Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
•••
Outrage and snark boiled over at the news of the in-plain-sight murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last week. Shock and ashamed glee that someone had finally taken action took over our annual anger at the uniquely American ritual of open enrollment — the yearly process of deciding which health care plan puts us at the least risk of potential financial, emotional and bodily disaster.
There is rarely an upside to wrapping up open enrollment and sending in the paperwork, and there is often a feeling of having been the victim of an elaborate scam. I am a tall, able-bodied white guy with a college degree, and tend to benefit from my status as someone who fits in, and I still feel like the health insurers somehow got me again every time I make my choice and hit the send button.
I started a new job last summer, and I spent hours in June comparing deductibles, out of pocket maximums, formularies, coinsurance (?), limitations and exceptions, all to figure out what plan to buy. Spoiler alert — Affordable Care Act plans were not the answer.
It’s open enrollment again, and my wife and I are performing the annual Rubik’s cube of risk — what to do about health insurance. Our coffee table is covered with clipboards and piles of paper, my laptop opens to too many spreadsheets that try to make sense of it all: Monthly premium? In network/out of network? Would that actually cover everything in a bad year, or would they unveil hidden rules that deny the expensive stuff?
Does the Apex plan cover the doctor I like, or should we go with Select or Peak because those are larger networks? Bronze has a higher deductible, Silver has 20% coinsurance. Is there one number we can distill this all down to so we can do a reasonable comparison?
Are you bored yet? Enraged? We are both.