig, I am one of the Ultra Lucky. I work for a healthcare system; we have our very own insurance pool (essentially our own healthcare co-op) and it's fabulous. My annual contribution would be $480 for the Cadillac coverage (including things like 30 days of rehab if you need it), but the fee is waived if you participate in a yearlong "wellness program" that emphasizes prevention and healthy living. So, 14,000 people who work for my company all pay into and take out of the same healthcare fund.

I rather fail to see why this model couldn't be ramped up to include all the citizens of the U.S.A., but I guess I suffer from lack of imagination.

:-S

I've been without insurance between jobs, though, and currently if it weren't for me, Mr. Remedy would be without insurance after his April layoff.

I have health insurance. I'm a federal employee. I made it a point to research the best plan possible. They nickel and dime you to death when you use your insurance. I don't know about military coverage, but government benefits aren't what they're rumored to be.

We're an aging populace. Health Care costs are bound to go up. I have no problem, and would fully support, the government providing some base level of health insurance for the entire population. However, it seems to me that this base level would then become what all but the very well off would have, as employers would stop offering health insurance because we'd all be covered by the government, although not very well, and any other type of health insurance would become wickedly expensive since it would be so "unnecessary".

If there is a way to have government insurance for all without throwing private insurance out the window, then that would be great.

Trig, this is an AMAZING collection of data that you have here. And the data makes a very strong point at the simplest level. This vast array of payments and services is NOT an example of a free market system. This is clearly an example of fish in a barrel. People pay for what is offered, or they dont have insurance. This is not supply/demand based structure. There would not be such a broad range of payments if hat were the case. In the U.S., our system is broken.

Existence - The government plan may not cover everything we'd like to have on our wish list, but it's a damned sight better than nothing at all. OPM has an enormous amount of bargaining power given the number of participants.

The problem with healthcare in America is that it is now mostly for profit. It's run for the shareholders - not for the people who need healthcare. About the only way to correct this would be for Congress to pass legislation that would - in essence - tell the shareholders to get fucked. Since congress critters depend on lots and lots of money coming into their hands every day for their re-election runs - it'll never happen. The K street types will just keep feeding them the strings-attached money.

Mike, florida is a beautiful place. Our other brother lived in the Tampa area for quite a while so I'm familiar with the scenario you just described. Hey I guess at least you had insurance for 3 of the 27 years.

Emma those of us who aren't jealous of what you have in Canada should be. I am. Thanks.

Jeannette good for you. I guess I would be the equivalent of your brother.

Dorinda thanks for the well wishes. As long as I can see my kid get a decent start in life I'm not that concerned for myself. So I really don't care that much about health coverage for me personally. If I got cancer I'd probably refuse chemo or radiation. $685 a month seems pretty darned steep. For me that would be very near to impossible. Like another house payment.
I hope you the best.

Hoop Jr. tick tock your on the clock huh. counting down towards none at all...

Lunchlady 2 sounds like quite a conundrum...wow

Ablonde so Hawaii has it's own little socialized medicine thing? and yeah, thank God you're healthy same as I.

spuds you and me too... there's a charity type clinic I've used before. it's cash up front but like a 1/10th the cost and you might see a nurse practitioner instead of a doc but they always did me right. once again though, for non life threatening issues.

VR first of all I'm happy for you. Second like you say, why couldn't your company be used as a model for the rest of the country? good luck to your Mr. in his new career path.

Existence I do believe that is exactly what is "on the table" although I don't have a good enough attention span to study every single detail like some have.

Existence - why NOT throw private insurance out? What good does it do? (We get along fine w.o. it here in Canada -- tho there is private insurance available for people who want extras, like private hosp. room, etc.)

I am on SSDI disability and therefore qualify for Medicare. There is no premium for Part A (hospital) because I was employed for the previous 40 quarters. Premium for Part B (medical) is $96.40/month.

