Question of the day: How much do you pay for health insurance?
A letter arrived in the mail the other day telling us it’s time to renew our health insurance for 2025. We are self employed. We qualify for ZERO discounts. Every single year the premiums keep going up.
To stay on the same plan we have now, it will cost us $1,828.14 {an increase of $199.13 a month/$2,289.56 a year}. That means in 2025 we will have to shell out $21,937.68 for health insurance PREMIUMS.
And then, if paying $21,937.68 a year for health insurance premiums wasn’t enough, if one of us has to have any sort of test or procedure {outside of a once a year physical or preventive care procedure} we will then also have to shell out up to an additional $19,000 before our insurance would pay 100%.
So that could bring our total for $40,937.68 OUT OF POCKET in 2025 for insurance.
And then to add insult to injury, yesterday we got a letter in the mail not only reminding us that it was time to renew our health insurance premiums, but that 4 out of 5 people qualify for plans that cost less than $10 a month.
Are you kidding me?
Now I’m no math genius here, but if 1 person is paying full price {me!} that means 4 other people are getting one heck of a deal because they are paying less than $10 a month!?
Seriously? When you break it down, doesn’t that really mean that I am paying for the health care of 4 other people?
How is that right?
So my question to you is: How much are you paying for health insurance premiums each month? Are you employed? Self employed?
How much is healthcare costing YOU these days? How much do you pay for health insurance?
~Mavis
Brianna says
Wowza, crazy, but definitely not unheard of. My dad was a self-employed architect and my mom a RN growing up and their health insurance was pricey too. My dad would always be so upset over it all, he was paying almost $4000 a MONTH his senior years! His entire Social Security was going to those expensive monthly premiums. He only took I think part B? Medicare, but it still was a terrible part strain. I was preached a lot about the value of having good and affordable health insurance.
My hubby was active duty military for 23 years, so we had good insurance then. After he retired we moved to an area where it was difficult to find a provider to take the insurance and our copays became ridiculous because everything was out of network. We even downgraded to their most basic plan so we could just see Docs in the area. After a few non-network urgent care/ER visits with my kids and the resulting bills, I was annoyed with the system. The insurance wanted me to travel over 90 minutes to a network ER/UC….with a 9 yo kid who has a tendon and bone poking out of his arm! I negotiated the bill and decided being a military retiree sucked if you live and work in the wrong area. We had a lot of bills piling up and our budget as a young family was strained because of it. It was not sustainable. The insurance is good, if you are in the network. So we moved….one of many reasons was because the lack of ease with our insurance.
We now live in an area where it is easier to use and find providers who will accept it. We have a $4500 deductible for our family of 5. We hit it every year unfortunately. I think our premium is around $3000 a year (it is pulled from his retirement). There are loopholes though and I got caught in one last summer when I had a major and life changing medical event and it stopped paying the incoming bills. A phone call and a bit more money to get out of the loophole to get stuff covered again. We have the option of going with the prime insurance of no copay’s, but I don’t want to be told who to see and when and how many times with a referral. Too complicated with a child who has special needs, another child with a rare immune disorder, my chronic issue, and a very wounded hubby (he uses the VA, but he needs the option to get other opinions with his care or get him out of their system sometimes).
I know many people who pay ridiculous amount for health insurance and many who pay nothing. We are in the middle. It is a business and the value of one person over another and premiums is infuriating. There are many who choose to be uninsured, but that is risky I think.
Toni Wood says
We are retired military also. If you can hang on until you qualify for Medicare your problems are truly over. I’m 81 now and since going on Medicare, Tricare for Life has paid every single cent that Medicare did not pay. All those promises of free medical finally happened. Understand about no providers in the area also. I think medical personnel should lose their license if they will not take what Uncle Sam has provided for us.
Wendy C. says
I think my premium is around $2,300 for me, my husband and my daughter. But thankfully my employer pays 100% of all of it! Whew! However, it has a very high deductible (but not high enough to qualify as a high deductible plan where we could have an HSA).
