Deductible: $5,000 per person
Insurer: Blue Cross Blue Shield
I'm self-employed, so I buy my own health insurance. I cover myself and my wife, and I think we have pretty good coverage -- a lot of people I know have the same. We've had the policy for about 10 years now, and our premium started out below $500. We want to switch to a cheaper policy but can't because I have low platelets which is seen as a preexisting condition.
Since I have a high deductible, I end up paying for everything myself anyway, and I buy the medical treatments that I think are necessary, but that seems so outrageous. Sometimes they deny me coverage I need and other times they want to send me stuff that's covered that I don't need, like a sleep apnea machine.
What I want fixed: I'm for the public option because there are so many uninsured people and it would put pressure on insurance companies. Because of their profit motives, insurance companies have a direct conflict with what's best for me and benefit from denying coverage to me and so many others.
NEXT: Brian Kelly: Small business owner