I also purchase a supplementary Medicare policy that pays all other costs, such as deductibles and copays. The premium for that is $162/mo. My prescription drug plan (with donut hole) costs $23.10. Since I almost never take prescription drugs, I don't even need this, but if I cancel now and try to get it again later, it will cost more.

I have to shop each year to get the lowest priced supplemental and prescription plans, or they get jacked up to much higher premiums.

Even though these are exceptionally good rates, the combined cost of medical (not "health") insurance is about 30% of my SSDI income.

Prior to disability, I had very "good" PPO-type coverage from an employer, or as Michael's domestic partner. Those premiums were subsidized by the employer, and the cost was roughly comparable to what I now pay, plus deductibles and copays.

Until making the changes I made in early 2007, I have been an extremely expensive insured in the past several years (probably $100K + some years), and I have to say that by far, Medicare offers the best coverage with the least hassles (denials & appeals). The fear of a guvment run health plan is completely unfounded.

I pay $96.30 a month to be able to say that I have health insurance. 29, healthy, no pre-existing conditions. I have a $2,000 deductible. I have to pay cash for all doctor's visits till I hit that magic number. After that, it's 80/20 until it hits a certain mark.

Basically, I keep my healthcare costs down by not going to the doctor and trying not to get hit by a bus.

BTW...Dorrien, my "English mum" (an old lady I met when I was in school over there back in 2000 and who I visit whenever I go over) is very devoutly Baptist, very proudly English, very worried about the influx of Muslim immigrants to her country, very into the "Left Behind" series and end-time Christian prophecy--you know, someone who, if she were American, the right-wing over here would probably think is one of their own...she can't get over the fact that some Americans DON'T want socialized medicine. She just can't wrap her mind around it. For her it's part of the national public good, like using taxes to pay for the army or roads or public schools. She was eleven years old when the NHS was created, and somehow it didn't manage to turn her into an unpatriotic pinko atheist commie weirdo.

Bill, exactly what I was thinking as far as the wide range of coverages (and non coverages) and yeah, why not fashion it more to supply and demand instead of like you say, taking what you are offered or nothing?

so whoa MarkinKentuckiana you're saying our congress is corrupt?
me too...

myriad what good does private insurance do? well, nothing for us but for their owners and stockholders it makes them rich...yep

RIF good to see ya here. "Medicare offers the best coverage with the least hassles (denials & appeals). The fear of a guvment run health plan is completely unfounded."
Thanks my friend.

Leeandra I am on your "Dorrien"s side. Funny how we ridiculous we look to someone over there.

I'm a public school teacher in California, and have insurance through Kaiser for myself and my daughter . $10 to $20 deductibles for meds and visits, $500 emergency deductible. I share the cost with my school district, shelling out about $500 a month for the both of us. I have limited vision coverage, and decent dental. Although the dental won't cover $3500 in orthodontia my daughter is going to need!

I consider myself one of the fortunate ones, however. :)

Trig -

I spent 18 years in the outskirts of DC and paid attention to what the congress critters were doing.

Most of them aren't directly for sale (there are exceptions). What the lobbyist money does is buy access.

I think people need to have a narrower perspective on what the purpose of medical insurance is. As an analogy, auto insurance is not there to pay for routine maintenance and common repairs. It pays for major accidents. It's the same with homeowners or renters insurance. You shop around for the smaller expenses and then use the insurance when somethng major happens.

Health insurance in its purest form can be viewed the same way. Most common medical procedures can be shopped around for with the consumer making trade-off choices between how much they want to pay and how good of service they want.

As it is, I pay more annually for my auto insurance and homeowners insurance than I do for my high deductible health insurance plan... although my employer does likely pay a much higher portion for the health insurance. Combined, I am certain that the health insurance costs more than the others. But, I also contribute to an Health Savings Account tax free.

sweetfeet besides the daughters orthodontia you're doing pretty well it seems and plus you have sweet feet :)

Markin to my eyes it seems those who buy "access" might as well being writing legislation themselves. Am I completely off track? The ones with the money make the rules and the government (as it has been for quite a while at least) is a cardboard cut out put up to appease the people at least a little bit while the corporations get every last little bit they can off of us while giving the least possible back in return. And not just in terms of the HC industry (subject for another day maybe)

McGarret50 seems like you fairly much have it by the tail.