Eye says
Why this country needs a single paying health care plan. Americans pay the highest rates for medical care and for paying those insane rates have the highest morbidity/ mortality rates! In other words the US ranks at the BOTTOM for health care compared to 50 other wealthiest western countries in the world. Yes, several 3rd world countries deliver better health care at a third of the price of the US. We are being scammed by the insurance and health industry! Ask congress why this is? And, it doesn’t have to do with the Universal Health care plan!!!
Ellen says
I agree with you 100%. I worked in healthcare for about three years, and in that time, I saw plenty of people with what we’d consider “good” health insurance wind up with medical bills that they struggled to pay – and that’s if their care was even covered by their health insurance at all.
I have a sibling who’s an expat, and while her country’s single payer plan isn’t perfect (longer waits and fewer choices for routine/non-emergency visits seem to be her biggest complaints, although neither of those things have prevented her from getting emergency care in a hurry), it’s such a huge improvement over what we have here. She pays nothing for premiums and functionally nothing for medical care that would cost tens of thousands in the U.S.
There is absolutely no reason – short of passing legislation – why it couldn’t be that way for us too.
lisa in Maine says
I’ve worked in healthcare for over 30 years. Medicare and Medicaid have all sorts of stupid rules that cost the tax payer and leave the patient wanting. There would have to be some serious reform before expanding to single payor. I don’t know what the answer is but the system is broken. We have good insurance through my husbands company but it’s well over $1000/month
Patti Vanderbloemen says
I have been self insured since 2003 and it has, at times, almost broke me! At one point, my premium was just over $2,300 per month (just me…not my spouse)! Every year my premiums have gone up and down. For 2024, my monthly premium is $936. It’s going up to $986 for 2025. Luckily (but not really), I turn 65 NEXT December and will have some sort of Medicare Plan. But, I have been advised that, based on 2025 guidelines, the Medicare Plan will cost me nearly as much as my current plan. I won’t even get into what is NOT included in my current plan.
The healthcare system in the US is so broken, and has been for so long. Once insurance companies privatized and, and used their profits to pay their CEO’s, the consumer lost.
Healthcare and Insurance Agencies are both subjects that immediately raise my blood pressure,
Dawn says
Same here. See my story below about the excesses of the health insurance industry.
Recently, a friend of mine who has prostate cancer was called by his insurance carrier the day before his scheduled removal surgery and told his carrier found a cheaper doctor and hospital a 90 minute drive away and that he would have to cancel his scheduled surgery and re-schedule at the new place. He told them where to go and had his surgery as scheduled.
Jayne says
I retired at the age of 59, did COBRA for 18 months, and then switched to ACA. As of last month, I’m on Medicare and it’s far more expensive than ACA is.
sdsb says
This is exactly why after I retire from teaching, I will find another job based in not $ but quality and cost of insurance. if not for family I would seriously consider moving to another country because of health insurance and care.
Cindy R says
I pay for my own health insurance. I am in Florida and pay $1200/month for health and dental. The dental plan is about $35.00 a month also with Florida Blue. My health plan is increasing an additional $100 per month for 2025. I don’t even have the best coverage and have high out of pocket costs. It is crazy. Additionally I pay another $2200 per year for a concierge type Dr because it was hard to find a primary care Dr and even harder to schedule appointments. What upset me was watching the news and seeing illegal immigrants were receiving free medical insurance in addition to a slew of other benefits (that my taxes pay for) and all I could think of was what about me, one of the people who actually pay taxes and pay for their health insurance plans.
Jen says
My husband is a self-employed farmer. We pay $2,980 per month for husband (60), me (53) and son (17). With premium and out of pocket max of $15,000, we need to have $50,760 for healthcare. Blessed to be able to pay it, but not a lot left over for anything else. This is where frugality comes in!
Dawn says
A few years ago I worked as a PA for a business coach/author. I’m talking a mentor to C-suite and highly comped executives at Google, Apple and many a health insurer.
During that time he was booked to give a weekend workshop to the c-suite and other executives for a multi-national health insurance company. He is based in Switzerland so his travel and lodging were covered additional to his weekend workshop fee of $100k. This company also flew in 30 of their most highly compensated employees for this workshop and booked out an entire spa/inn on a lake in Georgia.
