As an example of healthcare costs spiraling out of control, I thought you might be interested in knowing that Blue Shield’s “Shield Savings (NOT!) 2400/4800” healthcare plan has raised its monthly premiums $500 PER MONTH in 2010 for an annual increase of $3000 out-of-pocket during a serious economic downturn when folks are even more impacted with budget concerns.

This is for health insurance my husband and I hardly ever use as we prefer alternative health care, which BS (how appropriate) doesn’t cover. We get NO discounts for the numerous healthy lifestyle choices we live by: non-smoking, teetotalling lacto-vegetarians since 1970, eat only organic foods, no microwaved cooking, daily meditation for three decades, Tai Chi practitioners for over a decade…and more.

I spent six months looking for more affordable health care in 2009. The lower cost company, HealthNet, came up with any excuse they could find to deny one or both of us, despite our long term well-being. We have both recently turned 60. We suspect health insurance companies would like to force their older clients out of their rosters as the likelihood of having to pay out for us increases as we age.

We are seriously considering dropping BS insurance coverage. Unfortunately, there are NO affordable alternative options to purchase. This is an outrage considering our annual 25-33% income taxes buy us nothing!

We’ve got to demand change for the better.
Cynthe Brush