I just stepped off the deck where my buddy gave me two hits of the best health care available. Marijuana...Wow! If every greedy vampire out there would smoke two hits a day and back off the martinis I wager they would chill a bit. It's good for the MENTAL health and I hope Obama provides me a small sack each month once we get this health care thing rolling.

Trig -

Sometimes that's exactly what happens - but, not always. Constituents do still count! A letter to your congress critters does count - especially if it's a real letter, not an email or "click the button on a web site". A letter takes time and effort and that's recognized.

Everyone - the more letters to your Congressmen and Senators supporting health care reform, the better!

One of the reasons lobbyists have the influence they do is that so many Americans are complacent (or apathetic) - don't care, don't pay attention - just take it for granted we're the greatest nation on earth and they don't have to work to maintain it.

The lobbyists have a lot of clout, but they don't completely run things. There are some ethical, moral, congress critters.

Hi Trig;

Thanks for visiting my post. Yes, we have health insurance. We've always had HMOs because truly we couldn't afford the premiums on the other less limited policies. And we have always been treated extremely well. I think this is because we have chosen our primary physician with care and have stuck with them. THEY make the decisions on what we get or don't get. They've been good people.

Anyway, presently, we are covered by an HMO through Rich's large university employer. Our children are covered as well. I think that now we pay more than half of the premium (this didn't used to be so). The university covers the other half. It's a bit of money a month out of Rich's paycheck, maybe $450. Our co--pays have gone up from $10, to 15 a visit. We don't have a deductible. Our meds are covered but not generously. We have a health savings account (pre tax dollars) that we use to pay the additional on medications that insurance doesn't cover. In the last year, medications have cost us thousands. My husband had total hip replacement the June before this one. Major meds.

At present, I have a neck condition and am having physical therapy. For each visit I pay $15 (which I pay with my medical savings account).

WE just hope that one of us will always be able to work, at least until the age of 65 for a company that has major medical.

You have read about the situation with my eldest child and his intended. Sucks. I worry myself sleepless every night.

denese

i guess you already know my situation. thanks for the link to my post.

What a fascinating post this has turned out to be Trig, well done for sparking it. I understand that because of the downturn in tourism Hawaii is having a hard time with their medical system, but it worked wonderfully well when I lived there. The law was something like you were required to provide it to your employees if you had more than two, and then there was a safety net to scoop up the two or three percent of the fringe population.

There is something about general medical care, hospitals and such, that just does strike me as ethically correct if it is profit. Even some of the cancer treatment protocols that may prolong life (albeit in a miserable form of existence), seem not driven by a goal of cure but by a goal of prolongation (often of misery). The ethics of profit driven medicine give me the creeps.

It is a can of worms, but the thing is, we are not without highly efficient and functioning models to learn from, and to adapt to fit the specific needs of our own country. We are NOT in a position of having to invent the wheel from scratch. There are plenty of working wheels out there for us to study and form our own design from. If only people (gop'ers largely) would get their heads out of their asses and realize this there might be hope for the future of our country.

Otherwise eventually the US will experience what I like to call a "medical bubble explosion" that will make the real estate bubble burst a chewing gum pop in comparison to Hiroshima.

I haven't had insurance since 2005. I work for an attorney who is a sole proprietor, i.e. it's only the two of us.

She used to have insurance through the local Bar Association, but the plan was canceled by the insurance company. If lawyers can't negotiate an insurance plan, then who can? WTF!

I have insurance through my husband's job. We pay toward it, maybe $400 a month for the highest level of insurance. I can self-refer. There is a $2,000 out of pocket limit for the year and then it pays 100%, whether the doctor is in their plan or not. Since I have so much stuff done to me, I meet the out of pocket limit in Jan or Feb. It's not really out of my pocket. The outpatient surgery center where I go charges outrageous amounts, the insurance pays an outrageous amount to them, but usually at least $2,000 less than billed, and that is credited to my out of pocket. Most of my health care is free, other than office co-pays.