About a week later the assistant to the CEO of that company called me to ask for my address as they had a “swag bag” to send to me. All attendees received one as a thank you for attending but my boss was unable to carry it back to Switzerland with him so he told them to send it to me as a gift. His only request was that I send him a list of what was in the box so he could send a thank you. Inside the box was some branded merchandise. A golf umbrella (still have it), a fleece blanket, a jacket, some golf club covers, a small soft-sided cooler and a wine bottle opener. I had never seen anything like the wine bottle opener and I knew I wouldn’t use it so I figured I would see if it was worth anything and sell it. That wine bottle opener cost $349. (My boss ended up asking me to send it to him so no little bonus for me.)
There were 30 attendees at that weekend workshop. The bottle opener alone came at a price tag of $10k. I cannot even imagine how much it cost them to provide transportation, meals and drinks and rent out an entire inn/spa, and did I mention, all attendees were also gifted with complimentary spa treatments and massages?
Health insurance is a money making scam.
Dianne says
This is all tax breaks for them. Didn’t cost them a pretty penny. Also, the fee to get in is most likely comped as well.
Mrs. C. says
My veterinarian was just telling me about the same thing – her situation is similar, and the coverage does not include Rx benefits. She wasn’t sure about the group sharing plans, either; some are good, but many are horrible.
I have heard of one that has received good reviews, (but which I do not use because we have employer-paid insurance): https://www.solidarityhealthshare.org/. She is looking into it. I also recently started to use GoodRx.com because my insurance won’t pay for certain prescriptions.
Lindsey says
Mark Cuban established a pharmacy that is astoundingly inexpensive and he still makes a profit. http://www.markcubancostplusdrugcompany.com They were recommended to me by my cardiologist’s nurse. My insurance company refuses to cover Viagra because I am a woman, even though I take it for a pulmonary hypertension (never mind it was originally developed for lung problems and only became a treatment for erectile dysfunction when male users discovered that side effect). Paying out of pocket was very expensive but through Mark Cuban’s company I get it for less than $30 plus postage. I cannot say enough good about how easy they have been to deal with. I did not know who he was but I am now a huge fan—even huger since I read an interview where he talked about it being a patriotic duty of the wealthy to pay their share of taxes when they make their fortunes under our economic system. He does not carry every drug but they are always adding more so you might want to give them a try if GoodRx doesn’t work for you in the future.
Mrs. C. says
Yes! I used this once, as well! Thank you for mentioning it. I was also very pleased with the ease of use and price.
Eli says
I personally had to be self insurance due to getting kicked off another, and for a single 24 yr old man it was $400 a month, with a deductible of $2.5k. That was through the state run marketplace (Kentucky). My parents haven’t been using the state marketplace and have been paying 1600 since they are also self employed. But next year using the state marketplace seems like it will cost them 1100, while also getting a 700 tax credit (while still having above avg income for their area). So it is good to shop around.
OregonGuest says
Self-employed here, about $2,200/mo for spouse, college-age dependent and me, for HSA policy with monster individual and family deductibles. We would make a different choice, but all other available options in our state (short-term, non-Obamacare options) do not covers things related to outdoor activities we do (dirt bike riding, scuba, snowmobile), so we are stuck, with an unaffordable policy just in case something happens, even though we pretty much never go to the doctor (a year or two or longer goes by and we just don’t have a need to go). Obamacare was the worst thing to happen. Ever. I feel your pain, frustration and disgust, Mavis!!!
Kellah Berube says
There are some healthcare cost sharing organizations like Medi-Share and Christian Healthcare Ministries. I am sure there are more than those. When I researched it a few years back you could pay your doctor and submit for reimbursement. The prices were modest. Certainly much less than the numbers you have posted. You might need to do some research on comparisons, etc. Good luck.
Jenny says
I remember when Obamacare was voted in….our son was playing in a national basketball tournament in high school. We were all staying together on a college campus & had a floor in a dorm for our teams & their families. We were having such a great time together! The parents were all hanging out in a common area, talking, laughing & enjoying ourselves when one of the high school boys ran in & said that it had passed. The room went silent. No one spoke. Then the poor kid said…”Man, I wish I hadn’t told you. You were having such a good time. I’m sorry.” It did put a damper on that evening for sure.
Linda says
I am 78 and have Medicare and Medicaid. I pay no copay. I think my fee each month to insurance is $9. I have about six specialists I must see.
