That’s crazy.
Sounds to me like some of y’all need to get your state insurance commissioner to step up and do his or her job better.
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I once met an adult who enrolled in two state university courses each semester, partly to qualify to buy the student healthcare. (About 10 years ago, it was about $2k/year).
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OMG - all these #s are dizzying. Like wow…how are people paying this??
I wonder how many go uninsured because they can’t afford insurance.
Scary
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I don’t get your point. So it’s ok or no big deal for that # to increase? What will that do to emergency rooms/hospitals who have to treat? Good luck getting timely care at your local ER or urgent care.
Im sure there are plenty of urban dwellers who also have no health insurance. Does that make it ok to have those #s increase?
If I’m missing your point, please let me know.
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63 year old state retiree on a state plan until Medicare at 65. Spouse is 64 year old state retiree with same plan. No premium or deductible increase this year. All those years of low state pay may be having a bit of a silver lining. We still pay for our two almost 25 year olds to be covered until they are kicked off at 26. They both have grad student insurance through their universities but I feel better knowing they could file under ours as secondary if needed.
Our homeowners insurance, however, increased by 36%.
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My point was exactly what I said.
There are the insured, the underinsured and many uninsured. Even when there were income based subsidies that provided very low premiums those uninsured people remained uninsured.
Yes, many uninsured people in rural areas go to the ER when they really need medical intervention. Other than that they simply live with whatever health they can maintain. Some people don’t stress about insurance.
In some rural areas, hospital closures are making even that “access” to health care less available.
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But those uninsured numbers everywhere - rural, urban, suburban are going to increase and when you show up for urgent medical care - insured or uninsured- you’re going to be waiting in the same long, long line.
Because people make do with being uninsured and are ok with it (or uneducated about it or unhappy about it) doesn’t make me turn my head and be ok with it. Especially if they have children who may have medical needs - they shouldn’t have to make do with whatever health dice they roll.
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I never said I was okay with it.
We already got one warning, let’s get back on track and move away from the politics.
Starting in 2026 both my husband and I will be on Medicare, so I have not looked into the Marketplace insurance rates for next year (which I used this year.)
We both needed to get on a new dental plan (used the marketplace the past few years). I selected a plan from Delta Dental and when I put in my age, the rate went up. Being over 65 made us have a higher premium for a dental plan.
The Medicare drug plan that we paid fifty cents a month for in 2024 will be $17 a month in 2026.
Dental is tricky. Coverage is expensive, and there is often an annual cap on non-preventive work of about $2k. Many retirees I know opt to self-pay, especially if they have high HSA balance.
re: self pay– I’ve had two successful attempts at paying out of pocket (pulled out my checkbook on the spot) in December when I had not yet hit my very high deductible for the year. An “off the books” colonoscopy (the gastro called it that- it was perfectly legit and at a well regarded day-surgery center) and an opthalmologist procedure.
I just said “I’m sure billing and then waiting on insurance costs your practice money– do you want to get paid now?” and the docs both looked shocked and said “of course”.
Since I hadn’t met the deductible anyway (so paying out of pocket regardless) this short circuited the entire “get the procedure, practice bills insurance, I get billed” runaround.
I got a heavily discounted rate (less than what I’d have paid through insurance) and a lot less bureaucracy. Interestingly, the only provider in the chain who would not play ball was the anesthesiologist… huge multi-practice provider, I spoke with their billing person several times who said “we have a process. It makes no sense, but it is what it is” which I can totally understand. But for the relatively few physician owned practices out there– it’s always worth trying to negotiate, no?
I don’t need anything for the rest of 2025 (fingers crossed) so I’m just going to be grateful that despite the exorbitant rates I pay, I’m healthy so it’s a win, even if I got “no benefits” from my insurance this year (except for free covid and flu shots).
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I would love to find a catastrophic policy where we pay a minimal premium, and then just pay out of pocket for things like colonoscopies and routine care.
But the only catastrophic plans I can find through the marketplace aren’t much cheaper than the regular plans. Sigh.
I’m supposed to chat with the insurance broker today to talk all this out.
Surely, surely this will all come to a head, and the health care model will get “fixed” in this country, right? Probably not in my lifetime, but I’m hopeful for my kids. 
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I share your hope. Paying the ‘real rate’ is shocking because you see that actual “health care” isn’t as expensive as what most of us think it is. When the bill doesn’t have to pass through six different hands and entities; knocked down for the “negotiated rate”, then the machinations to figure out what portion goes to the deductible, what portion gets paid from dollar one, etc,– the bill seems reasonable.
Years ago I had a one night hospital stay and then a surgical procedure. The hospital bill was almost 40K (one night). The only reasonable charge in the entire ordeal (in my opinion) was for the surgeon. By the time all the bills were submitted (doctors I never even saw but apparently showed up in the OR or walked through my cubicle in the ER) of course my share of the bill was less than $1000. But the complexity of it all- yikes.
An hour long surgical procedure plus aftercare and follow-up by a highly trained, triple board certified surgeon– it should be a few thousand dollars, right? A night in the hospital with no meals, no procedures besides taking vitals every few hours– why is that almost $40k?
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Looks like costs (employee + employee) will go up 5-10% for the employer plans where I work. Although not as dramatic as others have mentioned, this is still a larger increase than general inflation.
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I have a phone meeting on Monday with the insurance broker that my husband’s employer has retained for retirees and spouses to use.
I looked at the plans again. The plan I was going to pick is now $150 more expensive a month than it was a week ago.
The cheapest plan is now an HMO, I was hoping for a PPO but they are now more expensive. My medical needs are low, am I wrong for considering a HMO plan?
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Probably depends on what specific PPO and HMO and what providers each includes.
I think it depends on who is in network for you. Some HMOs have richer in network doctors than others. So…check that.
Also, if you do travel out of state more often (snowbirds, for example) an HMO is usually an issue in terms of finding providers.
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All my providers are included, one PCP, 2 specialist that I see once a year.
Not a snowbird.
It will be unlikely I will meet my deductible if my present health is any indication. If I do, then I do but this year I paid for everything out of pocket that wasn’t preventative
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