But I'm still dealing with an insurance company. If I have a problem, I can never talk t the same person twice. There are a lot of errors. I've been fighting to get a physical therapy bill paid for last year, and the insurance claims they paid it and the PT claims they didn't and I have to pay.

I doubt that we will be offered this same plan next year. The costs are just too high because some providers, especially the outpatient surgery center, charges for a 20 minute procedure what you would expect to pay for a day in ICU. Some healthcare providers are still demonstrating their inability to get the issue of costs.

Next year, I will be eligible for Medicare because I'm on Social Security Disability. I'm not sure that will help much, but at least I know I'll have something.

I have chronic hepatitis C and severe arthritis. I have degenerative disc disease and my spine looks like someone punched it out from the side -- it's bowed out and collapsed. I get what must be some of the best care in America. I share my doctors with the local sports teams -- the 49ers, the Giants -- as well as athletes who prefer my doctors. I was kept waiting the other day because someone from the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to be squeezed in with my doctor.

I also have acupuncture, chiropractic, and physical therapy that includes cranio-sacral work and pilates. Anyone who's met me can testify that I seem practically normal and can do all kinds of things like cook, dance a little, go hiking or motorcycle riding with my new hip, my new ACl, my knees shot up with lubricant, my back pain controlled with cortisone, my ankle ligaments tightened etc. If I get a new pain or dysfunction, or a patch of fatigue, I can get some help.

Intensive, high quality medical treatment works. I fear the day I'll lose it. If my husband loses his job, it's gone from one day to the next. Then I'll sit in front of the TV and pop pills.

Coming in late: Forever Mom has Medicare and a Blue Shield supplemental, plus dental and prescription ins. all costing about $400 and month; co-pays for meds for coronary artery disease cost about another $100. This is slightly less than the COBRA paid from resignation to when Medicare kicked in. Former job, employer paid all premiums for Blue Shield medical, Delta Dental and Vision Care.
Co-pays went from $5 to $15 over 7 years, med co-pays were about the same the last 2 years. She only worked at jobs that had group medical ins 'cause she couldn't get it on her own.
She is deeply grateful for Medicare, has access to all the same doctors and medical groups as she had before, and wishes everyone else could get similar. Medicare overhead runs to 3% versus 30+%
for private health insurance companies, not to even go into their denials of coverage after they collect premiums.
~rocco and rusty (who don't have any health insurance)

ok - I am a dependent (non-working member of this family), so I'm on the working man's insurance plan.

He works for a French company and we have a BC/BS plan with 3 or 4 levels. I think we take the one someplace in the middle and have a copay on sick visits and prescriptions. All preventative care is at no charge. (Well, no charge beyond the $500/month paid for the coverage - remember that we are a family of 7)

BUT ... last year they put forth a LiveWell Initiative. Basically if half of the people that work in his plant do the initiative there are insurance benefits. So if half of the folks (& insured family memebers) get their check ups and work toward lowering their BP or controlling their diabetes / wear a little step counter while at work and chart the amount of steps they take / agree not to smoke ... basically if half of the folks improve their health there would be some kind of payoff.

When the initiative was complete, Hubs had like 75% participation and our health insurance premium dropped 18% right off the bat. They follow through another year, and it goes up to 25% discount.

So I guess that even though the corporation is somewhat tied to the rates BC/BS charges, they are willing to take over some of the cost for healthy workers/families with the end result being that preventative care and monitoring will actually reduce their costs in the end.

All in all, I give the company an "A" on this, but BC/BS is very difficult to work with. Often claims have to be filed 2 or 3 times before they pay the doctors in their PLAN ...???

I got a friend like Doomsday Don, only I call him Chicken Little because, as he sees it, the sky is *always* falling.

