Insurance surcharge

By: Barbara Heatherly | News Channel 7
Published: May 15, 2009

I work for a local company here in spartanburg, and have been there for 3 years. when I first started, I of course signed up for company insurance...A deductible of 250.00 leaving me paying 10.50 a week. A few months ago we had a company meeting stating that cost has escalated, and we the employees must pay an extra surcharge of 24.96 on top of what we were already paying. A few months past, and yet another meeting...Surcharges were going up another 19.46....Today, another meeting. Surcharges are going up again 88.84...this is ludicrous, and before long the employee's will be working to pay "just Insurance" It really makes me angry that with the economy as bad as it is how are people suppose to pay rent, and or mortgage? the company says before it's over we will be paying as much as 900.00 a month. whats a person suppose to do...It is told that our insurance is Individually owned through Blue cross/shield and it is legal to charge whatever they want, and on top of that, they say we can't drop the insurance unless proof is shown that we have other insurance. It is really hard out there, and whats worse is the salaried people are excluded from paying any surcharges. NOT FAIR! I would like to ask 7 on your side to get behind this story and see if anything can be done. I may be speaking out alone, but, I speak for every hard working individual at Spartanburg Steel. I have checked out alot of insurance companies for more affordable insurance, with no luck, and the lowest deductible I have found is 2500.00 as a person making just over 13.00 an hour..I could never afford to pay 900.00 a month insurance payments and expect to live too. Help us 7 on your side. I am withholding my name for fear of getting terminated.