[RaginCajunTrad]

health insurance?

I don't know why I bother. It was totally outragous for awhile ($500-$700 per month) till somehow I got on a plan for $200+ per month. We rarely have claims and they were always small, only using the prescription card feature. Our highest annual claims was about $600 and still we got clobbered at renewal time. Myself, it doesn't matter, but I can't bear the thought of maybe not getting services for my wife or the two children still at home.

I thought about dropping the coverage. Like I joked, "If something happens, they can have all my mortgages."

[Conservative til I die]

Re: getting clobbered with new rates, I'm totally with you. I have COBRA, and thank goodness I just landed a job about two hours ago, and my rate -and this is as a contractor through an agency- went from $275 to $360. They then lowered the rate to $340 but I get an extra $10 on my copay. Outrageous.

[malakhi]

I thought about dropping the coverage. Like I joked, "If something happens, they can have all my mortgages."

The only problem with that is, those who have no coverage at all, and who are unable to pay for care themselves, end up being subsidized either through our taxes or through higher insurance premiums for those who do have coverage. Our system doesn't deny treatment to those who need it. But someone has to pay for it.

I have been considering dropping my HMO coverage for a major medical plan. The way premiums keep rising, I could be further ahead paying out-of-pocket for the little things, as long as I knew I had coverage for any major problems which could arise.