Thanks for all the fabulous comments on my last post.  I got some great suggestions that I was able to follow up on.

Going on COBRA is considered an open enrollment event, meaning I can change anything and everything about my coverage.  If I drop to the least benefit plan that still has prescription coverage, I can cover just myself for under $200 a month.

Then I can put the kids on a good preventative plan to cover all the well-kid visits, vaccines and inevitable ear infections or pinkeye or strep, the usual stuff that comes up. Hubby can go on a high deductible catastrophic type coverage with an HSA.  We ought to be all covered, at least somewhat, for around $500 a month.  Much more palatable than $1200 a month.  It's still a ridiculous amount, but you really can't go "naked" anymore, since one incident can bankrupt a family.

For example, a family member recently had to go to the hospital for a suspected stroke.  Luckily, that wasn't what had happened but for 4 hours in a room, the hospital charged $10,000. That is JUST for the room, not the doctor, any tests, or anything else.  That's about $42 a MINUTE to occupy some space.

Another reason I find $500 a month unreasonable - it doesn't cover any doctor visits for me until I meet my $1500 deductible.  God willing, I won't meet that most years.  Roughly $7500 out of pocket in a year before they will pay to see my PCP or endocrinolgist. 

I keep hearing the presidential candidates talking about keeping costs reasonable.  No one defines reasonable of course.  With the kind of money these guys have, they probably think $6000 a year to insure a family of 4 IS reasonable.  And let's not forget that is with 3 different plans cobbled together.  Do you think that's reasonable when my homeowner's and auto policies together aren't half that amount?