Carla says
We have insurance through my husband’s work. It is a high deductible plan, so we put over $5000 in the HSA over the year. Our premiums for a family plan is over $5000 per year.
I’m not really a fan of national health care. I know someone in Canada who was diagnosed with breast cancer, but couldn’t get into a doctor. There literally wasn’t one within a 5 hour drive for her. (And she doesn’t live in the boonies.) After about 6 months, she was able to see a PA, but what emotional torture for the waiting. She was unable to get any treatment until she saw a doctor. Not sure that a national healthcare would help.
sandy says
My family is in Canada- most of the time health care is great, but sometimes there is a wait for specialists, and depends where you live. My sisters life was saved by a leading Dr that was one of the first Drs to study a rare condition she had. But-you can go to a private Dr-and the costs are very competitive, and much less than USA. The benefits far outweigh any downside. Love Canada!
Costa Rica, great care, Kuala Lamur, Ecuador as well.
Karla says
My husband & I are self-employed, and we’ve opted to use a health care sharing plan. Our premium for 2 adults is $534 monthly. Our “share” goes to pay the medical bills of other people on our plan, and in turn we would receive payment of medical bills we submit. There is a $1250 deductible per incident, so sharing only occurs after we’ve paid $1250 for a claim. In this day & age, $1250 accrues incredibly fast. In addition to our premium, we set aside money each month in what I call our own personal health savings account to have funds to pay for deductibles and vision and dental needs.
I agree that the health insurance industry is broken, and Dawn’s story describes unconscionable behavior. I don’t have any answers for how to fix this on a national level – there are only so many issues I can be well versed on. Be sure to do your research if you decide to look into a health care sharing plan.
Judy Johnson says
Our family was also priced out of our Blue Cross plan as we were self employed and had almost $2000 per month in premiums along with a huge deductible. We had the insurance, but could scarcely afford to use it. We switched to Samaritan Health Share and paid about 375/month for the two of us until about seven years ago when we reached Medicare age. We were members of Samaritan for a about ten years and never had an issue. They even paid for treatment we received in Mexico. I recommend it. There are other health share groups, some faith based like Samaritan and others not. I wish we had known about Samaritan when our kids were still at home. We would have saved a tremendous amount of money.
Diana says
We have Kaiser paid in full through my husband’s retirement plan. He also was able to retire at 49 so feel very fortunate!
Susan says
Holy cow!!! No wonder people go without health insurance! That’s crazy expensive!
I’m extremely fortunate in that my husband retired early and because he never left is company, his union benefits included not only a pension but retirement medical that covers a spouse. He retired at 57 before we got married and his pension is his only, upon his death, I will not get any of that. But, his health coverage covers both of us once we got married and it is $20/month per person.
If he didn’t have that, I would not have been able to retire. We are enjoying a relaxed life of adventuring as we want and are able to live off the pension and a small bit of investment dividends.
Lin says
My husband and I are on Medicare. With supplemental we pay $1200 a month, no copay, but there is a deductible.
Kacey says
You might consider working with a broker who can help discern the best plan for your situation via the public marketplace. In my state, they do not charge for this service. I pay about $280 a month for a high deductible plan with no subsidy. It’s disappointing how our health care system is built to prioritize profit over everything else. Hope you can find a lower rater plan that serves your needs.
M says
Husband and I, retired. $1868 per month just to have medical insurance, not use it, to have it. Deductibles and co-pays apply when we use it.
Cheryl says
First I live in Pennsylvania and hadm to use Pennie not Obamacare. I was paying $700 A month till I got on medicare. When my husband first retired for me and my two kids I was paying $1800 A month. You must have a great salary if you’re not entitled to anything but I would be mad to.
Peg says
I was self-employed for many years until I was forced to retire early to become a full time caregiver for my husband in 2019. I can’t even talk about my worthless health insurance because it makes me so mad. I had every intention to work until I was 70. But the quote life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans is so true! Never thought I’d look forward to turning 65 (this coming March) so I’d have Medicare. Medical care and health insurance in our country is a disaster.
eliz says
I have the cheapest high deductible plan in Montana and mine will be going up to $705 next year. It doesn’t cover much and I just got a bill for $400 for some bloodwork my doctor ordered. I agree, how is it right?
eliz says
I cannot wait until I’m old enough for medicare.