I am uninsured. We are self pay. The kind of care we get is not typically dependent on the kind of insurance we have, but rather, the doctor we see. I have been on the insurance merry-go-round long enough to know that general health care does not seem to be affected as far as options once inside the exam room. Though I have been refused a certain type of procedure twice (once b/c my insurance would not pay for it and my offer to pay out of pocket was stiff armed due to ins co denying further treatment if I did that. And once because I had a idiot doctor who didn't even know as much as I did - had never heard of certain conditions and thus obviously had no idea how to go about diagnosing it with the procedure I requested). My kids' pediatrician is a genius! Smartest doctor I've ever met. We owe him $ and won't be able to see him again until we cough up some cash. He usually wipes the slate clean after 7 months of no economic improvement (we have only owed him $150 one other time). I'm not holding out for a clean slate; we are just too broke to even think about paying him at present, but of all the docs I've seen this one is very deserving of what we owe him and then some.

I have noticed the doctors that are so obviously in the hip pocket of the insurance companies, generally suck - don't provide quality care because they see their day as a pinball machine - he's gotta hit X amount of bumpers to rack up enough cash to please the insurance folks who will then shower some wealth his way - sorta like the mafia. The Docs who are in bed with pharmaceutical Co.s are pretty easy to pick out as well. They are as bad as a street dealer pushing pills for every damned thing that ailes you rather than finding the cause and fixing it - it pays (the doc) better to cover it up with meds until it becomes a major problem - at which time you don't have insurance anymore or maybe someone deems your condition not worthy of treatment, and *tells you* they guess (b/c medicine is not an exact science and cannot always be accurately predicted) they guess any treatment to save you or make you well is a "waste" and "perhaps you're better off not having tests and surgery but taking the pain killer [instead]." This video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dQfb8WQvo
worries me, b/c while I'd like to believe he is talking about getting doctors to stop screwing around with wild goose chase tests (when they really know or have a damned good idea what is wrong and none of the tests they are going to run is going to uncover it but will lead to more tests and eventually - 3 years down the road he will "discover" your problem. But that isn't what he is talking about. He is taking the idiodic practice so common today of testing the RH factor in one's blood when they patient has all the symptoms of Lupus, but then twisting that into a "if it's to hard to diagnose, Adios!" scenario. Now if anyone has had something wrong with them beyond cold, flu and the common stuff, you will know how long it took to get a diagnoses and treatment or a cure. Angrymom on OS went the gamut of tests and it took a long while to get a diagnoses. My sister had a serious problem that NO DOCTOR could figure out - she even saw a doc that specialized in hard to diagnose illnesses. Three years she suffered major pain. Finally I asked her for all the TMI details and in 20 minutes I had it. She had a fistula - a hug one. She went to the doc and TOLD him what she had and WHERE it was located and I'll be damned, He found it. WTF??? When is the education of doctors going to start heavily encompassing more than the common cold and appointment of Gatekeeper of the Holy Grail of Amoxicillin?

I do worry that if some serious illness were to occur, we'd be shit outta luck b/c no one would be willing to work out a cash pay plan for something that will end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, I *do* think Medicaid has an option for obtaining it for the treatment of a specific and costly illness, though I suspect one would have to jump through flaming hoops and perform circus tricks to get it - then *keeping* it for the duration of treatment would become a full time job: "Are you sure you're still broke? How much money did your household make last month? Who paid your bills? If you paid your bills you don't need this assistance (somehow homelessness in exchange for healthcare is an acceptable result in their minds). I will need a letter from the payer of your bills signed, dated and notarized by noon tomorrow or your case will be closed. I will also need a copy of those bills and statements from your bank, employer, landlord and utility companies showing receipt of payment and an official, notarized copy of your great, great maternal and paternal grandparents' birth certificates, SSNs, the brand of toilet paper you use and a lock of hair from your first born child by noon tomorrow. NEXT!"
Ok, I'm done. ;-)

