I moved to Vermont 10 years ago, fully expecting to retire here as I had stream of income that would get me to the age of 63 and, I thought, enough savings to make it to Social Security and Medicare. Then, slowly, the reality of health insurance hit.
My wife and I watched our annual premiums grow like kudzu, choking out everything around it until it was all we could see. Premiums of $9,000, $11,000, $14,000 and up.
Switching to a high-deductible policy got us some premium relief, but we still send the insurer almost $700 a month. Not to mention that we now pay the first $4,000 of medical expenses. We did a long-term budget a few weeks ago, and these health care costs are the major expense. Goodbye, retirement! Hello, frantic search for part-time job!
This is no way to run a country, or a health care system. Reform. Reform now. And don’t get caught up in the scare tactics of the people who make their money off the status quo.
LEE RUSS
Bennington