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Friday, October 22, 2004 7:24:54 PM
Interesting insight on health insurance costs in this:
(Note vast rise in rates under Bush)
(Brits and Canadians that weight in worth noting.)
After months of searching I received the great news that my sister finally received a new job offer. What a relief because as a single mother with two kids, it was quite stressful for her since her job was going to end next week, so it's truly excellent news that she has a new job. The downside though is the new employer (a very wealthy business, I can assure you) is sticking her with $450 per month of insurance co-payments. Wow! I knew that insurance co-pays were rising but $5400 per year? Screw the federal tax cuts, what the hell about that? Add to that rising prices at the pump, rising food costs and sagging 401K retirement programs, how can anyone not want change?
Since I no longer live and work over there, is this normal? What do you typically pay where you work? Does anyone still receive free healthcare from their employer?
Responses:
My employer picks up about half the total cost of my BCBS health plan leaving me with about $460 a month.
the only excuse I see is that we're not a wealthy compnay - we're a relatively small company (300 or so people) and we're in rather poor financial shape.
I don't know what it's like elsewhere but was surprised that your sister's costs are so high too.
Donna Maderer / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 5:44 am / #
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Check this out at Smirking Chimp:
'George, John, Abe & Co. through the ages' by Eric Hanson, Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=18358&mode=nested&order=0
KerryMeBackToOlVirginny / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:07 am / #
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When I had a job - my employer paid for all of it. That was 2 years ago - so they may make employees contribute now - especially since it's a construction company (and the price of cement is up several hundred percent).
If I needed health care (doctors suck anyway), I'd go back to Canada so I'm a special case. But $5400/year is absolutely insane.
Mike / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:49 am / #
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FORGET EMPLYERS. MY PARTNER WHO HAS BEEN ON SSI SINCE HIS HEART ATTACK 14 YEARS AGO PAYS $465.00 A MONTH FOR HEALTH INSURANCE TO AETNA BECAUSE HE IS TOO YOUNG TO GET THE "FREE" INSURANCE OFFERED IN NY BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR SENIORS OVER 65. SO MUCH FOR IMPROVED HEALTH CARE UNDER THE REPUBLICANS AND THE SHRUB. BUT I'M SURE THAT GOD HAS TOLD HIM THAT THE IS PART OF COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM.
KURT / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:49 am / #
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Union Steelworker here--I still receive free healthcare which is a union-negotiated perk but I imagine this will end with our next contract. Of course all of our deductibles and co-pays have escalated.
greg / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:16 am / #
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I also live abroad now, and benefit from the lovely world of univesal health care. However, my mother who is a pre-school teacher (working for a California state school system) has to pay over $500 co-pay for herself and my brother. Considering her very low monthly sallary, this leaves her with very little after paying rent and bills to even get groceries for the month. She has often said that if was just her she would probably just skip getting health care at all figuring it may be cheaper to pay per doctor visit.
The saddest thing is that even after paying the $500 per month, she still has to pay portions of her doctor bills and all dental costs.
And she is one of the "lucky" ones with health care!
Croft / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:24 am / #
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I work for a very small company (there are 6 of us) and my employer covers roughly 90% of my health insurance cost. I pay $52/month to cover me, my husband and my two kids.
My husband works for a larger company (about 300 people) and the cost at his company is about $275/month!
I don't get dental insurance and we don't have a 401(k) (we do have a SEP-IRA), but dental costs aren't a problem for us, fortunately.
BlueinMO / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:44 am / #
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My health care is 173 per paycheck or $4,498 a year. I try like hell to stay healthy because I can't afford to get sick.
trashman / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:52 am / #
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still free, but bound to change soon...
Dr. Metal / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:06 am / #
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Employer paid health care - that's a thing of the past. I pay $200. a month for my son and I.
I blame this on the greedy insurance companies and HMO's. They hike the premiums up every year so they can put more money in their pockets. Businesses can no longer contribute to health premiums because they can't afford to. And while the doctors are getting paid, they say it's not enough to cover their malpractice insurance.
Pharmaceutical companies must also share the blame. Can anyone explain to me why it is that there are only 2 companies in the WORLD that produce the flu vacine and one has suffered some issues with contamination but yet there are over 30 companies that produce medications to treat erectile dysfunction? One friend of mine is on a medication that costs approximately $13.00 a month without using insurancebut yet she is charged a $20. co-pay for the same medication. There's something very wrong with that picture!