Ok wait, I'm not done. I meant to add - when talking about docs who run needless tests because they either don't know what the hell they are doing or because they are in bed with the insurance companies, at present have that *choice.* There are plenty of doctors who do *not* engage in such practices because the *choose* not to. When the government is in charge, why would be have faith that they would not force docs to perform certain procedures and not others? When has the government ever gotten involved in any long term or permanent thing that involved money and it not turned out bad and/or far far far from what was originally proposed? Income tax in the US starting back in 1862 is one example that instantly comes to mind. I'm just entertaining the thoughts of what if. What if history repeats itself. What if we should learn from past mistakes of inviting government to dinner, what if this will be like everything else US govt in that when it's a law, it's a whole other animal from when it was a bill. What if we don't get screwed this time? Looking back, why would I doubt that we will? Just sayin' we don't exactly have a track record for bonefide, genuine honesty in our govt of the last 100 years give or take. So why should we be so trusting that they will do the right thing by us ALL.... *this* time?

Hey Trig- I don't have healthcare anymore. I had to cancel my Humana policy last month due to a sharp drop in income. Cheers!!!

I used my own money to pay for Blue Cross of California. But they kept raising rates each year and since I rarely got sick I decided to drop BC early last year.

Right now, I don't have any have health insurance.

Trig, you know we are self-employed. Call me superstitious but it would be a cold day in hell before I give up health insurance. Shit happens. We have a very large deductible...$3500. We've never come close to making it. But we do have to pay the insurance company...I found a good one...American Republic and it's as low as I could find...we also have a Medical Savings Fund where we can put even more money in on a monthly basis but use it to pay for annuals, mammograms, etc. without having to pay taxes. It is a constant concern. Thanks for writing this post!

I had to change my plan this year. It started out 2 1/2 years ago at about $400 with a $500 deductible, vision, no dental, and $20 co-pays. Then there was a an increase to $431 last year and this year they increased to $496. I decided to change to a higher deductible of $1750. Now I am paying about $287, which includes a supplementary dental plan. Group Health's plans include 5 appointments to take care of your wellness needs, my prescriptions are $20 each, but I go to a pharmacy that has my generic medication on its list so I get my prescription at a better price.

I don't know how Group Health can justify 20% increase in 2 years. But at my age, I am not going to go without insurance. I didn't really want to change my coverage, but my small business has suffered in this economy and changing plans was my only option for staying covered. It's not hard to imagine moving to Canada, it's only 35 miles from my house.

Trig:

"Is it provided by an employer?"

I have always been covered by insurance either through my father's plan, my former husband's, or through my own employer.

There was maybe a 6 month stretch when I left teaching years ago, that I was not covered.

"Do you have to pay part of your premium on your employer provided care? If so do you feel the amount you pay out of pocket is reasonable?"

When I was teaching, the district paid part of the premium and I paid the rest for me and my son. The premiums were not cheap. My main gripe, is that I had to pay the same amount with only one child, as my co-workers paid who had five or more in their family. I always felt like my premiums were subsidizing theirs.

"And do you receive "quality coverage"? In other words would you say you're satisfied that you and your family are well protected?"

Yes, I feel like my basic coverage is quality for just the two of us. It does not, however, include dental or vision which would add another $100 per month to the existing premium, which is $256.00/mo. Adding another family member, they "say" would be nominal, since mine is considered the "Family" plan.

I will say, that the $2000.00 deductible to achieve 100% coverage is steep.

Nope, due to having actually having my depression treated instead of just becoming an alcoholic like normal folks, I am ineligible for BC/BS. I just tried to sign up for a high deductible basic plan a few months ago and they had someone call to make follow up questions about how much therapy I've had and what antidepressants I'm on and let me know in a follow up letter that I did not qualify for their insurance- not just that I would have to buy a more expensive one, but that they would not sell to me at all. (my meds are 5$ from Target, and I haven't had therapy in years- I have no idea what they are so worried about?)

