Copayments

I can't stand copayments! Mike and my insurance costs have been outrageous lately. I have had to look through a maze of options for us. One thing I don't see is the need for all these various copayments! Isn't the fortune we pay per month enough to cover expenses? I understand having a deductible which would lower costs for us and the insurance companies, but if I am paying an arm and a leg each month, why do I always have to pay a copayment? It seems no matter how much you pay, you always get them. Now that I have diabetes, the more frequent office visits I must attend and the copays on the drug prescriptions are really going to add up. According to Wikipedia, "A copayment, or copay, is a flat dollar amount paid for a medical service by an insured person. Insurance companies use copayments to share health care costs to prevent moral hazard. Though the copay is often only a small portion of the actual cost of the medical service, it is thought to prevent people from seeking medical care that may not be necessary (eg: an infection by the common cold), which can result in substantial savings for insurance companies. The underlying philosophy is that with no copay, the perception is that medical care is "free" and then is used more often." Free? The insurance is definitely not free! I need an incentive not to go to go to the doctor more often? Is this totally crazy or what? Yes, there are hypochondriacs out there, but most of us are not. I just love writing a check each month to someone that believes I am a "moral hazard"! How nice of them to still take my money. While I am on the subject, so many of the plans require me to ask my doctor if I want to see another doctor. Again, I am not to be trusted because I might actually seek out care I don't need.  I really think for the amount of money involved, I should be treated with a little more respect. Insurance is looking like a scam more and more to me each day. Perhaps they should do away with it all together and just make the health care more affordable. The money that we send to these crooks each month would probably fair much better in a health savings account.