broken promises.

[markio26]

what can we do to protect ourselves.... i mean really... job downsizing, govt benefit changes... i try to work part time, save more than just save, stay well, wait and see what happens.. we are prepared to pay our own medical again... right now laf pays most thru aetna... it looks like in the future we are gonna have to go it alone...what lies ahead for todays workers?

[Ima saver]

I have always planned to have to support myself in my old age and pay my own medical bills. I always have. No insurance and no benefits!

[boefixepa]

I'm with Ima....I have a hard time depending on others. I figure I will just plan to be able to take care of my self. I have just been let down too many times and it really is no ones (especially the governments) job to take care of me. I'm able and willing do to it myself.

[Haku]

I know I'm a simpleton with a simple answer, but I believe one of the easiest ways to protect yourself is to simply pay down debt and end up with low monthly expenditures. That way, even if you become downsized, it won't be as difficult to get by and recover from it.

[marjorie]

Trying to keep a decent skill set prolly wouldn't hurt either...

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Having good friends and being part of a small, chosen community that gives one another help in everyday matters would be helpful when times get tough.

[Fern]

Since health care costs are skyrocketing and represent one of the biggest expenses for most people (unless you're in your 20s and lucky), maybe starting a separate savings/investment account just to cover health care expenses.

[abowers]

I'm 22 and I still pay $59.26 each paycheck (every other week) for health care and dental (for just me). That's $1540 a year out of my already small Preschool Teacher paycheck. I understand this is much better than having some sort of catastrophic emergency and being uninsured, but that stil sounds like a lot of money to me!

I'm also going to have to figure out this COBRA thing/extending my coverage until I can get health insurance through my grad school in September. I will be quitting the preschool thing to start my graduate assistantship at the beginning of June -- but I don't think I'm eligible for the grad student health insurance until I am a full time student in the fall. This is all very confusing to me!

[Ima saver]

Wow, I would be thrilled to pay $1500 a year for health care. Ours ran $7000 a year and that was with a $5000 decuctible, so we never got a penny out of the $90,000 we put in it. It went up every year, so i finally dropped it about 4 years ago.

[abowers]

That number is just for my own health insurance. I think it might be like an HMO type plan, I.e. I have to see doctors in the Aetna "network" and I need referrals.

Since November when I started on this plan I've only seen a doctor once for a sore throat (thanks to working with preschoolers I'm exposed to everything), had 1 prescription for amoxicillin, then was referred to a specialist for my temporarily enlarged tonsils. (...Gotta love the preschoolers, when I worked with teens I didn't get sick once last winter!)

Then I had 1 dental cleaning. I haven't gotten my money's worth out of this!

[PRICEPLUS]

I pay over 700 hundred a month. I am gambling that I will get sick and they are gambling I won't! Quite a distorted way to look at life. The lions share of medical costs will be amassed in the last six months of your life or so I am told!

[flash]

Yes, but you don't know when those last six months will be...age 30 or 80?

[PRICEPLUS]

I'd say the average is closer to 80 than it is to 30.