Linkmeister

that's about what we pay per month for OUR part of our family coverage. That's with a yearly deductible of $1000 PER PERSON. Thank goodness I have pretty sturdy kids; the deductibles ate our lunch this year, though. And yet, I'm thankful to have even this coverage.

::putting fingers in ears::

lalalaaaa! I can't hear you!

The insurance thing is one of the most terrifying aspects of getting divorced, for me.

I have decided that the rates for almost everything we need or consider pretty much as a staple just keep rising every year no matter what. Just got my car insurance bill for the new year and it jumped $100 from last year's $100 jump - and we are talking a "preferred driver" rating. Looked at a cable bill from a few years ago and that has gone up approximately $20 a month. Phone bills are a whole other story - the basic rate is followed by all these surcharges and I recently heard that that some of the charges are there to be absorbed as expenses by the consumer that really should be expenses for the company! For many communities water/sewage bills have jumped dramatically in the last decade. And yes, the same is true for health insurance. It seems not that long ago that my copay for all prescriptions was $2.00. It recently changed again: $7.00 for generic, $15.00 for some brand names and then there is the $30.00 charge for those on some list and of course now there is the mail order system - and for maintenance medications is about the only way one can go without paying a monthly copay. My copay for two ongoing prescriptions (two levels of synthroid) is just a few more dollars than the price of the medication and this is thru mail order! I am beginning to think most people will need to keep working regardless of a decent pension and SS (wonder how that will be changed for those of us not yet eligible???) just to stay on top of a never ending escalation of everything. Can you tell this has been on my mind lately???!!!

But Who needs healthcare when you've got Jesus?

Sorry, I couldn't resist that, since I came straight here after Mike's blog.

I'm always bewildered when my mother talks about how much she pays for her supplemental insurance. (She's a self-employed senior.)

Chloe, if you can sue your financial advisor for bad advice, do you think that pastor can be sued?

Nancy, I've long argued that the Consumer Price Index basket doesn't contain the right products, so I agree with your premise.

Hi again,

One more tidbit on the increase in health insurance
premiums - a big article in the Kalamazoo newspaper tonight about a number retirees who just got their new premium rates from Pfizer, Inc. (a large pharmaceutical company -in Kalamazoo it was originally Upjohn Pharmaceutical before there were mergers, etc. ) and per the article some of the monthly premiums jumped from around $100 a month to over $500 a month. Needless to say, I think we are in a crisis when it comes to being able to afford our medical insurance.

My family of four pays $14,400 a year for health insurance, plus co-pays for office visits and prescriptions plus a deductible. It is good coverage, but it is far too expensive.

That's beyond far too expensive, that's into extortion territory. $14,400/year????

Followup on Pfizer rates - just heard on the morning news show that Pfizer is saying those rates given retirees were a "data error" but to still expect increases - probably the negative publicity was too much and Pfizer decided it was better to "correct their image." Wow, $14,000 a year...without that coverage would you normally have that much expense, Karen? There must be something out there that is comparable in coverage that is less expensive. Have you gotten any other quotes lately?

$486 a month for me and that doesn't include any prescription coverage. Fortunately I don't get sick very often. Three years ago it was $386 per month. By the time I'm 65, there had better be some reasonable solution or there just won't be any coverage.