“After I pay huge monthly premiums Blue Cross redefines the only medication I use so they don’t have to pay.”
In January 2014 I received the following information about my individual healthcare plan:
"Medical plan premium
As of April 1, 2014 the monthly premium on your health benefit plan coverage is changing. Your new premium will be $1764.00, an increase of $266.00 or 17.7%."
Since March of 2011, I have seen my monthly premiums increase from $1,003 a month to over $1,700. That’s over a 70% increase! My PPO deductible also increased from $500 to $550. I take only one medication. Out of nowhere Anthem decided to change my medical plan to create a category called preferred medicine that would not count against my deductible. The cash price for this medicine is $39.79 and my co-pay is $30.53. In other words, after I pay huge monthly premiums, Anthem Blue Cross redefines the only medication I use so that they don’t have to pay for it.
The premium increase, deductible increase and the added medication cost, have increased my total annual costs by $9,002 to $21,538.
The person who stands alone as an individual pay party has no protection. I think small business has done a little better, but the individual policyholder is really getting hurt. I have a plan that has been grandfathered in and I believe they are raising my rates in order to squeeze me out of this plan.
Prop 45 will give us protections that we desperately need.
