I have direct pay medical insurance through Univera. I received a notice in the mail today that the premium is going from $778 per MONTH to $973 per month.

This insurance is just for me -- DH is on Medicare.

Anybody else have direct pay insurance? Do you pay that much for your premium?

I am just sick to my stomach. My pension from my job after working 36 years before the company closed is only $681 so it does not even cover my medical insurance. What are people supposed to do?

Unfortunately, my job does not offer medical insurance so I have to have direct pay insurance.

That seems quite high. I would perhaps contact a broker and see if he can find something less for you. YIKES. I could definitely NOT afford insurance were it that high......

Sorry for the bad news!

__________________
"Well-Behaved Women SELDOM make history."Laurel Thatcher Ulrich


"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

What is a person to do. That is awful news. I hope you can get insurance thru another company.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I have checked out every avenue available here in western NY. We only have three companies (Univera, Independent Health and Blue Cross/Blue Shield) that offer individual direct pay insurance

The high cost of medical insurance is, sadly, directly related to the inflated salaries of the greedy so and sos who rule the drug and medical industry. I am sorry about this. Nobody should have to pay so much. My Mom also pays around this much out of pocket for her insurance she is in her 70s.
We have none due to the high price.
I always just say "we are too poor for rich people sickness". God forbid anything happens we could lose everything.
There may be other avenues open to you if a major expense is medicines many companies these days provide free medicine to people.

__________________
The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Ouch! That's ALOT! Have you considered just a catastrophic plan? Take the money you are spending now and save it in a special account for routine medical. We had to do that for a year. My ex was self employed and we just weren't making enough to carry regular coverage.

__________________
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

What is direct pay...is it different than a regular personal medical plan?

__________________
Come and visit the gang at TLJ
PM me for info

OMG That is very high and expensive, thanks to my father in law whom my dh works for, its family business, Dad and his 4 sons. He pays for our medical and dental coverage. I could not imagine having to pay that much. Sadly its a fact for so many people.I have always said to many people , why as Americans we are the richest country can we not have free medical and free dental and free prescriptions like so many other countries do. And I always get the same reply, while they offer everything free, we here in America have the best doctors and the most advanced medical technologies, do you agree with this. Its truly hard most on lower income families and the elderly..Has to be a better way... peace. Catherine

How about a plan through one of them with a HSA attached to it? It could offer you cost savings and tax benefits also.

My DH has no health insurance and we have tried to get it and no-one will underwrite him and one company would and wanted $1,400 a month and thats more than he gets in Disability Insurance a month, Luckily our Dr's office only charges us $60 a visit and has him hooked up to free medications from the manufacturers.

But it is because people in corporations that deal directly with the medical industry why we have to pay so much. I remember doing a tax return for a Pharmaceutical rep about 7 yrs ago who made over $100,000 and she was moaning about how she couldn't support just herself on it, I bit my tongue bigtime. Its just greed pure and simple and affects those who can least afford to not have insurance.

__________________
~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

Yes, I have checked into that kind of plan, but I have some chronic health conditions that require medications and ongoing care. And since I'm 61, they are only expected to get worse over time. Therefore, a catastrophic plan wouldn't provide enough coverage for my medical care.

I think it's probably the same. Direct pay simply means that the subscriber pays for the premiums themselves (rather than through an employer). Obviously, employer-sponsored plans are much cheaper.

Have you checked to see if you qualify for Healthy NY? We used that for our insurance when the company dh worked for closed - I think it's around $200/month for an individual policy.

Yes, I have checked.

Unfortunately, this is one of the requirements:

You have not had health insurance for twelve months prior to your Healthy NY application or have lost that coverage due to a specific event.

Since I have been paying the $778 a month for the past couple of years, I am not eligible. Because of my health problems, there was no way I was going to let my insurance lapse since I would have trouble getting insurance again because of pre-existing conditions.

Seems like I (and many others) just can't win.

YIKES!!! Looks like you have exhausted all avenues possible. Maybe Obama in office with be able to help us all....

__________________
"Well-Behaved Women SELDOM make history."Laurel Thatcher Ulrich


"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

Yes Barack Obama will indeed help us all with better medical care for all.. The way it should be... Peace.. CAtherine

AARP Membership - for Men and Women over 50 Here is the aarp info hope this can help you

Holy cow!! That is unreal!! I have mine thru the hospital I work for, and it went up to $200 + a month, and I was upset over that. You're deal is much worse!! Keep looking, surely there is something better!

__________________
*** Find A Need , Fill A Need ***

Catherine...I would love nothing better than for this statement to be true, but we have been hearing this for many, many years. I think with the economy in the trouble it is now, healthcare will not be high on the list! There will be more attention put on finding and keeping jobs.

Tammy I beg to differ if you say we should worry more about people lossing their jobs, when your laid off or fired you medical coverage is gone, so worrying about health care should always be a big issue at hand .For anyone whom does not have medical coverage, and they are seeking immediate medical care, they are forced to go to the emergency and then they are stuck with huge outragous medical bills. Of course Tammy you are right that we also must be very very concerned with anyone lossing their jogs or being laid off. Honestly all we can do as a nation is pray that the new year will be better for so many people. I personally do not feel it will happen over nite, perhaps 1-2 years, which in todays day and age is a long time.. HAppy Thanksgiving... Peace.. Catherine

That's scary that you have to pay that much just for one person. I can't imagine how much it would be if you had to pay for an entire family. I guess I shouldn't complain about what we have to pay through DH's employer. I hope you can find a better solution.

WWW.NY.GOV here is the state site for your state perhaps there is something for you there. I would try all the senior services to see if you qualify also. Good luck.

AARP® ESSENTIAL PREMIER HEALTH INSURANCE
Presenting AARP® Essential Premier Health Insurance, insured by Aetna. Custom-designed employer-like benefits for AARP members aged 50-64 and their dependents.

We’re sorry. The AARP® Essential Premier Health Insurance Plan, insured by Aetna, is not yet available for sale in your area.
Unfortunately, there are no insurance plans available for your state and age online.

I cannot believe this -- even the AARP can't help me

Is it possible you could change jobs? I used to work for a health insurance company....the work was very boring, but the benefits were excellent. There were many people who stayed there just for the benefits. Think of it like this, you would be giving yourself at least a 200/month 'raise', maybe even better, since group benefits are generally cheaper! Larger employers generally offer better benefits. Even Walmart offers medical insurance to FT employees.......

__________________
"It's not about how much baggage you have, it's about whether or not you can carry your own baggage with grace and dignity."

FYI, T-Mobile provides health insurance for part time employees. I've noticed that they're hiring. Maybe in your area also??? Maybe also if you're able to find a part time government job? I know Red Lobster offers health to their employees.

__________________
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus