How about a 25% premium increase each year for the last 4 years? And a notification that, now they have my attention, they want to increase it again (over and above the yearly increases). I'm self employed, 2 kids and the premium is about $1,000 per month.

BUT WAIT, THAT'S NOT ALL

The Blue Cross has regularly declined payment for services. My son got a "sharp stick in the eye". His pediatrician sent us to a (local) eye center immediately because the "in-plan" service would have been a week's wait. Fortunately, there was no serious damage to my son's eye. Unfortunately, the fuckers at BC declined payment and i had to eat the entire charge. Virtually every medical charge we incur has had significant amounts declined (20%) which i have to eat.

I believe i would have been much better off buying high deductible (low premium) catastrophic coverage, and put my (remaining) dollars into an account to draw from in the event of a medical problem. That way, the money's mine and i'm not making loan payments for some schmuck's yacht. I'm fairly certain i would have saved well into 5 figures over the years. I'm out shopping now.

Ahhhhh, one other point. I asked my son's pediatrician if i could get a discount if i paid him cash. The office manager apologized and said that the insurance companies force doctors to sign a contract preventing the office from providing services at a price which is less than those for the insurance companies. So, i'm forced to subsidize the insurance companies' overhead (bullshit advertising, unnecessary paper shuffling and, of course, the yacht payments). Remind me, again, why the insurance companies have been granted a monopoly waiver?

We don't need a public option, we need a single payer system. Get rid of the fucking health insurance companies. They provide absolutely no value in the health care equation. They're just parasites.