It’s not just Walmart. I pay almost 4 grand for premium plus a 3 grand deductible. I work in healthcare for goodness sakes. Needless to say, they get what they want... I can only afford one visit per year. Economic rationing.
Earlier this year those on our small group plan had the choice of A $2,500 deductible and premiums doubling to $800 a month on average for an individual, or a $10,000 deductible with premium only increasing to $400 a month. Most took the bizarrely high premium because there was just no way to make it work for $800 a month no matter what you cut. The only ones who went with the lower deductible had preexisting conditions or dependents who did.
If it gets much worse I’m going to be going in the hole every month just to live, no debt other than a mortgage, live pretty frugally. Forget savings of any kind with that sort of hit. Raise? What raise? Haven’t seen one of those in five years.
I’m better off than many of whom I’m aware, at least I have savings to dip into. Them, they’re looking at their own personal fiscal cliff. It’s not going to be pretty.
Then I got to thinking about when I took a trip to Germany I got an insurance policy that would have paid out about $500,000 for medical if I'd have needed it, costing me only slightly over $100.00.
Then I got to thinking how much would it cost to have travel insurance for a full year and it was only $1400. Something is wrong somewhere.