Steep Health Insurance Increases for Individual Policyholders

I sympathize with John Meyer regarding Blue Cross increases. I am a single person, age 61, and healthy (no claims in several years). My premium rates have been raised over 30% in 1988 and another 43% starting in July. My premium is now $675 per quarter, $1,000 deductible.

I would like to ask the state Board of Insurance why the individual rates have increased and not the group rates--is that discrimination or not? I was under the impression that California wanted to reduce the number of uninsured; by the latest premium raise the state will find thousands more to add to the 5 million already uninsured.

Blue Cross spokeswoman Jeannette Hartman made a statement that the average increase was approximately 17%. I would like to know how she arrived at those figures. If I can have enormous increases, what kind of increases must people have who made claims for significant or insignificant illnesses?

When will the ordinary hard-working people get fair treatment?

YVONNE P. HIGGINS

Sierra Madre