I just did the math and premiums and our regular prescriptions for my daughter and myself through my husband's job are $11, 675.00 a year (luckily, my husband's is free, although I don't think that will last). That is before we get to the first doctor's visit. My daughter has ADD which so far this year has required $980 in visits to a psychiatrist for medication and a counselor to help her develop some coping skills. Four visits to the ped due to a nagging cough at $40 each, plus a $6 tab for parking = $184, then antibiotics = approx $120. Me, 3 sinus infections plus a physical = $300. Well woman exam and mammogram (otherwise known as the pancake breakfast and vertical smile) = $120. Stress fracture in my foot + strained hip flexor = $300. (They wanted me to have physical therapy 2x weekly at $80 a pop, but my plan doesn't cover it so instead I'm working out with a wonderful personal trainer for $50 wkly.) And I have a $3,500 deductible that my copays don't count toward. My husband was sick twice at I'm guessing $120. So the grand total so far this year is $13,795 (not counting the trainer). I know there's no such thing as a free lunch, but anyone who thinks we don't need healthcare reform needs to be whopped upside the head with my handy-dandy adding machine.

Hey guy!
I have always had insurance via employer except (ironicallyh) when I worked for a certain avian insurance company. I am covered now via spouse who has a state job and it pays pretty much 100%. A preferred provider plan, it is pretty good. I will find out today as I seek another preferred provider out-of-town as I hate the provider in town in this specialty.
What worries me is that the Daughter is not covered at all now that she is 23 and not in school. There is a big gap there in coverage around the nation.

I have a great cafeteria-type plan with my state (university) job. The state pays close to $700/month for each employee, which we can use to tailor a health care package that fits our family. We have our choice of 4 carriers, including the regular BCBS health insurance and the HMO's Blue Choice, Peak or New West. Because I am single and have no dependents, I can't even use all the health care credit. Whatever I can't spend on the plans are put on a "Benny Card", kind of like a credit card, that I can present the Benny card to the health care provider, the pharmacy or a participating drug or grocery store, and the credit is used to pay the co-pay ($10), prescriptions ($20 $30 or $60 , depending on whether they are generic, formulary, or name-brand - my choice), and even things like bandaids, foot cream, cough drops and contact solution. In addition to medical, I also have dental and vision coverage. I recently had an eye exam, with dilation, and a new set of contacts and the total I paid was $10. When my husband was still alive and the kids were on the plan also, I paid about $43/month for their coverage. Can you see why I can't afford to retire? When I do, I can remain covered, but I will have to pay for it myself.

I always had health care paid for by the school I worked for when I was a teacher. But when I started my own biz in '96 I lost it. Under COBRA, it was so exorbitant there was no way I could afford it. I went without for a couple of years and then got so pretty bad insurance from a company that goes after the self-employed. It wasn't real expensive but after a few years it kept going up and up and when I really sat down to see just exactly what I had, I was shocked as shit to discover it didn't cover very much. So I dropped it and went without for a year or so before signing on to a health savings account through Golden Rule. This wasn't a bad option for me at the time. My deductible was about 3500.00. I had to pay out-of-pocket stuff like visits and prescriptions, but I could contribute to the "account" that was tax deductible and write a check for that. I was healthy and didn't worry. I paid about 85.00 a month and felt relieved I had at least something. But I didn't have a dental or vision plan of any kind.

But then the premiums kept going up and up. Sometimes every few months, it seemed. And this was at a time when the economy was getting worse, including my business.

Then I had high-blood pressure and it seemed the premiums were rising to fast and too quickly. The deductible went up to a whopping 5000.00. As an artist, I always made enough to cover the bare necessities. By December of last year, the monthly premium had almost doubled (154.00) from what it was initially (85.00) and I just couldn't afford it.

I've now lost the business and I have no health insurance.

I've recently gotten a part-time job and will be eligible for some health coverage after I've been there for 3 months, but the out-of-pocket cost will eat into the meager part-time paycheck, so what's the point?

My last doctor wanted all kinds of stuff from me--a complete physical, blood work, colonoscopy, etc. which he said should all be done at my age (56). Yea, right. And who's going to pay for it??? I haven't been to a dentist in ages even though I need a couple of crowns. Right now I'm putting away a bit of money to finally go to the eye doctor for a much-needed new pair of glasses.

