Today I got the renewal letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield. As they have done every year, I expected that there would be somewhat of an increase in my premium and the deductible. Last year the increase was in the range of 8% and the deductible increased by $100. I was expecting around the same increase.
They did not fail to disappoint. My premium increased by a whopping 10% and the deductible by another $200. I was upset, but only slightly.
What really got me though was the letter that accompanied the rate increase.
The costs of heath care and prescription drugs continue to rise.
Costs of most things are going down, except of course the service they provide.
Covered individuals are using more services
Oh right, it must be entirely our fault. The poor struggling company is doing all it can, despite us greedy consumers who take and take.
We promise we are doing all we can to manage costs
Sure they are, manage costs for themselves, by kicking off the sick from their rolls. But of course despite their "cost management" I'm not holding my breath expecting the savings to be passed on to me.
They did have suggestions however for keeping my costs down. I could go to this brand spanking new plan of theirs that carries a deductible of a whopping $7,000 at its lowest range. My premium savings a month under that plan would be $50, exactly what I was paying last year. The total cost of this grand plan, that is supposed to save me $$$, turns out to be $2,000 more than the plan I have now.
I count myself lucky that I can absorb the extra cost, even though it means that this year we will be getting less per paycheck than we did last year. We have been living very frugally and will continue to do so. I cannot imagine what families that are already struggling would do, with when faced with increases of this magnitude.
It really is time we move to single payer system.