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catscradle Apr. 26th, 2005 02:58 pm)
catscradle Apr. 26th, 2005 02:58 pm)...that time of year when medical insurance sky rockets. I was enjoying spring until I opened my benefits packet for the new fiscal year. There's a little flyer in it stating that insurance was going up 30% if you had PacifiCare, which I have. I freaked a little. But that was premature, because you see, it's going up 30% if you're single. Now if you have an additional person on the insurance, heh, it goes up, heh, 50%. So I'm thinking, maybe switch to the PPO, which is a bit cheaper. From last year it's gone up - heh, heh, 80%. 80. Fucking. Percent. How is this legal? How can it be fucking legal to gouge someone's paycheck like that? That's a rhetorical question, of course it's legal.
There is an alternative. I can switch to Kaiser Permanente. I hate Kaiser, I was with them before. It's warehouse medicine. I never saw the same doctor twice in the two years I was with them. They never prescribe the meds or tests I needed if they didn't fit into the Kaiser formula. And I *just* found the doctor I really love. I've been with them for a year now and I really like this family practice. But it's too expensive to keep. So I'm switching my little fam to Kaiser. My dog has better medical coverage than we do. =P
I'm not the only one that's switching. My boss can't afford PacifiCare for her family anymore. Just about everyone at my university that's not a Dean or higher in rank has dropped them. I'm wondering if PacifiCare is going to price itself out of existence.
There is an alternative. I can switch to Kaiser Permanente. I hate Kaiser, I was with them before. It's warehouse medicine. I never saw the same doctor twice in the two years I was with them. They never prescribe the meds or tests I needed if they didn't fit into the Kaiser formula. And I *just* found the doctor I really love. I've been with them for a year now and I really like this family practice. But it's too expensive to keep. So I'm switching my little fam to Kaiser. My dog has better medical coverage than we do. =P
I'm not the only one that's switching. My boss can't afford PacifiCare for her family anymore. Just about everyone at my university that's not a Dean or higher in rank has dropped them. I'm wondering if PacifiCare is going to price itself out of existence.
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Even when my one job switched insurance on me 3 times in 3 1/2 years, I never really had any major issues with insurance... until starting a year ago, when I had to get individual insurance. Somehow even though my plan was supposed to be "identical" to the one I'd had previously as part of a group plan, suddenly I was asked to pay for stuff I never had to pay for before and it seemed like almost nothing was covered unless I made a stink about it. Everything used to be seamless, pretty much, and I'd never get bills, as it would be paid for. No longer -- last year a possible lump in my breast cost me around $800 out of pocket. Right now my insurance company is paying like $1.90 for every $24 allergy shot I have to get. And yet if I didn't pay the bastards it would be a lot worse! I shouldn't complain, as my premium for med. & dental is only $239/month total, which I've heard is very cheap, but often I feel like "If this *little* thing costs so much, pray I never have anything *serious*!"