Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Heavy Health Costs, Pt4 -- Even for Insured

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A typical testimony by small business owner, Mike Roach for a Senate hearing led by Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, went like this: “Last year, Mr. Roach paid about $27,000 in health premiums for his eight employees. ‘It’s a huge chunk of change,’ he said, noting that he was forced to raise his employees’ yearly deductible by 50 percent, to $750. “

All across this country, ordinary workers are being squeezed right out of employee health insurance altogether. In the Florida panhandle city of Milton, Brian Falacienski was a surveyor for a construction company when he was laid off. When he finally found work again he found the employee health coverage was simply out of reach. He could not afford the $800 per month premiums, nor the $1,000 deductible that came with it. He was supporting a wife and a 2-year old daughter. The Falacienski’s searched around for individual insurance alternatives and managed to find minimal coverage at $161 per month for Brian and his daughter. But, because Brian’s wife has some medical conditions, the four major insurers they found all rejected her. She even tried Medicaid but was rejected because she didn’t meet their “lower-income” criteria. Mrs. Falacienski still has no, and may not get, health coverage.

The employee health insurance plight a continuing issue across our land with no immediate end in sight. Perhaps, greater numbers of our more fortunate population will take heed to these threats, assist those struggling and press our leaders for a serious and effective resolve before things get much worse. Otherwise, they certainly will.