Next Tuesday, the Assembly Health Committee will consider AB52(Feuer), a measure to allow state regulators to deny unjustified and unreasonable health insurance rate hikes.
She testified recently at a state legislative hearing on the rising cost of health care. Here’s her story:
We are currently paying Blue Cross $950 per month for 2 very healthy adults and one equally healthy 8-year old. My husband’s company supplements his premium or we’d be paying $1400/month. Beginning in September our premium is skyrocketing to $1400 even with the supplement from his company. We can no longer afford this policy, which isn’t even good coverage. It offers limited care with a $500 deductible per person and a $30 co-pay for each visit. I would like to go to the doctor for physical, mammogram and pap smear exams, however, since I would have to pay out of pocket for these routine visits, I have not gone. We are now forced to switch to a cheaper plan with even less coverage, which is going to cost $1020 per month. We are going broke paying for terrible insurance. We had our rates raised by $200 only 6 months ago and 6 months before that and on and on. If rates keep going up at this rate, we may need to drop coverage, because we’ve got a house payment and our income is not increasing at the same rate. Our family needs rate regulation and I hope you will support it.
Legislation