Health insurance increase of $1,100 (or around $4,000 for a family of 4) creates big questions

Jorge Destrade says nearly a year of “political hot air” morphed into some harsh financial reality this month, when he learned that the annual bill for his family’s health insurance will jump by about $4,200.

“I’ve got to answer a lot of questions I really wish I didn’t have to deal with,” said Destrade, a 58-year-old movie grip who lives in Echo Park.

“I’ve been trying to catch up on retirement. I was sick for several years and thought I was going to die. Then, when I didn’t die...