High Deductible Family Health Plan

this is the same situation I am in- no more kids, own a business, insurance is insane. I'm definitely going to look for this kind of plan. Do they offer them in new york state? this could save me a pile of money.

Rebecca Clyde, a self-employed 31-year-old mother of two from Phoenix, shopped around and was put off by traditional health maintenance organizations' premiums, which were $1,100 to $1,400 a month for her family of four. "They were ridiculously expensive," Clyde said.

Because she isn't planning to get pregnant again, she said, she found a high-deductible family plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Lumenos that charged a $540 monthly premium -- in exchange for accepting a $2,400 annual deductible and $4,200 out-of-pocket maximum.

"I would rather just pay for what I actually use and have more control over the cost than front-load all the expense myself," Clyde said.

* Video: Check fine print on insurance claim forms

Since the beginning of the year, when her family enrolled, there was only one expensive month, when her two young children ran a $300 tab for a few medical appointments and a pricey antibiotic. But she figures they'll come out ahead by several thousand dollars even if they have a bad year and have to spend up to their out-of-pocket maximum.

Clyde said she's become a better consumer by asking for prices and slowing the urge to seek care. "In the past I would see something, say a little rash, and immediately take my daughter to the doctor. Now, I'll hold off or call the nurse line and ask should I come in or just watch it for a few days. This puts a lot of responsibility back on us to live a healthy lifestyle because that way we'll go to the doctor less."

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Sat. Sep 22, 8:34pm

This is very sad, the way our health system here in the US works. Sure, this may work for this family now, but imagine having and accident and running up a 100,000 dollar hospital bill? Our government should be protecting us. I really blame Bush and the Republicans.

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 8:47 AM

uh, 8:47- high deductible means that $100,000 hospital bill is paid for by the insurance.

Insurance is there to protect us- if the government was to do anythng, it should help people with high deductible premiums. These are the things that help protect families from the big stuff.

I think there is a role for both the government and the market. Isn't this basically what Hillary is saying?

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 9:40 AM

Oh, it makes me so glad I'm a Canadian. (sorry!) My work offered a health plan but I declined because it was $90 a month and I didn't figure we'd get the premiums back.

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 10:52 AM

So 10:52 you chose not to have health insurance?

I think the government should not be involved in health care at all. We should be able to get private individual coverage at a reasonable cost. If the dems have it their way they will raise taxes and make it so that every citizen has coverage. This is a nice thought but who do you think gets to bear the brunt of the costs? People like me who earn 70-80K a year, the people who earn more will always have huge tax breaks, due to donations and write offs. Its the middle class people who get screwed when the dems are in office. I'm not saying I'm a rep but I don't agree with all the social programs the dems want to instill. I don't mind paying slightly higher taxes so legal children can have benefits but I do mind when my tax money is paying for programs that illegal aliens are benefitting from. Don't think it happens? Look at CA and FL. I understand that people want to live here but you know what do it through the right channels.

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 11:31 AM

Unfortunately, 11:31, since we live in a democracy, people who make as much as you do kinda do need to pay those taxes. Sorry - we're not a completely capitalistic society yet, although we are heading in that direction. Ours is still sort of aimed at protecting the greater good, not just our own. The poorer class drives our economy, and tha tis just a fact.

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 1:22 PM

11:31 - this is 10:52 - No I don't have health insurance. But overall in Canada that's not a huge issue if you're fairly healthy. Most medical expenses are covered, you just need health insurance for prescriptions, physio and chriopracter, plus extras like a semi private or private hospital room, stuff like that. But even things like prescriptions, most plans only cover up to a $200 max, so it isn't that helpful to be insured anyway. The only thing that I sometimes worry about is ambulance - if we ever have to call one it isn't covered, it would be like $500 minimum. So even that isn't too outrageous. I do have extra dental insurance, though.

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 11:11 PM

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