High-Deductible Health Plans: for Many, Too Costly

There is no way around paying for your own health care

There are no free lunches. There is now way around paying for your own health care. Even if you have insurance, ultimately, you and you alone will pay your bills. The insurance company may pay your bill for now, but your increased premiums in the future will pay those bills. Insurance companies are not usually benevolent, but increasing premiums for sick people is the correct thing to do. Why should somebody else on earth pay your bills?

People must get rid of the notion that you can somehow make someone else pay for your bills (like - expecting healthy people paying for sick peoples bills - some peoples misconception of insurance). Even if insurance companies are non-profits, they cannot satisfy people who want to pay say $100 a month and get $200 worth service/medicine. One must recognize that that is impossible.

Buyer Beware of High Deductable plans

Blue Cross (Anthem) is charging me twice for my deductible because I changed employers. If your employer starts you off on this plan you must pay the entire deductible (not prorated) before they pay a single dollar. Unless you are in a very stable job, HDHPs are a rip-off.

Living Poorly, But With Style in California. Love my HSA!

I make $8.25 an hour, work full time and I'm glad that I signed up for my HDHP. I am a recent college graduate holding down a low wage job and staying with my relatives temporarily until I can get a better one. I am a Kaiser Permanente of Southern California card holder. When I got out of school, Kaiser wanted an ridiculous $450/mo. for an individual policy that was similar to the one my parents had me covered under when I was a student. I couldn't afford that and pay my student loans. If I had doubled the deductibles, they'd still want me to pay $280. I couldn't possibly afford this long-term. My family couldn't afford it either. I now have a monthly premium is only $71 and the deductible is $2,700 with $0 copays after the deductible is met and zero co-insurance of any kind. I have used the money that otherwise would have went to pay premiums to adding my my Health Savings Account (HSA) and the high monthly interest that I now earn (5.15% APY) is enough to almost half-way cover the monthly premiums. I estimate that after a year or two, I will no longer have to set aside any more money and will just let the HSA account pay for my coverage on its own. But, I intend to continue adding to it, since it don't just want to have enough to barely get by and it's always good to have that extra padding in case of an emergency or incidentals. I am registered Democrat, but I would have to say that when it comes to health care, I'm going to have to agree with the Republicans on this one.

I can't afford my high-deductible plan

I make $15 a hour , work full-time, & am considering dropping my employer-offered high deductible health care plan. It costs me $45 each two weeks; does not cover anything until I meet the individual deductible amount of $1250 per year, and my employer's only alternative is a plan that has a $250 deductible but maxes out at $10,000. Oh yes, and neither one covers "pre-existing conditions," which self-insuring employers can refuse to cover.

When I came down with asthmatic bronchitis recently, I could not afford to go to the doctor, let alone afford prescriptions.

Yes, it might be better than nothing in case of serious injury or illness, but I may have to do without so I can afford the gas to get to work.

The Truth, I think.

I have been a member at Kaiser for many years. I am now 81 years old. I also have many health problems and therefore make numerous visits to the clinic or hospital.

I have observed that a majority of the Kaiser patients are old, like me.

I have also observed, during my long years that most children don't get sick.

As a child, I seldom needed a Doctor and when I did it was as the result of some sort of accident.

It is usually the elderly who need and use the medical facilities which are being subsidized by the young through higher insurance premiums and through higher income taxes required to support Medicare etc. Your study seems to feed into this.

My KAISER information for 2008 indicates a premium for two people of $546.72 per month, or $6552 per year. Using your figures, an (FSA) would be an affordable alternative, assuming that a couple wanted medical insurance at all.

As I recall, the U.S. NEWS article indicated that many of the uninsured families are not insured because they don't feel that they need medical insurance.

Because my memory isn't what it used to be, I may be wrong about this.

In any case, I believe that the media and the politicians have done the country a disservice by contiually harping on the so-called medically uninsured.Your study seems to feed into this.

My insurance at Kaiser is provided by the State of California and by Medicare, so I don't need to worry about that particular item. However, in view of the current California budjet deficit, my (earned) advantage may not be provided in the near future. The Medicare will, do doubt continue. I don't think that I will live long enough for the Federal Government to bankrupt itself.