Prices are going up everywhere

So I get the mail yesterday and discover that my health insurance is going up again. I'm self-employed so I am self-insured. It already jumped over 15% in March due to an age bracket change (Happy Birthday to me) and now another 10% starting next month. Now I shouldn't really complain since my health insurance premium isn't horrible... still under $200 per month, though I predict that will change at some point next year or at least come close.

Self insured is an interesting way to be. It took a long time to figure it all out, being self-employed and all. I knew I had to have insurance, but didn't want to pay the $300-$400 everyone wanted for the "traditional insurance" with co-pays and prescription plans. I rarely go to the doctor if I can help it (those possible broken bones are a tough call) and I don't need to take monthly medication yet (knock on wood). So in 1999, I bought a hospital only policy, which was about $400+ per two months. It worked out, because in 2002 I came down with meningitis, hospitalizing me for nearly a week. If I hadn't had insurance, I would have been bankrupt. However, after a blood clot required me to end up on meds for three months, along with blood test after blood test, I got hit with nearly $7,500 in medical bills including my deductible. So after all that was said and done, I went in search of another policy. What I found intrigued me.

High-deductible policies: Where you pretty much pay up to the deducible in any given year and then covered completely after that. I decided that the meningitis was a fluke and that I could take the $5,000 policy. If I had had it back then, I would have only been out of pocket the $5,000, not the $7,500. And to top it off, it was half a premium than what I was currently paying. I thought I was set.

But then, I discovered another bonus, the Health Savings Account (HSA). This is a beautiful little account, allowing me to put in a set amount per year that I can use for medical expenses. The two main perks of this account are: 1) It's not a use-it-or-lose-it account, it can roll over year after year, and 2) the contribution is tax deducible.

So now I am paying a lesser premium, getting better insurance (BCBS), getting a tax deduction, and saving more for those unexpected medical expenses. What more can I ask for?

If you have any suggestions of questions, please feel free to comment.