I don't mind paying more for good insurance but when they take out more of my paycheck to contribute to a retirement fund I'll never see & that I have to wait 5 yrs to have a claim to it while the legislature rides the gravy train for serving one day, that is what gets my goat.

Here's what I think. The State Health Care Plan is the biggest joke in the history of medical coverage. I don't work for them, but my husband and I were paying over $200 a month for him and myself to have the basic coverage. No children, no big issues. The State Health Care plan doesn't cover ANY preventative. I went to the doctor thinking I had allergies, but I didn't, and was charged for it. My doctor also suspected I might have thyroid issues so she ran blood work. I didn't have a thyroid problem, so I was charged over $900 in lab fees because it wasn't covered. I went to the dentist and it cost me $95 for a cleaning, no issues, no exams. The state paid less than I did. I tried to get an annual female exam - nope, not covered, that's preventative. Here's what I think, the State needs to increase their coverage and meet people halfway. If you're going to charge people more, at least offer them a half decent coverage level. The current insurance is a joke. And when you try to step it up even a little with a different plan offered, the price doubles. I left my husband's plan and went and got my own. It costs me $300/mo, but it covers me when I am sick or need a woman's exam which should be standard practice. Our state employees, or at least a lot of them, barely get paid minimum wage and their being price gouged on insurance.

For years state employees were not get pay increases. And every time they did the health insurance went up. Don't you think something is wrong with that picture?

And, with WHAT are these people going to pay? As a former State employee and in the health insurance industry, this is an incredulous joke. I hope that people will really pay attention to what is starting to happen and we will see much more in the near future. Whether we need national healthcare or not, the bottom line fact is this is the only way the insurance companies can stay in business. The brunt of the healthcare law was put on the insurance companies. Every time we pay a premium alot of that goes to the pay for people that don't or can't. Insurance companies have always taken a hit to a degree but now that everyone will be covered and paying for pre-existing, etc., it will eventually bankrupt the industry. In doing so, as a nation, we will have no choice but to go to universal healthcare. I am not one of those Chicken Little people. I walk in not knowing if it's my day to be laid off. My neighbor is a family physician and since the passing of the healthcare law, the medical center where he works was incorporated into one large collective medical company. They have told him who he can see, how many patients he must see a day and cut his salary by $30,000.00. I believe that everyone deserves to benefit from healthcare, but as it stands currently, it surely needed more thought before passing.