Did the Virtual March on Washington today and BCBS raised my rates another $50

Just got the letter in my mailbox today. I cannot take it anymore. We might be at the point of dropping my policy. BCBS went from charging me a bout 325/mo a year ago to over $535/mo now. Did anyone else have this happen to them recently? They had just bumped mine $100/mo more in November. Has anyone attempted to get on one of their cheaper plans?

but these are strange times, and I've just had to actually get medical care recently, so they might "punish" me for using up some of my deductible.

given that neither one of them support expanding Medicare to all of us, perhaps they'd be willing to pick up this and any future increases you get. (Yes, I know, Franken supports a "public option" which is better than Klobuchar's wishy washy position - but this vague PO doesn't sound like what we really need).

We should all be sending them, as well as any House members who do not support single payer, our insurance and medical bills and asking for their help. They can use some of those "contributions" the health insurance industry has given them to pay our expenses. Besides, they never hesitate to ask us for money.

:thumbsup:

I should have some uncompensated medical bills coming in soon, thanks to my elbow injury.

while they see how well he tolerates chemo. The doctor does expect him to be out for the 12 weeks FLMA allows. Thankfully, he has short term disablility insurance but he has to pick up his medical insurance premium. There's no way he can cover it and his other expenses with the disability payment. Not only does he (obviously) need the insurance, but three of his kids are still on his policy and his youngest daughter has a baby due in April.

Luckily I'll be able to help with that, but it blows any delusions I had of maybe buying a condo or townhouse any time soon. I have every intention of sending our illustrious representatives the bills as well as pointing out that every cent I spend on insurance is money that doesn't go into a more productive part of the economy.

Only in America does a person facing a serious illness have to worry about how to pay not only their medical bills but their regular living expenses - and then worry about what happens if they're out more than 12 weeks and their employer doesn't hold their job. I am so angry I can hardly stay rational when I read or hear someone defending this sorry scam Obama and Congress have come up with.

Given Amy's total lack of interest--until the past week or so--in doing something to lower the costs of health insurance through the use of a public option, she especially needs to see your bills. She has to be the most despicable and cruel Democrat we have ever had in a Senate seat.

The next time she shows up in one of her witch (black) outfits or mafia (black and white) outfits, I think I'm going vomit.

I hope everything goes well for him and that he has a speedy recovery. Please give him my best.

No one dealing with a serious illness like that should have to worry about paying medical bills on top of everything else. They have enough to deal with as it is. It always burns me up when I hear stories like your brother's. No one should have to go through that.

I'm really glad you're able to help him out but it's not fair that you have to put your own goals for owning a house on hold in order to do that. If we had single-payer, your brother's medical bills would be taken care of and you could continue to shop for a house. But instead, you have to hand over your hard-earned cash so some fat-cat health insurance exec can further pad their wallet. In addition, as you pointed out, forking over your money to the insurance company does precisely squat for the economy.

We need single-payer and we need it now. (And that's coming from someone that has excellent health care and isn't paying much for it, thanks to my bennies at work.) The so-called HCR bills they've been bandying about in Congress are nothing more than handouts to the health insurance execs. What happened to letting people "buy in" to the same plan Congress has? Or the plan to pay for HCR by repealing the tax cuts on the rich? Don't hear much about those ideas any more now, do we? Instead, they give us things like mandates and taxes on the "Cadillac" plans, two things people thought they were voting against when they voted for Obama instead of McCain. (I voted third party so don't blame me. ;) ) The mandate forcing people to buy insurance is straight-out extortion, pure and simple. They need to ditch the bogus bill and give us single-payer. Any one of them that doesn't step forward and demand single-payer needs to be voted out, regardless of which wing of the corporate party they belong to.

In the meantime, we need to elect a governor that is a big advocate for single-payer for MN. I know John Marty is one. Not sure if there are any others (Dayton maybe?).

about "people are getting their rates raised %20" is either BS or ignorant. Mine has increased about 65% with no end in site. They have raised my rates on average every 3-4 months.
I think I figured something out today. If they keep raising and pushing higher and higher they will see how much they can milk out of you. If you have to attempt to get a cheaper policy, I believe that they can maybe at that point dump you. Either that or sell you a box of rocks. It is a nasty business practice, and having said that, I now wonder why the whole HC INsurance Industry is not hauled before a committee with an investigation on "blackmailing, sucking the public dry, possibly even a multitude of illegal business practices because it has "trapped" the citisens of the US into a position where they loose their homes, their lives and their sanity. Not to mention the economy.
They are a business. Not part of our Government. All politicians should also be held accountable to payoffs from this industry.
perhaps I wish for too much since they cannot even charge Cheney with anything.....
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I'd like to know *why* a 65% increase? Why? (Even 20%....why?)

I agree with you too on "All politicians should also be held accountable to payoffs from this industry".

Something like a Send Your Medical and Insurance Bills to Your Congresscritter group.

You should post it in GD.

To cut the read tape, maybe you can change your billing address with your health care provider so the bill would get sent straight to the elected official of your choosing.

As an alternative, maybe you can call the DFL and ask them for money. They sure don't hesitate to call us repeatedly to beg for cash. Time to turn the tables on these guys. Make sure to call the DSCC too. After all, they stuck us with Amy so it's only fair for them to suffer the consequences of their actions.