My husband gets all his healthcare free through the VA. What a deal. Wish they would cover me too.
Karin says
We pay just under $2000 a month for the two of us on my husband’s former employer’s insurance (he’s retired). And then the insurance company routinely denies coverage for things. It’s so frustrating! I don’t believe those $10 a month claims. My son looked for insurance on the .gov site and it was $400/month for him (a young, healthy, low income person).
Elizabeth says
The medical situation in this country is a total disgrace, at best!! I could write a book!! We are in our 70s, on a pension and social security…insurance FORCED us to go on Medicare once we reached certain ages, even though he worked at the govt job FOR THE INSURANCE in retirement and no plan to ever go on Medicare. Haha…jokes on us. I used to work some retail…and in retail that sort of thing is strictly forbidden…called BAIT AND SWITCH…cause we of course, had no idea this would be the case prior to retiring. He could have made at least 2 to 3 times more working private…and that would have been a much smarter choice it turns out. But some of us hope that the new administration will be able to fix a lot of things, esp. financially…though I see no way humanly possible to sort out all the issues brought on us just in the past 4 years. It will probably take at least a decade if even that. One must have insurance. So it might be helpful, a friend told me, to talk to some experts on what to do. They were not on what we were, but they switched to Mutual of Omaha…and before she died she had TONS of medical bills…and they covered very well. It is true that those of us in the middle class…well, we WERE before retirement…far from it now…are being taken out. Hope you find some solutions for your situation!! We have been going to a doctor who does not deal with either Medicare or insurance. We found the “govt docs” were bound to make us worse so it has helped us to go to private doc…but not sure how long we can do so as our savings have taken a hard hit this past few years.
Arbie Goodfellow says
Mavis, Look into Medishare.
it is wonderful and should save you quite a bit of money.
Patti says
When my husband retired, his company let my son and I stay on his plan – it was $1000 a month with a $5000 deductible. That was five years ago. My husband had worked there 42 years until he was Medicare age. Luckily we made it until our son moved out and got his own insurance with Obama Care (ACA) and I made it to Medicare. My husband and I both have a Medicare supplement and pay about $200/month for that. Mine covers all my drug costs and also has Silver Sneakers ( a gym membership) so we are happy with that.
Leslie says
Side note: This is exactly why I get angry when I see an insurance co. name on some big building or ball field. Example, The Moda Center here in Portland, OR. I often wonder how much of each premium paid is going to light up that sign for a year. UGH…
sandy says
WOW WOW WOW. I have spent hours researching health care as I am a retired USPS Federal employee. We were covered by OPM ( Office of personal management) under FEHB (Federal employees health benefit) but-2025 ,USPS ( Postal Service) was required to separate and fund their own health care. W T ? So- the plan choices went from over 100 to less than 10 for California. I am on medicare as well-as it is a requirement, and was paying over $1100 a month as a retiree-that is with FEHB coverage. Now- my coverage is changed, for my husband and I-we will pay $880 a month, plus $140 each for medicare-for lower insurance. My Dr doesn’t accept that insurance -she is only a “concierge” Dr, charging $6500 a year. I give up!! I have also had problems with Blue Shield and medicare not billing correctly and we get bills for things that should be zero. I about moved to another country this week after all of this hassle. For what should be a basic right. Most countries have much better and affordable health care. I vote for National health care coverage.
Heather N says
I’m sorry you are having so many problems, but we can relate. Anthem hasn’t paid the first visit to a physical therapist and Orthopedic doctor even though they had the correct referrals and this has been going on for months.
My husband and I would vote for basic National health care coverage. He has been seeing me go through too many hoops getting referrals approved, etc to doctors, etc that are in our network this (HMOs stink…)
sandy says
It is crazy isn’t it? I am grateful -I really am, we are mostly healthy, are comfortable financially -but, life shouldn’t be so challenging for basic needs. I guess if that is my only issue this week-it’s ok, I am a lucky person. Keep Calm and carry on!
