Insurance (Florida: middle-class, rental, health insurance)

[EvaRB]

We do not have insurance as we are 1. Extremely healthy and 2. Spending too much on housing and food to afford the steep costs here.

We are considering leaving Massachusetts in September as a result of this new policy (I CANNOT believe it passed!) that everyone MUST pay for health insurance. I can hardly remember the last time I went to the doctor! We eat better than anyone we know, exercise moderately, and when I once was in an accident, I gladly paid my bills. I am so frustrated about this! I don't have the money to give some big insurance company even more lined pockets.

Is anyone else dealing with this and actually considering a move? I looked up the cost of insurance in Florida, it's less than 30% what we've been quoted here, and they don't require it there!

[skytrekker]

I think the costs of insurance will be based on a 'sliding scale' based on household income- the costs will be much lower then those now set by Insurance underwriters. And will be considerably cheaper then rates in Florida- which will still be set by underwriters- and will NOT take into account your income.

The difference is universal coverage as opposed to an individual or family judged for profit.

Massachusetts's experiment in health market reform is already showing progress. The average Massachusetts resident without health insurance will soon be able to obtain coverage for $175 per month through the state's Connector, a health insurance exchange for individuals and small businesses.[1] Because the Connector can accept pre-tax defined contributions, many will secure even lower premiums. A middle-class individual, for example, whose employer designates the Connector as its employer plan, could purchase that same health coverage for just $109 per month.[2] In addition, that individual would be able to choose from a variety of carriers and plans and maintain coverage from job to job--aspects of control that few Americans have today.[3] These early results demonstrate the dividends of state-level experimentation. Other states would do well to learn from Massachusetts's example, observing what works and what does not, and craft reform plans to meet the needs of their citizens, adjusted for their political culture and legal arrangements.

Lower Premiums

Massachusetts's latest premium estimates are dramatically lower than projected in a widely reported January 2007 memorandum that foresaw $380 per month individual premiums.[4] The current estimates are in line with the original projection of approximately $200 per month targeted by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2006, when he first advanced his health care reform proposal. In 2005, the average monthly premium for a single person in the Massachusetts small group market was $350.[5]

[EvaRB]

I've been quoted by a number of places in Florida that won't even do business in Massachusetts because of the high costs here. The only place I could find who does business where I live won't insure just one family. We're looking at a minimum of $1000 to insure the whole family.

I work for a business of only two employees and my husband is a contractor, so we do not have any options for our employers to pay.

We live in a small rental on Martha's Vineyard, not in a tiny suburb in western Mass, so we must make more money than the pittance they suggest just to breathe and eat.

What they want (which is documented) is for people like me (who had $0 in medical costs last year) to be part of the pool so that people who eat the standard American diet and don't exercise can pay less for their insurance. Why should my good health lower the insurance for those people who are always at the doctor's office as a result of their lifestyle? And if you're curious, my husband also had no reason to go to the doctor last year. Both kids went for a physical but never actually got sick. Why should we line someone's pockets with $12000 pure profit?

I'm just wondering if any other healthy and uninsured people are also thinking of leaving because of this absurdity.

[skytrekker]

All I can say is if your income is very high- you will be compelled to pay the top rates based on sliding scale-

I would assume if you have a gross adjusted income of 100000K a year and are a family of four- you will have to pay the top rates (whatever that is) Have you checked with the state of Mass. for an exact amount?

Someday we all need health care- our lives and health may change-and not always for the better. I also have a very good diet, go to the gym 5 days a week, do not smoke- but as I got older developed high BP- and was also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I now pay $380 a month with BC BS- and have a $1500 deductible - and buy my meds from Canada.

I frankly would welcome lower insurance rates- cuz- you never know when you or your kids may need it.

[EvaRB]

The cutoff on that sliding scale is in the low 60s for a family our size. We make about 70K between the two of us... And would be willing to pay for catastrophy insurance or something like that, but that's not what the state wants. They have many requirements for the level of insurance they feel we should buy. No one in our whole family uses any medications, and we all eat 6-7 raw, organic fruits and vegetables a day.

We would literally have no choice but to start eating nonorganic food or leave!

But we avoid pesticides and take such good care of our health because it is important to us...

I could understand if we were older and more likely to need meds for something, but I just don't appreciate the state government legally requiring me to hand over my paycheck to an insurance company so that someone higher risk can pay less for their health insurance. It's not MY fault we don't have state health care or the insurance companies want to make so much money off of their clients!

I'm considering moving us somewhere else for part of the year and claiming residency elsewhere, but should I be forced to move?

I may as well just move to a communist country and see how that works for me! (Which, I guess that obviously wouldn't work well for me!)

And $380 seems like a ton of money to spend, but to have no choice to spend it, that's a whole bigger deal.

[skytrekker]

Well $380 is more then I can afford

but what choice do I have? If get sick I loose everything I have, my home-everything.

I can understand your position- however I am looking for the day when quality health care will be available to me for much less money.

I cannot tell you the amount of stress this causes. Also the USA is the only representative country (not Communist or Socialist) on earth without universal or affordable health care- that says something about the values and foundations of American culture and society.