So 10 years ago DH and I bought our first life insurance when we had our first child. I bought a 25 year term for both of us. $500k for me and $2m for DH. Our premiums? $243/year for $500k for me. I was 30 and DH was 32. His was $1098/year. After 10 years of payments I have paid $2430 and $10,980 for peace of mind. It sort of bites to think I have spent that much but what if something happened? Or worse? What if something happens in the next 15 years?

As it stands I don't have more on myself but I have another super cheap $2m on DH through work. It's so cheap that we buy it. Might as well. Extra insurance. I have a large mortgage now and I still am not working full time.

But seeing these numbers makes me wonder if I should consider cancelling it? For sure I'll be happy when it's done. It sort of coincides with my DK2 finishing theoretically college if she finishes in 4 years. We'll be retiring so it should be great timing. But at that time we'll have paid around $25k for DH and $5k for me.

Should we cancel it?

Totally my fault because of scraping of my car this June 2018. It ended up costing $7000 to repair so I submitted a claim to my insurance company. It was an at fault accident even without anyone else involved. But my renewal rate was $1800 for 6 months. YIKES. So I shopped around and switched from progressive to Safeco. We managed to renew for $2225 for 12 months, seems to me like a great deal. Our home policy was $1000 for 12 months and $247 for Umbrella insurance for the year. I'm tempted to make this the last year for umbrella insurance. I don't think we need it anymore since we don't rent, don't live with others, and are more secure. But I guess it's sort of like term life insurance though you don't need it it's nice to have.

That being said in May 2019 I'll switch again back to Ameriprise. I just really like their customer service and I haven't really found the same qualify of service at any of the other insurance companies we've had. Last year we had commerce and they were awful. Progressive was better but still not great. I'm not sure how safeco will be but I'm on them for 9 months.

Ameriprise through costco is the cheapest I've found and the best customer service. We previously had them for 10 years and they are phenomenal. They are very responsive, very helpful, and super great at paying out claims. If anyone has not shopped through costco and checked out ameriprise I certainly would give them a shot.

Have you noticed the large variance of health insurance people have in the US? That even if you work and have employer provided health insurance there is a huge variability for what different companies pay and offer?

I mean there is huge variability in how much you pay of the premium. There is variability in whether you have a HDHP or more traditional HMO/PPO. There is more variability in your deductible. Also even within insurance companies depending on what you buy you have different levels of providers. Meaning some plans have more providers than others. It's crazy extent that that is so much variability that until you are in the plan you really can't evaluate how good it is.

Until this job DH's medical insurance was premium. We knew that from talking with friends. Now we are definitely still good but it's not cadillac good. It's still probably covered by the company 90% and 10% us. But the coverage is not as extensive we have Aetna versus BCBS for starters. And less providers take Aetna. But we can't really evaluate much more except it seems like there are higher deductibles but we never seem to have to pay for the deductible.

Would it be worth it to decouple insurance from employment? I think it would be very fair. I'm not sure we would come out ahead considering what it would cost us to insure ourselves. However I know we would likely self-insure and buy a cheap catastrophic plan and pocked the cash from the company. Of course that's assuming the company even gave us the cash from what they are saving for paying for health insurance.

I really question if companies really would give their workers the money from not having health insurance? Do you think they would? Or would decoupling health insurance just profit companies and make workers poorer?

This article in the Washington Post about

how Republicans and Democrats can work together to fix healthcare was interesting.

The first and foremost suggestion is to eliminate the tax free treatment of employer provided health insurance. The majority of Americans are covered by this. The biggest benefit go to the biggest wage earners like how SS tax is capped. I think it would be a good proposal and if we wanted to move to a free market health insurance economy the way to go.

The idea is that people have to buy catastrophic insurance and then if you have money you can buy more layers of insurance and care. Or you can deposit it into a Health Savings accounts for maintenance/prevention. This will help probably the very rich and the poor. But middle class people if I had to guess will end up with the short end of the stick.

I will guess that employers will not pay people more to supplement the tax on the health insurance they provide. Or if they don't need to provide health insurance anymore and EVERYONE has to choose to buy it, that people won't get an equivalent raise. I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if we were all in the same boat of having to buy insurance. The only thing that would have to be left in effect is forcing insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.

