Health insurance question/help

[duid12]

Hi folks.

A question for you, a problem for me. I don't get health insurance thru an employer any more so I have been paying it myself for about 5 years now...in that time it has gone from about $430 month (for a family policy) and now is upwards of $850 per month.

Policy is with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mass. It is schedule to go up another 16% next year (and probably thereafter...) which brings me to about $12000 per year or more than 1/3 of my gross income....its rapidly becoming unafforadable. (It is already)

I have 4 kids and maybe another on the way next year so just doing without health care is not an option. Questions are: does anyone know of any cheaper policies in Mass? Also, we are pretty healthy family and are considering just pocketing the $12K per year and saving it for a disaster and paying for expenses out of pocket...anyone else do this? Anyone know what routine care costs? How sick would you need to be to actually use up $12K in health care?

The way I see it, over the next 5 years I'll need to make and pay around $65-$70K in premiums, and chances are I'll almost certainly not need that much care. But you never know for sure until it is too late...

Suggestions? Comments? Is self-insuring to risky?