My Private Health Insurance Hell
I am 54 years old. I am slightly over 6 feet tall and weigh 183 lbs. My cholesterol level is ridiculously low and my blood pressure was 130/78 last time I measured it. I avoid red meat and eat an almost exclusively Mediterranean diet. My workouts at the gym would put many much younger men to shame. So why do I pay $748 per month with a $10,400 deductible for health insurance? Why was I denied any health insurance EXCEPT through a STATE-RUN shared risk program for 5 years?
Well, there two reasons. First, I am self-employed and therefore do not benefit from the shared pool of risk that you automatically receive when you get your insurance through an employer. Second, and more importantly, I am a Type I diabetic. I have been very healthy diabetic, for the past ten years, with none of the complications that most diabetics struggle with. I am lucky in that regard but also very mindful of my condition. My A1C level (blood glucose) is 6.3 which is higher than that of a non-diabetic but much lower than that of most diabetics. What is my reward for such stalwart efforts to stay healthy? My insurance premiums have climbed an average of 21% per year.
And, yes, I am afraid of government run healthcare. Those lower premiums just terrify me. Those lower administrative costs have me really worried. I am deathly afraid that Congress won't write the bill and the President won't sign it into law soon enough. When can I sign up?
To see who is doing what about healthcare in Congress check out http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/