But if we all didn't have employer provided healthcare? Do you think it would be better? Are you willing to give it up or pay taxes on it?

Donald Trump will repeal parts of Obamacare on the first day in office. I believe this will happen with the republican congress. This is absolutely going to fufill their desire and promise.

I'm excited. I'm a socialized medicine supporter and that's not what Obamacare is. I felt and still do Obamacare was better than what we had. But it wasn't what I would have chosen.

I am curious what Donald Trump will replace it with. He has 10 weeks to propose and tell us what is the Republican answer to Obamacare and how it is different. I believe this is exciting.

Why?

Because I think we're about to blow up the American Healthcare system. I think that we are about to cause a catastrophe and health insurance and health care costs will skyrocket in a way the republicans can't even begin to predict. I think it'll spiral out of control faster and unexpectedly and this will cause the US to face the music sooner. Obamacare is actually a system proposed by the Republicans in 90s when hillary proposed socialized medicine during the clinton years. Yet 20 years later they hate it.

CCF you always talk about how bad socialized medicine is with military. But senior citizens have the largest socialized medicine system in the US it's called medicare. Second what do you propose to replace it? I am still waiting on what people propose to replace Obamacare?

Repealing Obamacare will include cutting the subsidies for working and middle class americans. It will allow insurers to lump together high risk people making insurance if I had to guess incredibly expensive for them. But apparently you will be able to buy insurance across state lines.

I am going to guess without being forced to charge the same for high risk preexisting condition people and those who are low risk insurance companies will start to run wild on premiums for everyone.

But this will be a very interesting 10 weeks as we wait to see how this experiment turns out. Do I think Obamacare a success? Yes/No. I think it's great to give coverage to those who couldn't buy it before. But it's not the plan I would have liked.

But now I think Trump will blow it all up by moving toward a free market healthcare. I don't think people really want a free market healthcare when they realize they have to pay for their actual care.

I watched online segments of the Republican debate. I found it interesting. I am curious do most people support the idea of de-linking health insurance with jobs? Are conservatives and republicans for this idea or do most people want to preserve their employer provided health insurance?

Obamacare is actually a republican health policy idea started by republican conservatives in 90s in response to Hillarycare. Personally I would prefer socialized medicine. I like the premise of pre-existing conditions not influencing insurance. Obamacare is the idea that everyone has insurance. We already have single payer insurance in the US it's called Medicare. And no one appears willing to give it up. So I'm wondering if that's the case why are people against single payer over everyone?

I'm very curious and willing to give de-linking health insurance a try. I think we should do it for a 4 year stint and see what happens. Personally I think that the divide between the rich, middle, and poor will become cavernous and people will realize those who can afford health care will receive superior care to those who cannot afford to pay. I also believe that quality of life will fall a lot. That crime and people in poverty will increase tremendously.

Why? We currently pay $700/month for insurance HDHP plan with a $6500 individual, $13k family deductible health plan. This is basically only to prevent BK situations, but everything else we're footing the bill. Previously we were paying $120/month biweekly or about $130/month for a PPO plan provided by DH's company with $20 co-pays.

Now they claimed the benefit was $20k/year for a family, since we paid 10% or so of the premium. Now will the company give us a $20k/raise? I have my doubts. But if they did it wouldn't cover moving to a HDHP unless of course they covered the deductible or a portion of it too. I suspect highly coveted employees and fields will have their premiums covered and deductibles into HSA, but the lower wage earners will not.

I think health care will entirely benefit those who can afford it. Can you pay cash? Then move to front of the line. After all if we were all on HDHP, wouldn't the question arise how are you paying for seeing the specialist? Can you pay in full?

Do you think we could move to a true capitalistic health system de-linked to employment and we all pay our way? Would it work? It would be a very interesting experiment. And one which I think would either supremely work and prove capitalism or flame out and prove healthcare can't be linked to money. Either way I think the US needs to try this out and determine if the value of a human healthcare can be priced. What an experiment.

So this year after moving our premium for our 2010 Subaru Outback and 2006 Hyundai Sonata is $612 per 6 months or $1224 for 1 year. This is for full coverage on the subaru outback and liability only on the sonata. The breakdown is $345 for 6 months on the Subaru and $267 per 6 months on the Sonata. We are carrying the maximum coverage besides at $250k/500k/$100k and $500 deductible and $250k/$500k coverage on collision.

