[Virginians]

I don't agree that health care is expensive.

Before we retired, my wife's job paid $550/mo, we paid $275 and our average co-pay divided by 12 mo = $25. Up until last month our health care cost $850/mo and we didn't care because her work paid for most of it. 6 months ago I had a colonoscopy costing $4000 and didn't care because our co-pay was $100.

Now that we are on our own, I care and like when I buy a car, I shopped around. Our new Anthem insurance policy is $ 330/mo. Its very simple. Every year we pay the first $6000 and they pay the rest up yo $7,000,000. Worst case would be divide the $6000 by 12 to get $500 added to our premium of $330 = $830 per month. Best case would be $330/mo.

My daughter was shocked to learn about our low premium at 62 years old. For her family the same coverage turned out to be $139/mo. By the way my next colonoscopy will be at a better rated place that Anthem has negotiated a cost of $900.00. The policy also pays 100% of yearly check ups including mammograms.

[bimmertl]

Is this post about "health care" costs, or health insurance costs?

[Virginians]

My health care cost is my insurance premium + additional out of pocket costs.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by Virginians

I don't agree that health care is expensive.

Before we retired, my wife's job paid $550/mo, we paid $275 and our average co-pay divided by 12 mo = $25. Up until last month our health care cost $850/mo and we didn't care because her work paid for most of it. 6 months ago I had a colonoscopy costing $4000 and didn't care because our co-pay was $100.

Now that we are on our own, I care and like when I buy a car, I shopped around. Our new Anthem insurance policy is $ 330/mo. Its very simple. Every year we pay the first $6000 and they pay the rest up yo $7,000,000. Worst case would be divide the $6000 by 12 to get $500 added to our premium of $330 = $830 per month. Best case would be $330/mo.

My daughter was shocked to learn about our low premium at 62 years old. For her family the same coverage turned out to be $139/mo. By the way my next colonoscopy will be at a better rated place that Anthem has negotiated a cost of $900.00. The policy also pays 100% of yearly check ups including mammograms.

I have a similar policy--- a "Health Savings Account" aks an HSA... "expensive' is a relative term... our deductable is 5000 dollars annually, after that 100% covered for the year.
If you are an 18,000 dollar a year, just out of college, social worker that kind of deductable would kill your finances...

Look... this health care stuff comes down to 1 issue: is health care a commodity-- like shoes, cars, furniture, or, is it a right that all Americans should have regardless of income or health status??? Pick up that debate

[l2ridehd]

Please give me an example of someone just out of college that starts at 18K a year? Just one. I hire about 20 to 30 college grads every year. And they start at around 60K depending on skills, grades, location, etc. And these are not doctors or lawyers, mostly computer science , math, or engineering. I can't guess anyone completing college and starting at that salary. And oh by the way, they get health benefits plus the salary.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Please give me an example of someone just out of college that starts at 18K a year? Just one. I hire about 20 to 30 college grads every year. And they start at around 60K depending on skills, grades, location, etc. And these are not doctors or lawyers, mostly computer science , math, or engineering. I can't guess anyone completing college and starting at that salary. And oh by the way, they get health benefits plus the salary.

Caseworkers in Northumberland County Pa start around there... they would not make 60 K after 30 years... welcome to the world of the economically deprived rust belt in rural Central Pa

[conn8757]

Florida lawyers don't start out at $60,000 a year either unless they just luck into a big firm or their daddy knows someone.

[Quixote]

I met soneone recently who said that people with no healthcare insurance should just go out and buy it. This woman has lots of inherited money.l I told the story of a young couple I know where he is a clerk in a grocery store and she works in a small restaurant. They work hard but get no benefits. Well she said, they should just go out and buy it. How I asked when they dont have two nickels to rub together after they pay the expenses they have to. Well, let them buy care for when they spend a large annual amt. This is ridiculous. It sounded like let them eat cake, from history. How can people be so disconnected from the life of working poor people? And will the govt make employers like that give benefits to there workers? These people need help with the small amts they have to prepay. Forget about it if they had a bill for $5000 and it can happen to easily with medical costs today. Awful..

[Tallulah]

For some of us, $330.00 is a LOT of money to fork out each month. I have two pre-existing conditions. Because of that, and I have checked around, it would cost me $700, not counting dental care or pharmaceuticals. <sigh> Fortunately, I have VA if that accounts for anything. Problem is, hard to get an appointment, long waits. Supposed to be within 30 days but that is not the case.