We need universal/socialized health care but the insurance companies will never allow it to happen in the US because that will not line their pockets.
Susan / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:36 am / #
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For a family plan, I pay $2,340 per year --- about 1/3rd of the total cost. I've been looking at a job change. My current health plan and shared cost look good compared to what I'm seeing in the marketplace.
Sure wish I had a personal medical account so I could bargain with pharmaceutical giants in order to have more affordable healthcare.
suffrincats / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:37 am / #
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That is outside the norm as far as I've ever experienced. Right now, I'm picking up $50 of my premiums/month right now, which is still higher than anything I've ever paid out of every job I've had.
BDawg / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:54 am / #
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Boy, there sure have been some expensive changes since I moved overseas. Those annual costs can really eat up a salary without even getting into the deductible. A good friend in California told me that her mother reached her lifetime limit by the insurance company after having two strokes followed by treatment for ovarian cancer. Life time limit? WTF?
Chris in Paris / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:59 am / #
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Come home, Chris, all is forgiven. Your insurance will be revoked at once! You wouldn't want to feel "different" or elitist, would you? Come home! You'll fit. After a few months of job-hunting, you can give up and go live on the welfare cushion. Try Fargo, North Dakota. They'll help you learn good old American self-reliance. You've been in Europe too long, Chris. You actually imagine that employers and government care? That's so sweet.
The above satire was spun out by
Indigo / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:03 am / #
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I work for a San Diego pharmaceutical company (300 employees) and our medical and dental is free as long as we use the HMO plan. I guess I'm one of the very lucky ones.
But it shouldn't be that way for just a few of us; I'd be willing to pay higher taxes if it meant basic medical/dental coverage for every American.
TR / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:06 am / #
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Our large employer just raised the rates on our company, too. I will pay $200 a month for a fairly comprehensive plan, which isn't too bad, although adding it up to $2400 a year makes it sound like a lot. Copays used to be $10brandname/$20generic, now I have to pay 100% of cost. I could have opted for copays instead, but it would have cost a lot more per month.
deductible used to be $250/family, now it's $2000. Again, I could have opted for $500/family, but it would have almost doubled the price/year to about $4,300.
This is why I feel like barfing whenever I hear someone talk about the "tax cuts" helping them. Yeah, whatever.
Don B / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:06 am / #
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I work at a small independent school, and my insurance is fully paid for. The salaries are relatively low, so this sure helps make a difference. The insurers are making out like bandits, though -- our school participates in group bargaining each year, and they had to shop around to get ONLY a 13% increase this year. I think the last few years have all been double-digit increases. How can the insurers get away with this? They're going to break the system.
farmgirl / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:09 am / #
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When the Federal Government is your employer, it's not any better. I pay $50 per 2-week pay period for single coverage. If I ever win the right to add my partner to my coverage, family blue cross is $118 per pay period. Still a $500 deductible, 20% copay, etc. NO DENTAL! It would be worth the extra cost to be able to cover her, though. She hasn't been to a gynocologist in 21 years.
You know, they talk about how if we had Canada's system we'd have rationing and long waits for appointments... the only reason we don't have that now is because there are so many people who can't afford to get any health care until they are dying and go to an emergency room!
Angel / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:17 am / #
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I wish we could find insurance for $450/month. My husband works in Virginia for a major retailer and the plan offered by his company would have us pay $13,713 per year for a family of 4. The company contribution was less than $3,000. This includes a $1000 family deductible.
We decided to opt for individual coverage through a local healthcare system. My son and I have have allergies and asthma, which resulted in a monthly rate of $719/month or $8,628 per year.
It is much better for us than the pre-tax insurance payments from my husband's employer,as I am a homemaker with part time self-employment. But still it is a huge chunk of our income going to premium payments alone.
Sheila / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:21 am / #
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I'm in Kansas City and our employer pays the majority of our healthcare premiums. The employees do pay a small percentage but nothing like what I'm seeing here. We're even a startup at just over 3 years in business. We're hoping the company can pick back up the costs once we go into profitability sometime mid-next year but are still unhappy about how the economy has played out under this administration.