I am working on my thinking positive goals…haha
Sarah says
So this may sound a little different, but we have been part of a health share plan, which is not insurance, for the past 4 years. We are also self employed and we pay around $500 per month for a family of 6 people ( 2 adults, 4 kids). What’s the catch? It doesn’t cover any normal yearly checkups or evaluations, it’s strictly for the big stuff (which is really what insurance is supposed to be for). It’s also more limited in what it will cover medically – no elective/non-medical surgeries, etc– you would need to check first if it covers the things you think you’ll need. But it’s worked out really well for us. We pay the Health Share each month and we put aside a little above that each month in a simple savings account, which covers all of the regular preventative care visits each year. When we go to the doctor, we pay out of pocket, which means we get discounts in many offices. I don’t think doctor’s offices like dealing with insurance companies any more than we do. When we’ve had big medical charges, like a surgery I needed a couple of years ago, I informed the Health Share and it was taken care of. Anyway, that’s my two cents.
Christina Greaves says
Have you tried the market place for Maine? My employer only covers single benefits for me and it was more affordable for spouse to go through the marketplace than for me to pay the cost of adding him to the plan.
Here is the link: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ohim
It’s based on your income, however, so it’s hard to say if you’ll qualify for a subsidy.
Mimi says
My husband and I have never had health insurance through employment, were always self-employed. What a relief to now be on Medicare. We pay nothing for our Medicare Advantage plan which means we have some out-of-pocket costs but we have savings to cover it. We take our health seriously, eat well, keep fit, etc. to hopefully age well – fingers crossed! Our Medicare Advantage plan pays us each 10.00 a month to walk regularly which is something we did anyway.
When we got married our Blue Cross plan was 81.00 a month, had an annual 100.00 deductible and after the deductible we had virtually no out of pocket expenses. In those early years we had a lot of unexpected health issues, thankfully covered. That kind of policy doesn’t exist any more. Insurance now is designed soley for profit not for health.
I shudder to think what “a concept of a plan” is going to become. Buckle up.
Cheryl says
Agree.
Heather N says
Find a health insurance broker ASAP. We used to pay the amount you are stating, but when Biden’s act (can’t remember the name) became available we qualified to a tax credit (the amount of the credit is in relationship to your income). Our health insurance for 2025 will cost 2x what we paid in 2024, but it is less than we were paying a few years ago. Ours has a $8,000 deductible per person and is an HMO so the out-of-network physical therapist I have been going doesn’t count toward our deductible, but at least he has been able to help me versus the one in-network.
Marcia says
Just went through open enrollment: $15,000 a year for one person (me) for health insurance and 4 people (whole family) for dental and vision. So, a bit more than you, I think, when you add in my husband’s insurance (not included in that total).
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That’s not what that means. It means your state is paying the premiums for people who are poor. Like Medicaid. Or Medicare! Which is cheaper because MY taxes are paying for THEIR health care. You are paying lots and lots of paperwork.
TLDR, that’s what insurance costs. (My company covers 80% of my premium cost.)
That’s why we need single payer/ national health care. BUT THAT’S SOCIALISM /s
Nancy says
A senior friend who was until recently a “i don’t need to see a doctor” type had a long hospitalization and requires prescription drugs. He had not signed up for the Medicare drug coverage. One medication he needs is 2K per month, another is 1K. Will send him to the Mark Cuban prescription site.
I used an insurance broker to find the most affordable good coverage plan for me. I’ve heard from others that health share plans arent great.
Aretha says
Until our “elected officials” experience the same issues we mere citizens experience with health care, we can not expect change. They are totally divorced from the reality of the situation.
Amelia Wright says
$400 a month, through my husbands work, for medical, dental, and vision for our family of 13. He’s a truck driver.
CherylV says
I retired with my health insurance 3 years ago as a federal employee. For 2024, I paid $326.71 a month for standard Anthem. I think my deductible is either $350 or $500. Dental is for 2024 is currently $42.72, but that will change this year as I am finding a need for periodontal work as well as crowns. And then I was forced on to Medicare or pay a penalty for the rest of my life. Right now it is a $174 of redundancy as Anthem already covered me. So they make me pay for Medicare that I didn’t need or want and leave me with less cash to live off of. And next year it goes up to $185 and the 2.5% SS increase will never cover the cost of insurance as well as the inflation of things like FOOD!
