My BCBS of Texas premiums went up 60%!

[Uben]

From $587 to $928/mo. I'm 61, 168 lbs, very fit. I had one check-up last year that required a blood panel and I take one prescription statin (low dose). Those are my only claims last year. I have been sinfully healthy my entire life, with the exception of a broken leg in 2005. Don't know where they think that money is coming from. I got news....it isn't. I'll shop around for a cheaper price. If I can't find one, I'll just self-insure.

How many of you guys are experiencing the same thing?

[yallerdawg]

2. The poor insurance companies are going crazy!

They used to make money denying pre-existing claims, particular procedure claims (Not Approved!), customers falsifying application history by failure to report every medical event in your life and then denying coverage.

Throw in requirement of including all applicants with all medical conditions and all ages - suddenly their paying claims instead of bonuses! And everyone has to be charged the same (why healthy people have to pay more).

If you make less than around $60,000 a year most places in US, subsidies start kicking in, and pay more and more of the premium as income goes down.

Ideally, as premiums go up, subsidy income level rises. Hillary supports this.

But the full premium increase does fall on those who are better off income-wise.

This is the path to an introduction to the cost of socialized healthcare where we all pay in equally based on our means to contribute. Got some serious kinks to work out, but I don't understand how anyone expected more healthcare to cost less.

[Jim Beard]

7. Texas did not accept the Medicaid money because the republicans want

it to fail.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. So, people who make more end up paying more?

That sounds a lot like a TAX. Which is a fine way to pay for single-payer health care for all.

"Socialized medicine is a term that scares many people. But, I look forward to it. The sooner the better.

[yallerdawg]

10. The Supreme Court agrees with you on its being a tax!

If more healthy people participated - if the opt-out penalty was as much as the insurance! - then the increases would have been much less.

[Jim Beard]

3. I was paying $936 a month just before I got on Medicare

I would chance it if I were you if you are healthy. I had heart/lung problems is why I stayed.

[Uben]

4. No choice

I have no choice but to chance it. I've been buying private insurance for 15 years. When I retired, the premiums were no problem, but they have increased 200% since then. I have been buying catastrophic coverage that covers practically nothing to remain legal, but even that crappy policy is now $1000/mo.

I'll just throw the $600/mo I was paying into a medical account and hope nothing major arises. The thought of having to pay $1500 penalty on my taxes because I can't afford coverage really chaps my butt, but who ya gonna call?

[Sunlei]

5. out of the 928 how much will your Federal subsidy cover? Gov. paid part went up too.

What I think Clinton will do asap is allow 55 and up to buy into medicare.

[kacekwl]

6. I hope you are right.

[Vinca]

9. Pre-Obamacare our premiums went from $600 to $1200.

Insurance companies hate older people. They don't care if you're fit.

[NCTraveler]

11. This sucks. It absolutley sucks. nt.