Geeman / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:32 am / #
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I work for a Major Mutual Fund Company ( That likes Lord Nelson and British Man-O-Wars from circa 179 and they give me $300 for me and the wife, but the total package costs me an extra $160 Dollars. 4 years ago under Clinton, they paid for everything. This year it's going to get even worse.
Chuck / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:55 am / #
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I work for a small record label and most of my coverage is paid
by my employer.. the deductable isn't bad, and I'm fortunate
enough to have dental as well.. but the scam is that the rates
are set by the insurance company so a procedure that my dentist
would charge me $800 for would be more like $1300 using my insurance
program.. what a scam it is, even the doctors admit it's a rip-off.
in any city, the largest building(s) are always owned by insurance
companies.. it's oh-so-true.
Chris in Chicago / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:58 am / #
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I run a large public library, which in this state means it's an independent government unit with a tax rate of its very own.
We spend $350 a month per for single coverage on 75 full time employees. They pay over $400 a month themselves if they wish to cover family members. And many of them are only making $22,000 to $29,000 annually.
GW has said publicly that the federal employee plan costs $7700 a year.
Our average increase in health insurance costs for the last 5 years has been 17%. More than three times the percentage our tax revenue is permitted to grow annually.
CJ / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:23 am / #
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Free? What is that word?
I work for a small advertising agency.
As a single person (no partnershop benefits, no dependents), highest deductable PPO selection. $40 is removed from every paycheck (2 week cycle). Additionally, a co-pay is required at every doctor's visit-regardless for the reason.
And, the company claims to be studying yet another change in providers (this was the 3rd in 5 yrs).
Wages have been frozen--no CPI increase. No unions.
Affordable for now, I suppose but hardly 'free'.
moi / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:36 am / #
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I'm covered by a union health plan which folds all the LA motion picture IA unions together.....if you go to one of their clinics and doctors it costs nothing.....(defacto union HMO) if you go elsewheres you make up the difference......my partner can get covered under domestic partnership BUT as you all know....the premium is TAXED as NON WAGE income for me....even in California .....gee thanks......most people still don't know this about domestic partner health coverage....
Complaining in Kalifornia
Anonymous / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:46 am / #
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I have to contribute $200 month for family coverage under my employer-provided HMO (the cheapest of the options offered) in our benefits package. And of course there are co-pays for every medical visit or prescription (typically $20).
Years ago (at the same place) we used to have first-class BC/BS coverage that was entirely employer provided. But those days are long gone.
walden / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:48 am / #
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Employer pays 100%. Last of a breed. However, I never had coverage until I was 41 (soon to be 47). Earlier jobs had copay too high to afford coverage (approx 420 bucks a month). Wages in Mississippi too low to afford that kind of coverage. Good thing I never get sick...unless you count being totally sick of this rethuglican admin..
Enjoy.
Tim Fuller / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:49 am / #
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Fun facts from the Bush era: my late father's employer provides union negotiated retiree benefits. But they've managed to wiggle out of paying any of the medical, just providing the group umbrella and billing. My mother's premium has nearly doubled each year for three years, and this is with Medicare. I'm paying it, because she can't comprehend that they don't.
Company: ConocoPhillips, so they can't scream poverty.
And I buy super-high deductible for myself:$150 mo.
Leslie / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:22 am / #
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I work for the University of Missouri. For the HMO, per month, employee pays $76.26 ($83.12) for self, $151.70 ($165.36) for self & kids, $223.32 ($243.42) for self & spouse, or $266.52 ($290.50) for self, spouse & kids. There is a $10 copay for Dr. visits, $75 for emergency room, but zero for hospital. The dollars in () are the 2005 numbers. There is a prescription drug benefit which is decent and separate dental insurance plan which is so-so (20-50% copay after $100 deductible, annual limit of $1500) with monthly cost of $11.92 for self, $23.84 for self & spouse, $28.92 for self & kids, or $40.84 for self, spouse & kids.
en / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:25 am / #
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I work for the University of Missouri. For the HMO, per month, employee pays $76.26 ($83.12) for self, $151.70 ($165.36) for self & kids, $223.32 ($243.42) for self & spouse, or $266.52 ($290.50) for self, spouse & kids. There is a $10 copay for Dr. visits, $75 for emergency room, but zero for hospital. The dollars in () are the 2005 numbers. There is a prescription drug benefit which is decent and separate dental insurance plan which is so-so (20-50% copay after $100 deductible, annual limit of $1500) with monthly cost of $11.92 for self, $23.84 for self & spouse, $28.92 for self & kids, or $40.84 for self, spouse & kids.
en / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:28 am / #
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Husband & son ,2 person painting business.
we pay $1100. per month for two family plans . basically 4 adults , 2 children.
