The Health Insurance Beast

The Health Insurance Beast Ive put off this post for years because I didnt want to write something that would preclude me from getting health insurance in the future.   But its time. Yesterday I read a very short article from my local online news source: Report shows number of uninsured Utahns.   I could not believe that a third of Utahns under age 65 had no insurance at some point during the past two years. One out of three of us dont have insurance? I hear a lot of people who say I would like to start my own business but I have to stay at my job because of the health insurance. More important than salary (which they think they can replace (I think they can, too), more important than vacation or sick days or any other benefit, health insurance trumps all. Maybe thats why Obama got voted in, to help give peace of mind to this group of people who are uninsured. When I got laid off I had the option of purchasing COBRA.   COBRA is a brilliant program devised by our elected officials that help ensure we still get health coverage after we lose our jobs.   Oops, did I say brilliant?   I meant, the concept was brilliant.   The reality, however, is that its ridiculous.   My COBRA costs would have been around $700 a month. Help me understand how an unemployed guy with no income is going to come up with $700 a month for crappy coverage?   (The coverage, as far as I understand, is the same that you had at your former employer basically you are allowed to stay on that plan, but you have to pay your part PLUS the employers part and my employer had CRAPPY coverage). Ive heard of people getting quoted around $1,500/month for COBRA.   That is more than most people pay for a mortgage. How could the Washington bureaucrats have thought this would be affordable, even possible? Ah, the bubble they live in. And that is one reason why 1/3 of the people (if I can extend this Utah sample out to the rest of the U.S.) dont have insurance. I am not a fan of Obama, and worried about the socialism he talks about, but I wonder if he could somehow fix the healthcare crisis.   Not necessarily socialized healthcare but there are issues with private healthcare that Ill write about in another post. Health care its a sad state. The Health Insurance Beast Ive put off this post for years because I didnt want to write something that would preclude me from getting health insurance in the future.   But its time. Yesterday I read a very short article from my local online news source: Report shows number of uninsured Utahns.   I could not believe that a third of Utahns under age 65 had no insurance at some point during the past two years. One out of three of us dont have insurance? I hear a lot of people who say I would like to start my own business but I have to stay at my job because of the health insurance. More important than salary (which they think they can replace (I think they can, too), more important than vacation or sick days or any other benefit, health insurance trumps all. Maybe thats why Obama got voted in, to help give peace of mind to this group of people who are uninsured. When I got laid off I had the option of purchasing COBRA.   COBRA is a brilliant program devised by our elected officials that help ensure we still get health coverage after we lose our jobs.   Oops, did I say brilliant?   I meant, the concept was brilliant.   The reality, however, is that its ridiculous.   My COBRA costs would have been around $700 a month. Help me understand how an unemployed guy with no income is going to come up with $700 a month for crappy coverage?   (The coverage, as far as I understand, is the same that you had at your former employer basically you are allowed to stay on that plan, but you have to pay your part PLUS the employers part and my employer had CRAPPY coverage). Ive heard of people getting quoted around $1,500/month for COBRA.   That is more than most people pay for a mortgage. How could the Washington bureaucrats have thought this would be affordable, even possible? Ah, the bubble they live in. And that is one reason why 1/3 of the people (if I can extend this Utah sample out to the rest of the U.S.) dont have insurance. I am not a fan of Obama, and worried about the socialism he talks about, but I wonder if he could somehow fix the healthcare crisis.   Not necessarily socialized healthcare but there are issues with private healthcare that Ill write about in another post. Health care its a sad state. The Health Insurance Beast Ive put off this post for years because I didnt want to write something that would preclude me from getting health insurance in the future.   But its time. Yesterday I read a very short article from my local online news source: Report shows number of uninsured Utahns.   I could not believe that a third of Utahns under age 65 had no insurance at some point during the past two years. One out of three of us dont have insurance? I hear a lot of people who say I would like to start my own business but I have to stay at my job because of the health insurance. More important than salary (which they think they can replace (I think they can, too), more important than vacation or sick days or any other benefit, health insurance trumps all. Maybe thats why Obama got voted in, to help give peace of mind to this group of people who are uninsured. When I got laid off I had the option of purchasing COBRA.   COBRA is a brilliant program devised by our elected officials that help ensure we still get health coverage after we lose our jobs.   Oops, did I say brilliant?   I meant, the concept was brilliant.   The reality, however, is that its ridiculous.   My COBRA costs would have been around $700 a month. Help me understand how an unemployed guy with no income is going to come up with $700 a month for crappy coverage?   (The coverage, as far as I understand, is the same that you had at your former employer basically you are allowed to stay on that plan, but you have to pay your part PLUS the employers part and my employer had CRAPPY coverage). Ive heard of people getting quoted around $1,500/month for COBRA.   That is more than most people pay for a mortgage. How could the Washington bureaucrats have thought this would be affordable, even possible? Ah, the bubble they live in. And that is one reason why 1/3 of the people (if I can extend this Utah sample out to the rest of the U.S.) dont have insurance. I am not a fan of Obama, and worried about the socialism he talks about, but I wonder if he could somehow fix the healthcare crisis.   Not necessarily socialized healthcare but there are issues with private healthcare that Ill write about in another post. Health care its a sad state.