The insurance companies doesn't want to insure deaf people because they are afraid that the deaf person will drop the insurance after getting the implant. I wonder if it is because they raised the premium after the implant. There are two other companies who said they will take me if I paid the higher premium. I don't like that - having to pay higher premium, knowing that I will never go for CI.
Personally, I have never heard of a CI user being denied insurance or having to pay higher premiums because of their CI.
Yes, CI users will be discriminated as well as hearing aid users. If hearing aids didn't help the deaf people to be on equal footing with hearing people then why CI will do that instead??? It can break down. It is costly. One will have to take more time off work due to surgery, mapping, etc. I see CI is the same as HA but much more costly and much more risky to one's life.
The CI allows many (notice I did not say all) d/Deaf people to perform job tasks they would normally have difficulty with because of their inability to hear (particularly late-deafened individuals who do not know sign). For example, doing phone work, participating in meetings, communicating with co-workers, etc. While all of these things can be done using relay, an interpreter or realtime captioning, many CI users feel limited by these accommodations which is one reason why they chose to receive an implant. If anything, the CI *increases* one's employability since there is generally less need for accommodations. (For example, prior to receiving my CIs, I required the use of a tactile interpreter and Braille realtime captioning for meetings at my field placement. Now that I have CIs, the only accommodations I need are an FM system and either a tactile interpreter or Braille realtime captioning when background noise is a problem.)
As for the CI "breaking down," CIs are warrantied for 10 or 20 years (I can't remember which). If a CI fails, a person is re-implanted with the most current, up-to-date implant. As for speech processors failing, most CI users are given two speech processors (or four if they have bilateral CIs). If a person only has one speech processor and it fails, each of the 3 CI companies can send a new/refurbished processor overnight via FedEx.
If a person has a CI manufactured by Advanced Bionics or Med-El, they do not incur any extra costs related to batteries. Neither do those who have a Cochlear CI -- unless they chose to use disaposeables. In that case, many Cochlear CI users I've talked to have said that they consider the cost of disposeable batteries a small price to pay given how much they've gained in their ability to hear.
As for taking time off of work, many people return to work following CI surgery anywhere from a few days to a week or two. I've also known many CI users who use their vacation days so they don't end up losing any pay. In regards to missing work for mappings, yes, frequent maps are required during the first year of implantation (3, 6, 9 and 12 months post activation). However, after the first year, a person only needs to see their CI audi once or twice a year.
Why do you think a CI is risky to one's life? I've had my first CI for the past 4 years and haven't suffered any health problems or other difficulties related to my implants.
Having said all of this, I completely respect your decision not to receive a CI.
They are ruling the world secretly! Ahhh!
Yes, if someone chooses not to get a CI, I respect their decision 100%. CIs aren't for everyone. When d/Deaf people ask me whether or not I think they should get a CI, my answer always is, "Only you can make that decision. Just because the CI is right for me doesn't mean it's the right decision for you." One of the reasons why I decided to get a CI was because of how slow some alternative communication methods were for me to use (namely print on palm and Braille/raised print alphabet card). More importantly, I chose to get a CI for my own personal safety (I'm totally deafblind and when I travel outdoors, I would often veer into traffic when using my white cane. I also have a guide dog, so this isn't a problem when traveling with her, but still...). 