Because the law says we don't need to carry very expensive workers comp. , we don't . But any on the job injuries are not covered at all.
We found that out 3 years ago when DH fell off a scaffold.
we're still paying off the $30,000. medical bills.
fateefa / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:32 am / #
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Quit whining. You are looking for a welfare handout. You are no better than a "welfare" mother. You want free health care, you want "social" security. These are handouts. These are all communist ways of thinking. We won the cold war, why are you still acting like a communist? Go get some training, it's free, and get a "better" job so you can pay for your health care costs yourself. Start a company like Halliburton and get some government contracts by "negotiating", that is the American way. You don't get it do you? Become a small business like our President. He owns a small Timber Company among many other ventures, he offsets all his income with his small businesses that don't ever seem to see a profit. And you've been bitchin' about not being able to get a flu shot, Whaaaaa. We have a "market" economy now, finally we Republicans have got our dream. If the "market" can't find a profit in making flu vaccine, because the flu season is so unpredictable then it won't make any or enough. This is called market based free enterprise! Plus we still need to get rid of tort attorneys, cuz they slow us down in our further plans. Further if we didn't have those commie UK people shutting down the only flu vaccine plant because of "contamination" we would have had some. Those govt' organizations that regulate and stifle our progress have got to be stopped! The market found that that UK plant was the cheapest way to get the job done, that is the beauty of outsourcing! Plus if you're real good at bein' in the market, your company can swallow up all the other smaller companies and you are then the only one left. We use to have to put up with anti trust laws that wouldn't allow big monopolies, but that's been put to the wayside finally. We Republicans have finally been able to have real free enterprise. If you can rise to the top of the heap, you can take everything. There is nothing stopping us now. We even own the media now, we own Clear Channel Radio network, we banned the Dixie Chicks for 30 days from our stations nationwide because they questioned out leader President Bush. We also are proud of Sinclair Broadcasting Group cuz they've been able to make their TV stations put on a view that will keep our markets free. So you need to join us and quit complaining.
Larry / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:33 am / #
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Gee, I didn't think I'd hold the (dubious) record here. I work for a private school of about 250 employees. Our insurance is with a group of other private schools so we are actually in a larger pool and the rates should be better than they are.
If you only cover yourself it is free. The rates go up from there. When I started here 4 years ago (at the beginning of the Bush tenure) the insurance for family coverage was about $300. It has gone up each year since then. Now family coverage costs (gasp!) $600 a MONTH (notice after 4 years of Bush!) With a $1000 deductible and recently, an RX deductible of $100. How is this acceptable?! You'd have to spend over $7200 a year in premiums and then your $1100 in deductibles before you get anything covered. You just pray you don't get sick because if you do you can't afford the Dr. bill after expending all this money!
Something has GOT to be done about healthcare in this country!
C Neilson / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:49 am / #
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I work at a mid-size CPA firm. We don't even have a group health plan. We have a §125 plan, but it is still our money. The thing about health insurance is that it can be offered to selected employees, at least in Iowa.
It totally sucks. I know a couple of the employees pay in the range of Chris' sister. Outrageous.
Matthew / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:10 pm / #
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I feel for you Guys. Here in the UK, (we're all Commies of course), it goes like this
I get sick I call my doctor, I arrange an appointment and go. If needed I receive a prescription or referral to a specialist. Each item on the prescription will cost me £6.50. Free for those on low incomes.
Recently I injured my shoulder, saw the triage nurse within two weeks and the physio a week later. Free.
If I have to go into hospital treatment is free at the point of delivery and my medical insurance, £3.20 a month, pays me £45.00 for every day I am in hospital.
