Sunday, December 15, 2013

Black market health care

Like most middle class hard working Americans I have been notified that my current health insurance plan is being canceled as of Dec 31. Needless to say I am more than a little disappointed  my poor insurance broker probably hates to see my name on her caller ID. We have been in the individual market forever, the last several years we have experienced double digit increases. I am one that ops for a major medical plan that is HSA compatible, makes sence to me. These increases have not changed coverage much and I have endured.
This new law the government has forced on us has changed all that, among the changes Melissa and I have maternity coverage. Yes if it were physically possible Melissa could have a baby! Not only are we seeing significant increases in premiums but dedutables increasing. We will be paying just under 15k in premiums for the year and will need to spend an additional 10k for a 75-25% coverage to kick in, once I spend $12,700.00 out of pocket we are covered 100%, that's almost $28,000.00 before we see any coverage. That is more than I made per year the first 5 years Melissa and I were married. The premiums alone equal what most pay for a house payment.
Considering the alternative; drop coverage and pay the "penalty" and bank the premiums and hope no one gets sick enough to need hospilization- kind of scary.
I truly believe this miss guided law will open up the black market for health care - think about it, there will be a certain amount of the population that will not purchase medical insurance and will need medical care at some point, there will be doctors who will be willing to perform procedures on a cash bassis, out of their garage, prescriptions will be sold just as illegal drugs are now. Society will figure out a way around this hastily conceived law. I can see the headline now "Docotor arrested for performing illegal birth"
Someone PLEASE help, government is out of control with regulation; regulation equals power for the government, we need to take the power back