Monthly Archives: April 2008

People are worried

By Jan Greene
This just in…California healthcare consumers are increasingly worried about being able to afford the rising cost of getting medical care. A Field poll indicated that 59 percent of voters are "very concerned" about not being able to afford the costs associated with a major illness or injury, up from 48 percent of voters [...]

Yes, You’re Paying More

By Jan Greene
If it seems like you’re paying more for your healthcare, you probably are. A recent study, reported in the Washington Post, shows that Americans buying family health insurance coverage through their employers saw premiums rise 34 percent between 2001 and 2005. During that same time average family incomes rose only 3 percent. You [...]

Has Your Insurance Changed?

by Jan Greene
OK, let’s get things rolling here. How about some dialog about how insurance is changing these days. Many people have told me about shrinking benefits, higher deductibles and certainly higher premiums over the past few years.
I’m self-employed and buy an individual, high-deductible policy. I pay the first $2,500 of most things, though a [...]

The Ideal System

By Jan Greene
So I’m all excited about providing the blogosphere with a new place to talk about how the health system is affecting consumers. But it’s hard to talk about without getting into how our painfully flawed system should be designed.
I’m a journalist, not an advocate, so it’s not my business to promote [...]

We’re on our own

By Jan Greene

Greetings. Have you noticed that your health coverage has gotten more
difficult to deal with in the past few years? I’ve been asking around, and here
are the kinds of problems people tell me about:
–An employer’s health plan changes and suddenly a family is responsible for
the first $750 of spending before insurance kicks in. They [...]