I know which system I prefer. You have got better Dentists though
g1lgam3sh / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:14 pm / #
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We pay $120 per week, approx. $520 per month, $6,240 per year, $15 co-pay for Dr. visits, but we haven't reached the deductible for family yet this year so basically we still owe the entire bill when we do go to the doctor. Prescriptions are usually $40 now and there are some pills that both my husband and I need that will help us later but we just can't do right now (for me, bone loss) because I was laid off a year ago last July. I often think how much better off we would be if we discontinued it but, of course, if we were in an accident or seriously ill we most likely could not recover financially. I've come to think of it as catastrophic healthcare for us.
Ann / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:15 pm / #
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I am lucky as my law firm pays 100% of our insurance, which is also a PPO plan. Being a single young guy, the way the system works I actually get paid $13.52 a month to have insurance. Still can't figure that one out, but hey, in this day and age I ain't complaining.
I do live and work in San Francisco and often time I think this is the only sane place left in the country.
Dave Hale / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:50 pm / #
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I have my own business and have an individual policy through Blue Cross Blue Shield. It's a PPO type policy with lots of doctors but with double digit increases each year and a dramatic age-based jump every 5 years, I have had to increase my annual deductible to $2500 to keep the costs reasonable. Anytime I go to the doctor, I get a statement from BCBS showing what was billed, what was allowed, what BCBS paid and what my responsibility would be. Something a lot of people don't realize is that even with a high deductible, you save a lot of money by having an insurer like BCBS. For example, for some routine lab tests, the lab billed BCBS $276 but the amount allowed by BCBS was only $32.40! That is what the lab accepts as payment from BCBS but I'll bet if you were paying on your own, they'd go after you for the full $276.00.
My mother lives in Canada and I can assure you that the wild claims of long lines for treatment are largely baloney. She has had two knee replacements, angioplasty in the past few years and has had top notch care in each case. She did go on waiting lists for the knee replacements but some of that was due to her desire for a particular, renowned surgeon and the fact that she had to wait a certain period of time after her heart attack to have the second one done.
Ian S. / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:52 pm / #
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I'm a freelance cameraman, so I'm considered self-employed. I have to pay the full cost of my insurance, which runs $2124/year. Next year, however, I turn 40--which means an automatic $40/month bump to $2616. Every year that I've had this plan it has gone up 18% except for last year, when they raised all the co-pays instead. If they raise it 18% for next year I'll be paying $3086, just for myself.
My HMO used to offer only one plan; now they offer several less expensive plans but I don't dare go on them as one doesn't cover prescription drugs at all and both would allow me to run up debilitating medical bills in an emergency. I originally signed up with this provider to REDUCE my out-of-pocket expenses. I'm pretty healthy but I don't like taking chances, especially as it's always easier to sign on to a poorer plan than it is to get onto a better one.
I have no dental plan, and I've had very little go wrong with my choppers, but I'm getting to an age where I'll finally have to have some work done. Many have referred me to a local dental school. That's pretty sad, when a middle class person has to go to a dental school for help.
Like someone else who posted here, I'm also a member of the IATSE but I don't have access to their health plan. I don't live and work in LA anymore, and one needs to work 600 union hours in six months just to get on the plan. That may not sound like much to those of you with real jobs but to a freelancer that can be tough to do, especially with the U.S. film industry going through tough times.
Lastly, I could get insurance through my partner's employer but he'd have to switch plans, and even then I'd be taxed on whatever they spent on me. It's not worth it.
Like most insurers my HMO only insures people who live in certain zip codes. It disturbs me that if I move to the wrong zip code, or move out of state, I'll have to start the whole process over again--and risk losing all my coverage.
The only break I get is that, as a self-employed individual, I can write the premiums off my taxes.
What the fuck does health care have to do with having a job or living in a specific zip code? And we call ourselves a civilized nation...
Art / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:13 pm / #
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I'm married, no kids, and my wife works (as a benefits manager, of all things) for about $34k a year while I go to law school.
We pay $280 a month and have utter shit for insurance. When you're getting by on $34k a year, that's a pretty burdensome insurance premium. It went up 28% this year and they're planning to raise it another 14%. $500 deductable, no tests or lab work is covered. Not to mention we have no dental and no vision. I need about 4 fillings and have for a year, but can't afford it. Once I can, I'll probably need 4 root canals.
stevelaw / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:15 pm / #
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2 years ago I was laid off for 4 months and paid my entire health insurance bill under COBRA which totalled to $1100/month or over $13,000 a year! Plus my deductibles at roughly $3,000/year. This is a total of $16,000 per year for health coverage for a family of 3. Don't worry about my taxes -- fix my health coverage! Why do employers provide coverage anyway? Would it save them money if the government gave everyone coverage and the businesses were off the hook?