This is with terrible driving records such as 3 accidents on record at fault. And our premium for sure went up from last year because my DH had I believe 1 claim from being hit while parked, and 1 claim for an at fault accident. My DH is the one with all 3 accidents and all claims thus far.

Last year we paid for full coverage on both vehicles for 1 year $534 for the Subaru and $527 for the Sonata for 1 year for the $250/$500k/$100k limits and $500 deductible.

This year we pay $167 for renter's insurance and $200 for $1 million dollar in umbrella coverage. I priced out progressive, geico, aaa and no one else was close to in price for our cars/homes, driving record. I love Ameriprise.

I am curious if anyone else with Costco membership has priced out the auto and home and umbrella insurance and if they are with Ameriprise or have they gone with Geico or Progressive or someone else.

Everyone I've referred to Costco insurance has switched because it's been cheaper than what they had. So I'd like to know what companies can beat cost? I think that savings on the insurance alone more than makes up for the membership since you can get membership for $55/year.

We've got great coverage for our health insurance through my DH's job. However less and less is being covered and "co-pays" and premiums are going through the roof. It's going up faster than our raises percentage wise. I know others here will weigh in but I hadn't really thought about it till I looked at my DH's paystub this month and cringed a little.

In 2015 we are paying $135/biweekly (26 payments) for family health insurance. We paid in 2014 $119/biweekly for an increase of 13.4% in one year. In 2013 we paid $101/biweekly for an increase in 2014 of 17.8%! In 2012 we paid $96/biweekly for an increase of "only" 5.2%. In 2011 we were paying $84/biweekly for our family plan for an increase of 14.3%. In 2010 when we had our first child and moved to a family plan it was $82/biweekly so the increase was only 2.4%

So in 5 years our premiums have gone up 65%. I imagine in probably the next two years we will have doubled our premium cost. What can be said and done? I don't have a clue. I guess we just suck it up and say I hope we get a raise, which has happened but it's been 2% merit increases. How do we keep up with inflation when some of our fixed costs are spiraling out of control?

I'm not complaining. I'm actually happy we have health insurance and it's a very generous policy. But I worry how much more expensive it's going to get and whether we can ever afford to leave a "group" plan and buy our own.

Have you been tracking your health insurance premiums? Dare I ask what others pay? I am going to guess a lot.

I like this blog better than my old one because I don't feel constrained to only talk about finance and money.

So I've been worried about my best friend, I don't say that lightly, my maid of honor and friend of 30 years is sick. She's so sick she hasn't been able to work. She is using Quest health insurance. So of course she put off going to the doctor. She has stomach pains and can't walk, eat, or anything. Yesterday she finally got an appointment with an GI specialist after over a month. They are going to do a endoscopy next week.

The real issue is that she was calling around everywhere and MOST doctors say they don't take quest. It's health insurance for the poor/welfare in Hawaii. Of course with the super low reimbursements many doctors won't see you. So without a job she's unable to go to the doctor but she's been in too much pain to work. I truly believe she is sick. She's never been someone to not work or complain. But now what??? I've always been a firm believer in single payer/socialized system. I married someone from a single payer system. Now more than ever I think the US needs a change. It's not working our system, we're failing to provide basic care for people.

Another interesting update, one which okay I'll admit the people involved are STUPID. My DH's best friend, best man/30 year friendship has gotten his wife pregnant. Sounds good? Nope. They live on two opposite coasts and have been married since the horrible wedding in May, and haven't decided where to live. They are 11 weeks pregnant and have no plans on where to live or even give birth. I suggested making a decision because at 38 years old she's a high risk pregnancy and finding an ob/gyn at 30 weeks pregnant (they were thinking she'd move to our city for birth then back to her city) would be a good idea. What happens if she goes on bed rest? Or can't fly? Actually at that far along she probably shouldn't be flying. The idiocy makes me wonder why they got pregnant? Truth is neither wants to move and compromise but they thought the baby would make one of them change their mind.

Life and it's crazy. I can't obviously say this in real life and my DH would be upset for me calling his BFF an idiot, but he is. FWIW he used to be the trustee/executor of our will. Now with all these idiotic decisions we're revisiting the issue.