For many Texas teachers, health insurance premiums are huge -- but so are the hospital bills

* Medicare for All.


It's not unusual for teachers to spend over $1,000 a month on health insurance.

by Forrest Milburn April 12, 2019

16 hours ago


In the past, Becky Amason rarely worried about making a trip to the doctor’s office — she was covered by her husband’s health insurance plan. But that isn’t the case anymore.

Last year was the first time she’d ever been on an insurance plan offered by her employer, Sanger ISD. Like many other teachers in Texas, she chose the cheapest: a traditional plan with low monthly premiums but a high deductible.

Those plans often work out for healthy folks with no chronic issues — as long as there are no emergencies. But in December 2018, high blood pressure spikes and sudden dizziness sent her to the emergency room. Her doctor told her she was fine — but the examination alone left her close to $5,000 in debt from out-of-pocket costs.

“It was kind of a debacle,” she said. “Afterward, you see the bills roll in and start to say, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I went to the ER.’ Next time, I think I’ll just die if I have to, because it’s so expensive.”

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