Debby T says
After reading the reply’s, I count my blessings. I am a retired Letter Carrier. Our Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) is ending this year. Beginning 2025 we will be separated from FEHB and a Postal Service Health Benefit (PSHB) has been established offering some options similar. Last year my BCBS Basic was $517 a month. Next year it will be $608. This same BCBS Basic for FEHB will be $576. So it appears that because postal employees will now pay more for the same. I am fortunate that I am retired and on Medicare and all copays and coinsurance are paid by BCBS, except rx, plus there is an $800 Medicare reimbursement. Husband had emergency surgery and 2 months later a heart attack, requiring more surgery, then an additional surgery. None of these admissions cost a thing. Again, I count my blessings. Always thinking how awful that our insurance was so expensive, as it has more than doubled in 10 years. I switched from Priority Health when it went over $1000 a month, then I read how all who responded experienced extreme insurance costs and deductibles.
JulieP says
We have the NHS in uk it is funded from tax, national insurance contributions (which are deducted by employers) and patient charges. It worked pretty well for 50 years, the last 25 haven’t seen her fair quite so well! I personally have no complaints but the last five have seen a gross deterioration in its ability to cope. I truly believe that if you have a serious condition and a good GP you will be dealt with swiftly and get the treatment you need. There are long waiting lists for more routine things. For those who can there is the option of paying to see a consultant privately (can cost from £250-500 for initial consultation) which helps to speed up the diagnosis process. Most patients can then be put back into the NHS system for free care. We all, those who have employment, pay something we are all entitled to free health care! From birth to death! Hopefully the NHS can be saved as I would dread insurance companies taking over our healthcare system. It’s true if you earn a lot you pay more but if you earn nothing you are covered.
Helen says
Looks like I got off lightly, I only paid £150 for my private consultant gyno. Long live the NHS.
How long before Mavis moves to Cornwall or the Cotswolds?
Nicole says
Reading this I feel so lucky to live in Australia where we have universal health care…yes we are in a position to pay for private health care so you don’t have to go on waiting lists for surgery, but here you can walk into any public hospital in the country and receive free (and excellent) health care.
Kay says
Your medical care is not free. It is free at the point of service. It is paid for in taxes or other ways.
My mother in law worked for the National Health Service (NHS) in England as a nurse. She always would say the NHs is free. However, she did get paid. And the doctors got paid. And the hospitals paid their bills. So no, not free. Just free at the point of service.
Gayle says
My story is similar to everyone elses. When I became unemployed we tried to use “Obama care” the government recommended providers. My insurance was 1100 dollars a month we wanted major medical to since I was 60. It gradually increased with the new administration and the changes they made. By the time I retired it was 1700$ a month for just me and I only used it it I absolutely had to. This is because there was also co pays and it didn’t cover much extra resulting in bills . We also got notification that families pay incredibly low premiums for everything. I can only assume they are very low income. My husband was already retired and had a good pension but I was hanging out there in no man land. It was really hard. We have a broken system that doesn’t allow for people who aren’t destitute but need help to survive. My sister who is on welfare doesn’t pay for anything.
Virginia says
I currently have three people on an Anthem high deductible plan obtained through the Marketplace and pay $18-19K annually in premiums. (I have paid way more than this in past years, however.). I am also able to make the maximum annual family contribution to an HSA plan but am just saving/investing those funds to use later down the line to pay for Medicare premiums and other medical expenses once retired and money is tighter. The tax deduction for the HSA contribution is helpful.
Like you, Mavis, we’re business owners and stuck in that place where we earn more than allows us to benefit from a premium subsidy. It’s sad when we pay so much for insurance yet are still hesitant to go to the doctor because of the additional cost burden.
My feeling is that the exorbitant cost of health insurance is the fault of health insurance companies, not the government’s attempt to make it more affordable for many and also apply guardrails on the insurance companies so they can’t pick and choose who they insure and what benefits they want to provide. The bottom line is that for-profit business should not be involved in healthcare. There is no way that company profit and the best interest of a patient can ever coexist.
Mavis, since you and your husband are self-employed, take a look at running your premiums through your business and taking a full tax deduction. Sadly, there’s not much we can do about the high premiums, but it’s wise to work the system and get some benefit when we file our tax return.