Keith Henry / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:45 pm / #
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Is the $450 properly called a "copay?" It sounds as if that is the monthly PREMIUM for an employee + 2 family members. It all depends on the kind of health plan your sister has enrolled in. HMOs, PPOs, fee for service ..... all different kinds of plan with different cost sharing dynamics. A "co-pay" is the percentage of the incurred charges that one pays AFTER any deductibles have been met.
$450 for an employee + 2 isn't out of line in today's world where companies (large or small) are passing more of the premium costs to the employees. The days of "free" health care are long gone, long ago.
Jimmy Mac / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 2:58 pm / #
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It's not atypical. My company would run a bit less than that if I had 2 or more kids and my spouse coverered. As it stands, they don't give me anything BACK because I don't have health coverage through them, although there's some employee contribution even if I wanted coverage just for myself and not with my spouse... I think it was around $100/month for employee+spouse and about $200 w/ 1 child or around $300 w/ 2 or more children.
Luckily my wife works at a university that still has 100% payments for her, and a minimal ($40/month) to add me. Much better coverage than my company offered as well.
Nate / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 3:21 pm / #
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My husband works for a German company here in Georgia and we still have the same great PPO and FREE healthcare coverage for our whole family for the past 10 years. I guess we have the best of both worlds...I work in the healthcare field and hear on a daily basis how the costs just keep going up from my patients. I try to give out samples whenever possible just to help them out.
Kim / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 3:48 pm / #
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(Note vast rise in rates under Bush)
(Brits and Canadians that weight in worth noting.)
After months of searching I received the great news that my sister finally received a new job offer. What a relief because as a single mother with two kids, it was quite stressful for her since her job was going to end next week, so it's truly excellent news that she has a new job. The downside though is the new employer (a very wealthy business, I can assure you) is sticking her with $450 per month of insurance co-payments. Wow! I knew that insurance co-pays were rising but $5400 per year? Screw the federal tax cuts, what the hell about that? Add to that rising prices at the pump, rising food costs and sagging 401K retirement programs, how can anyone not want change?
Since I no longer live and work over there, is this normal? What do you typically pay where you work? Does anyone still receive free healthcare from their employer?
Responses:
My employer picks up about half the total cost of my BCBS health plan leaving me with about $460 a month.
the only excuse I see is that we're not a wealthy compnay - we're a relatively small company (300 or so people) and we're in rather poor financial shape.
I don't know what it's like elsewhere but was surprised that your sister's costs are so high too.
Donna Maderer / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 5:44 am / #
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Check this out at Smirking Chimp:
'George, John, Abe & Co. through the ages' by Eric Hanson, Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=18358&mode=nested&order=0
KerryMeBackToOlVirginny / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:07 am / #
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When I had a job - my employer paid for all of it. That was 2 years ago - so they may make employees contribute now - especially since it's a construction company (and the price of cement is up several hundred percent).
If I needed health care (doctors suck anyway), I'd go back to Canada so I'm a special case. But $5400/year is absolutely insane.
Mike / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:49 am / #
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FORGET EMPLYERS. MY PARTNER WHO HAS BEEN ON SSI SINCE HIS HEART ATTACK 14 YEARS AGO PAYS $465.00 A MONTH FOR HEALTH INSURANCE TO AETNA BECAUSE HE IS TOO YOUNG TO GET THE "FREE" INSURANCE OFFERED IN NY BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR SENIORS OVER 65. SO MUCH FOR IMPROVED HEALTH CARE UNDER THE REPUBLICANS AND THE SHRUB. BUT I'M SURE THAT GOD HAS TOLD HIM THAT THE IS PART OF COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM.
