Insurance Premium Woes

I recently received a notice in the mail from my insurance company. Guess what? My premiums went up. I know this is nothing new when it comes to insurance, but we're now paying almost $95 per month MORE than we did last year. Guess my 9 months of ultrasounds, bi-weekly blood tests, monthly urine samples, and high-risk labor and delivery costs didn't go over very well at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield headquarters.

Just because I'm a glutton for punishment, I thought I'd call to make sure there wasn't a mistake made, or to see if I could appeal the increase. While the woman on the phone was very nice, I definitely heard a giggle or two on the other end of the phone when I posed my questions. She said three things that pretty much shut me down:

*The increase is based upon the past year's insurance claims and benefits paid.

*She's never seen a premium increase reversed.

*She can't transfer me to the premium appeals department because it doesn't exist.

Despite the bad news she delivered, she was very sympathetic, citing how her daughter also had a chronic illness and she, too, had very high premiums. Well - misery loves company, I guess!