[Jackie07]

Looks like I'm paying the most expensive one - our (COBRA)premium just went up to $899 (for the two of us) a month (starting December) from the current $749 because the school system switched the carrier from our hospital system to BCBS. There are PPO options that are much cheaper but will not cover pre-existing conditions. (Looking forward to the health care reform that hopefully will balance the bill a little better when everyone's pre-existing conditions are covered.)

We've been with the same HMO since 1991 after my first brain surgery. I had sent an e-mail to the President about our health insurance premium. I told him that back in 1991, our (my husband and I) insurance premium was a little less than 1/4 of my monthly unemployment insurance benefit. By 2003, it was more than 1/3. And now, it's more than 1/2. (No, I did not collect unemployment compensation for the whole 18 years. But every time the economy is down, I'd have major surgery and then lose my job after the one year that is protected by law.)

Being chronically ill, I know I've always consumed more than what we have put in. And our illnesses have had nothing to do with either our life style or health habits. We both were on college sports teams and have always enjoyed outdoors. One of our early dates were on the tennis court and basketball court.

One of my Church members who visited me last Sunday had commented that "Everybody's got aches and pains..." I think the hardest part on this journey is that 'Nobody knows...' the magtitude of the problems we are facing besides just aches and pains...