Cable/Internet/phone pkg (no changes made)
Milk
Canned goods
Health Ins. premium
Postage – I send all sizes of envelopes
Moderately DOWN in the last 18 mos:
Sewer
Mortgage payment
Auto/homeowner’s ins premiums remained the same
I vote for deflation/status-quo at the present. It could turn the other way but I don’t see this happening until 2014-15, if at all.
As soon as the Health Care Reform Act kicks in in full force (2014) premiums are going to get REALLY UGLY for everyone because all the carriers will be MANDATED to cover EVERYONE at a “semi-affordable” PRICE. Right now, they ARE mandated to take everyone who applies, but can CHARGE accordingly. Before the HCRA passed, they could just REFUSE to cover the people they didn’t want. This will be a BIG DING on everyone’s budgets as I don’t see employers picking up this extra tab.
The healthy (lucky?) individuals’ health premiums are/will be subsidizing the self-destructive (unlucky?) types. It’s just another form of spreading the wealth/risk around that does not reward persons who choose to live a healthy lifestyle.