posted Wednesday, October 8, 2008 12:52 p.m. I think I'm an example of the middle class, which is being squeezed from every direction. My health care is tied to my job. When I don't have a job, I am uninsured. I am a very fit, active and healthy 30-something who applied for individual health coverage in April, after losing my job and not being able to pay for COBRA, which is prohibitively expensive. In the past, I obtained BlueCross/Anthem coverage with little trouble. But this time, the questionnaire was much more intrusive and I would up being offered a premium which was MUCH higher than what was originally quoted for my age because I was honest and said that I suffer from the occasional migraine. The premium they wanted was close to $400 per month and they lump in this type of headache in with much more serious afflictions, such as epilepsy. So, I went without coverage for two months, until I got my next job. But what if something happened to me during that time? Who would pay for it? Unemployment benefits don't include some form of health coverage, which I think is criminal. Aetna's individual coverage also includes a preliminary "nursing department" phone call that pelts you with a barrage of very intrusive, embarrassing questions and they even demanded pathology reports from my doctor, going back 7 years. Frankly, the number of uninsured will continue to rise unless the insurance industry is stopped. If you ever have even the most minor medical problem, they will find an excuse to raise your premiums or drop you all together.
-Andrea
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