I'm betting on health care coverage by the end of the year. If it doesn't come and our own government can't get it fixed, I'm afraid I'll give up on the USA for good. I already tell my younger cohorts and relatives to think about living in other countries. My only regret in life is that I didn't when I had the chance.

I have Oxford which was a trade I made with my job: instead of a raise (which I gave up for two years), they gave me health insurance, which they continue to offer me (even though they consider me a "freelancer"). I am very grateful. I have the "Liberty" plan (you are at liberty to die at any time), for which about $5 a week is deducted from my pay. Tons of copays and nothing covered "out of network". My doctors have dropped out of the plan like flies and so I'm constantly trying to find docs that will take this plan.

Trig, have you (or anybody) investigated the insurance offered by freelancersunion.org ?

Trig we pay close to four digits per month for health insurance. It's a real strain to pay nearly a mortgage payment just to be covered. We need help.
Rated

No health insurance here. I am on a permanent disability retirement through CalSTRS and have been since 1998 when it was determined that I was unfit to work in the classroom. However, the retirement system pays me enough so that I can't get poor-people coverage, but makes no allowances for insurance that I must NEED, being disabled. Every few years I have to prove that I have been seeing a doctor so they don't cancel my disability.

I pay 35 dollars to see a P.A. for maybe five minutes every three months to get my meds renewed. While there the staff weigh me, take my BP and temp, and occasionally listen to my heart. So far, I am within the expected parameters for being alive.

The P.A. always scolds me for the fact that I have not had the preventative maintenance that a woman my age should be getting. She gives me the uninsured persons menu of ala carte tests and screenings, but they are still out of price range and what if they find something? Then what?

I have BCBS through my work and I also have a 3300 ER bill for a kidney stone that they will not pay because I had another kidney stone more than 10 years ago. I pay 246 monthly for it and it pays for my epilepsy meds (which I've had for 35 years but I guess that's not a pre-existing condition) which would be 250.00 semi-monthly without insurance. Talk about a scam.

I work for a med. size semiconductor company. I pay $340/month to cover our family of 4. The actual cost of the policy is ~$12**. The company picks up the rest of it. It's a 90/70 plan which only pays 90% of the treatment cost. The individual pays 10% of the cost, up to an individual maximum of $1750, wherby the HMO will pay 100% afterwards. Next year we plan to switch to my wife's company's plan. That one is a traditional HMO plan and the premium is only $244/month for the entire family. Wife works in a smallish semiconductor company.
Luckily we are a relatively healthy family. Actually- scratch that- we tend to have mysterious conditions that the doctors could never figure out. I am thankful for the coverage we hav, but at the same time I really hate the fact that we are completely at the mercy of our employment status. Single payer couldn't come soon enough.

Husband laid off at 54 years old, now both on Cobra.
We both have pre-existing conditons that will not allow us to purchase indiviual policies when it runs out--high blood pressure (controlled by meds). As for myself, MVP (mild), scoliosis, and major depression caused by his lay-off.
We are screwed.....

Very interesting results, good post Trig. As far as my household holds up under this health insurance scrutiny, well I'll let you be the judge.

I am disabled, have Medicare A&B, which comes with a $96/monthly premium. Anything that is not covered by that is picked up by the state. My prescriptions come with a $3 copay which is a godsend.
Without my prescription drug coverage my prescription costs would easily total $2500 monthly, so $3 is pretty good IMHO.

My hub took early retirement, has Medicare A&B, a drug plan with $10 copay. Fortunately he remains healthy and is not on any daily prescriptions.

Em has no coverage and has to apply for sliding scale payments at the clinic that sees her regularly. She has no drug coverage and really gets walloped by those costs, when and if she can afford the script. She applies where ever there is help to be had, but she's got a huge expense with her scripts.

My son is disabled and has the same coverage as I do.