Open enrollment is underway, and many families are weighing their options for health insurance. A recent poll shows six in 10 adults worry about being able to afford healthcare. Wesley Chapel residents say they feel priced out of the market as coverage becomes increasingly unaffordable.
Joel and Jessica Provenzano, self-employed realtors with Florida Executive Realty in Wesley Chapel, must buy their own coverage through the federal marketplace. The couple, who have two children, say the cost has climbed dramatically. Jessica Provenzano said last year their plan cost about $560 a month. This year it rose to about $1,000 a month. Keeping the same plan next year would cost about $3,400 a month.
Joel Provenzano said the price has doubled and then tripled within two years. Deductibles and copays add to the monthly premium. He said the family has calculated that paying their doctors directly costs less than holding health insurance.
Jessica’s thyroid cancer diagnosis this year made going without coverage impossible. Joel said removal surgery without insurance would have cost more than $200,000. He said no one can predict their health needs, regardless of age.
Eduardo Solis Cordova, an insurance agent with about a decade in the business, says the largest rate increases have come in the last two years. He said the average increase in Pasco County is about 10 percent, and some carriers raise rates as much as 30 percent. Shoppers in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties are urged to compare plans carefully before enrollment closes.
Originally reported by ABC Action News
