I"m using my personal circumstances as an example, because it is pretty typical of the situation here in the US.

I didn't start work for the agency until March of this year. They apparently had a BCBS plan previously. Then, last year, a couple of their employees had major and expensive illnesses that the insurance company had to shell out for. Companies must renegotiate premiums with insurers yearly. Because of the high usage of the insurance by employees last year, BCBS jacked up the rate they offered to the agency for this year. The agency couldn't afford it without passing on costs to employees at a rate they knew employees also couldn't afford.

The company I worked for until they closed shop in this region in February experienced a huge increase in their BCBS premium for 2008 and what I paid for family coverage increased from $210 per month to $430 per month. I was part of the reason for that huge increase. I had to have a complete cardiac work-up last summer which cost several thousand dollars. With the coverage I had, I paid just under $800 out of pocket and the insurance covered the rest of it.

When they laid me off, the cost to continue COBRA coverage for the family was $1056 per month. (For non-USA folks, COBRA coverage means a person who is laid off can keep their medical insurance under the group plan where you work for 12 -18 months, provided you pay the full premium at the private rate.) I kept the COBRA coverage for estranged hubby at a cost of $350 per month for this year.    Since he won't be 65 and Medicare eligible within the 12-18 timeframe, I am delaying the divorce, because once I divorce him, he becomes eligible for another 12-18 months coverage - if he can afford the premium.