Sarah says
We get health insurance through my husband’s job. They paid the premiums up until two years ago. And now we have to pay about $150 a month for both of us. Thankfully he has a very strong union behind him. We are definitely lucky for sure.
Jane H says
Hi Mavis,
This is proof that you must shop for a different plan. I am not assuming that neither of you are 65, so not yet eligible for Medicare. When those ads refer to people paying $10/month, the truth is that 1) it may be untrue but 2) there are also vast numbers of Americans whose income is so low that they qualify for low cost or no cost Medicaid insurance (which is the real name of the insurance provided through the Affordable Care Act for those who do not have a plan through their work, are self-employed, or contract workers – which far too many people are now.
The sad truth is, if we are not an employee of a company, the cost of health (of life) insurance quickly becomes prohibitive from age 55 on, and is frankly often unaffordable. Please research other companies. There are insurance brokers out there, I am told, who can help you find options. Yes, they are often on commission, however they have knowledge of insurance options about which we are unaware. Best of luck.
Jennifer H. says
I understand what you’re going through Mavis. Unfortunately if your income stays high, your premiums will continue to increase as each year older you are it becomes more expensive. We were in the same situation, $18,000 a year in premiums with a $7500 per person deductible per person. The only silver lining was being able to contribute to an HSA. The coverage itself was very limited as our state only offers HMOs on the ACA network. Our $18,000 per year got us a very narrow network ( three counties in our state only) with no out of network coverage.
We are now old enough for Medicare. Currently our premiums run about $8,000 per year, but the deductible is only about $230 per person and it is nationwide coverage at any doctor or hospital accepting Medicare. For us it is so much better than the ACA.
If you are self-employed, of course you are able to deduct the insurance premiums from any profit the business makes, That deduction makes the insane amount you pay a bit easier to take.
Charla says
My husband’s work charges him $50 every two weeks for our family of four. This includes health, dental and optical
Jennifer H. says
Mavis, I have one additional comment. It helped my mental health to think of my expensive ACA insurance as bankruptcy insurance rather than health insurance.
Vy says
For-profit health insurance is a crime against humanity.
Michelle says
Yep! I’m paying $800 a month for me and a $9200 deductible. It’s insane . We qualify for zero subsidy
Kate says
Retired public school teacher, age 60, total pension income is around $70k. Purchase health insurance through ACA. Cost for 2025 will be about $875/year (Blue Cross “Bronze” Plan) with a $7,500 deductible. Tax credits through ACA will be about $500/month (has been $300 in 2024) so my out of pocket cost will be about $375. Grant it, with the high deductible, I pay for all doc visits, etc. BUT two advantages: in the case of major health issue, I’m out no more than $7,500; and, I’m billed the insured rate which is substantially less than if I was uninsured. It’s not great but better than paying full price without ACA.
Jenny says
Reading through these comments is mind blowing!
For my husband & I, we pay $25 a week with a $2500 yearly deductible per person. This is through my husband’s employer. That doesn’t include dental which we pay $8 a week for even though it doesn’t cover alot. We still pay a percentage for cleanings.
On health insurance, it covers preventatives like mammograms, flu shots, ect. His company has their own on site, employee health clinic & my husband has all of his work done through the clinic. That saves quite a bit…he’s a type 1 diabetic. I use the clinic when it works for me but I pay quite a bit more for my dr. Lab work is our most expensive expense these days. We both have lots of it done often.
My husband is 62, I’m 58 & health insurance is the main reason he has not retired. The thought of finding good coverage anywhere near the price we pay now seems impossible.
Jaime says
Assuming the premiums are for a traditional medical plan, that deductible is STEEP! Have you looked for an HSA-eligible high-deductible plan as an alternative? The deductible and premium may actually be lower than a traditional plan, and HSAs (health savings accounts) are tax-advantaged accounts that let you save funds pre-tax for medical expenses, spend funds on medical expenses without taxes, and grow your account through interest or investment tax free. In 2025, you can contribute up to $8,550 into an HSA if you’re enrolling in a qualifying plan with your spouse. And it allows you to keep some of those premium savings in a place where you can use them if need be, and if not, that savings can keep growing over time.