You know I think one of the big problems with today's Healthcare cost is the fact that we just don't want to be bothered. I really do we want Big Brother or our Doctor or our Insurance Provider to do it all for us, and we are willing to pay a heavy amount upfront to rid ourselves of accounting and involvement into our own workings of our health care cost. The last 6 years I have been on Medicare I have seen my Supplement Insurance go from 1000 dollars the first year to last years premium of 2200 dollars. And a couple months ago when my new bill came it was for $2350 and it got me to thinking. Thinking is good, sometimes it pays off to think about and investigate where are money is going. So first I had to find out just how this Medicare/Supplement things even works, you know it kinda helps if you do that first. Well that did not take to long, you see first Medicare is billed and they are the ones that set the pay amount a doctor or other provider is to be paid for a service for our health care. And I learned that they then pay the provider/doctor/hospital 80% of the accepted amount and then my supplement paid the other 20% and with my PLAN F that I had purchased through Anthem Blue Cross 6 years ago I never ever saw a bill for my needs. That is good, I loved it, I just got what I needed and paid my yearly bill that went from 1000 to 2350 in those 6 years.
So armed with my quickly learned knowledge of the "system", I decided to see what I was getting for my 2,350 dollars per year. I had knee surgery a little over a year ago, I see a skin doctor twice a year and my GP I check in with about every 3 months for ongoing odds and ends but nothing major...My ticker and my other essentials are for the most part functioning well....So I called Anthem and ask for a print out of all they had paid in my behalf for the last 2 years. The results came in a few days and I saw that they had paid a total of 2000 dollars over that time but had collected from me about 4300 dollars. That kind of got my attention, but then I realized that part of this is having the coverage in case I get the big quadruple heart by pass or have to fight cancer or other really bad stuff ahead...But I just could not seem to let it just go away and I was told by a couple people that Bankers Life and Casualty was a good company. So I called them and set up and interview. I told the agent I was interested in what they had to offer but was hoping to lower my cost of protection. Turns out Bankers did have the plan that I believe will keep me a little busy writing small checks now and then but will save me some big bucks down the road.
You see I had "Plan F", with Anthem and never saw a bill but it does not cover any drug expense, and that I was OK with as I get my 6 drugs that keep me going at Wal-Mart using the generic stuff for 10 bucks for a 90 day supply...So for about 20 bucks a month I am purring like a kitten getting a back rub....as far as drugs are concerned and that has been my healthcare cost for the last 6 years, well except for me paying eye and dental expense although some of my eye doctoring is covered by Medicare also. And of course that big bill I have been paying to Anthem for my Supplement Plan F....
Well to make this long story not get to long Bankers Life offered me the same Plan F but with a 2000 dollar deductible for a fee of 326 dollars...I checked with Anthem and they did not offer a high deductible Plan F so I made the switch...Anthem and I parted ways I kept my 2350 dollars and gave 326 of it to Banker Life for the same plan but with a high deductible...So now I will see bills for the 20% that Medicare does not pay. I will still have them bill Bankers Life each and every time so as to keep them abreast of what I am paying...And if I should have the big stuff happen to me I will go through the deductible pretty quickly but then they will kick in and pay everything after I pay my 2000 dollars...So unless I have missed something here I think I have taken a good course. Instead of paying 2350 up front, I now will pay a maximum if I have bad stuff happen to me of 2326, but if I stay green side up the next few years and go along like I have been, I most likely will pay the average of 1000 per year in bills and I will keep that 1350 dollars a year in my pocket or somewhere inbetween, but regardless from my vantage point I can not loose....
Now I think this could also benefit the whole healthcare system, because while I am paying these little trivial bills now and then until I reach the 2000 deductible, I am also personally involved in the cost of my healthcare. Will I go without healthcare to save a little money? No I won't, but I may from time to time say do I really need that procedure done that the doctor says may help me, or will I be just as well off without it. I don't know for sure as I am just beginning this journey, but I think personally it will be good to be more involved in the cost of my care, and at the same time I like the idea of most likely saving some pretty big money each year. And at the same time having the same plan that I had before and knowing that my maximum payout will not be any more even if I have catastrophic things happen to me...
I think it is going to be fun....and others may want to think about the same and long term for healthcare cost in this country we may all benefit.
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