spokane-medical costs (Seattle, Vancouver, Olympia: appointed, health insurance, attorney)

[monk1950]

my wife and i are looking at relocation from connecticut to spokane in 2008.
the 'cost of living' in spokane is quite attractive compared to connecticut in most areas except medical.
does anyone have any clue as to why general routine medical care is more expensive in spokane than in our neck of the woods which usually is the most expensive for everything.
the 2004 figures we're using show costs at 130% of national average!
thanks.

[the dufferz]

I am sure that there will be a varied and possible passioned response so I don't want to get too political, but part of the issue with health care cost sits with our now Governor, then attorney General who took steps that in many minds ended up pushing many health care providers out of the state. We have little to no control over runaway jury awards, skyrocketing malpractice costs etc. and she made it difficult for health care insurance companies to operate in the state, which is why there is so few here.

Hopefully other will be able to add to this debate, but this may also be a forum hot potato because of the political climate regarding her questionable election two years ago.

[KidBlue]

I was curious as to why Kaiser Permanente had not come to WA state (except Vancouver which is a spill-over from Portland, OR). This explains it. I noticed that although KP was established in most of CA and OR, they were only in Vancouver WA. I was hoping to have KP when I retire in WA and was disappointed they weren't in Olympia, but oh well....Maybe the politics will change in the future.

[monk1950]

both of you seem to confirm what i suspected.
my carrier (aetna) also does not sell in washington and i couldnt get an answer as to why.
seems everything relates to $$ one way or the other

[sunnyday]

My family and I are in the process relocating to Spokane (Colbert) from Riverside, CA next month and we, too, have KP as health insurance right now. According to the KP membership book, they operate under the name of Group Health in Washington instead of Kaiser Permanente. I had planned to call the KP member service center this week to confirm and set up transfer of our PCP.

[Ron House]

My wife and I are relocating to Richland next month as well. Good to have someone from home nearby

[cdelena]

We relocated from Dallas to Vancouver and the price of health care was one of the items on the negative side of our evaluation list.

In our six months here we have been pleased with the availability and quality of care but certainly are paying more. Since we have high deductible policies we are very aware of the prices since all but major care come out of our pockets (via a HSA).

Also interesting in our research was the only availability of a level one trauma center was in Portland and Seattle. We hope not to need one but were not fully aware we were surrounded by them in Dallas but are several miles away now.

All things considered the increase in HC costs did not stop us from moving to this beautiful area.

[NORTHERNLIGHT]

I currently live in Vermont and am considering moving to Washington. I'm a self-employed person carrying my own health insurance. Just wondering who can write policies in Washington state and what the premiums are like. I pay nearly $300 per month for a $3000.00 deductible and a $30.00 co-pay. No dental, prescription or eye care.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by NORTHERNLIGHT

I currently live in Vermont and am considering moving to Washington. I'm a self-employed person carrying my own health insurance. Just wondering who can write policies in Washington state and what the premiums are like. I pay nearly $300 per month for a $3000.00 deductible and a $30.00 co-pay. No dental, prescription or eye care.

You can compare plans using several web sites, for instance:

https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi...=WA&sid=WA+H+P

Individual Health Insurance Plans - Health Care Coverage - Washington

We have a high deductable plan ($3400 family) with similar coverage that costs us $410 a month for the two of us.

[NORTHERNLIGHT]

Thanks for the information. I'll check it out.