KURT / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 6:49 am / #
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Union Steelworker here--I still receive free healthcare which is a union-negotiated perk but I imagine this will end with our next contract. Of course all of our deductibles and co-pays have escalated.
greg / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:16 am / #
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I also live abroad now, and benefit from the lovely world of univesal health care. However, my mother who is a pre-school teacher (working for a California state school system) has to pay over $500 co-pay for herself and my brother. Considering her very low monthly sallary, this leaves her with very little after paying rent and bills to even get groceries for the month. She has often said that if was just her she would probably just skip getting health care at all figuring it may be cheaper to pay per doctor visit.
The saddest thing is that even after paying the $500 per month, she still has to pay portions of her doctor bills and all dental costs.
And she is one of the "lucky" ones with health care!
Croft / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:24 am / #
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I work for a very small company (there are 6 of us) and my employer covers roughly 90% of my health insurance cost. I pay $52/month to cover me, my husband and my two kids.
My husband works for a larger company (about 300 people) and the cost at his company is about $275/month!
I don't get dental insurance and we don't have a 401(k) (we do have a SEP-IRA), but dental costs aren't a problem for us, fortunately.
BlueinMO / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:44 am / #
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My health care is 173 per paycheck or $4,498 a year. I try like hell to stay healthy because I can't afford to get sick.
trashman / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 7:52 am / #
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still free, but bound to change soon...
Dr. Metal / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:06 am / #
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Employer paid health care - that's a thing of the past. I pay $200. a month for my son and I.
I blame this on the greedy insurance companies and HMO's. They hike the premiums up every year so they can put more money in their pockets. Businesses can no longer contribute to health premiums because they can't afford to. And while the doctors are getting paid, they say it's not enough to cover their malpractice insurance.
Pharmaceutical companies must also share the blame. Can anyone explain to me why it is that there are only 2 companies in the WORLD that produce the flu vacine and one has suffered some issues with contamination but yet there are over 30 companies that produce medications to treat erectile dysfunction? One friend of mine is on a medication that costs approximately $13.00 a month without using insurancebut yet she is charged a $20. co-pay for the same medication. There's something very wrong with that picture!
We need universal/socialized health care but the insurance companies will never allow it to happen in the US because that will not line their pockets.
Susan / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:36 am / #
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For a family plan, I pay $2,340 per year --- about 1/3rd of the total cost. I've been looking at a job change. My current health plan and shared cost look good compared to what I'm seeing in the marketplace.
Sure wish I had a personal medical account so I could bargain with pharmaceutical giants in order to have more affordable healthcare.
suffrincats / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:37 am / #
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That is outside the norm as far as I've ever experienced. Right now, I'm picking up $50 of my premiums/month right now, which is still higher than anything I've ever paid out of every job I've had.
BDawg / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:54 am / #
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Boy, there sure have been some expensive changes since I moved overseas. Those annual costs can really eat up a salary without even getting into the deductible. A good friend in California told me that her mother reached her lifetime limit by the insurance company after having two strokes followed by treatment for ovarian cancer. Life time limit? WTF?
Chris in Paris / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 8:59 am / #
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Come home, Chris, all is forgiven. Your insurance will be revoked at once! You wouldn't want to feel "different" or elitist, would you? Come home! You'll fit. After a few months of job-hunting, you can give up and go live on the welfare cushion. Try Fargo, North Dakota. They'll help you learn good old American self-reliance. You've been in Europe too long, Chris. You actually imagine that employers and government care? That's so sweet.
The above satire was spun out by
Indigo / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:03 am / #
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I work for a San Diego pharmaceutical company (300 employees) and our medical and dental is free as long as we use the HMO plan. I guess I'm one of the very lucky ones.
But it shouldn't be that way for just a few of us; I'd be willing to pay higher taxes if it meant basic medical/dental coverage for every American.
TR / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:06 am / #
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Our large employer just raised the rates on our company, too. I will pay $200 a month for a fairly comprehensive plan, which isn't too bad, although adding it up to $2400 a year makes it sound like a lot. Copays used to be $10brandname/$20generic, now I have to pay 100% of cost. I could have opted for copays instead, but it would have cost a lot more per month.
deductible used to be $250/family, now it's $2000. Again, I could have opted for $500/family, but it would have almost doubled the price/year to about $4,300.
This is why I feel like barfing whenever I hear someone talk about the "tax cuts" helping them. Yeah, whatever.
Don B / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:06 am / #
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I work at a small independent school, and my insurance is fully paid for. The salaries are relatively low, so this sure helps make a difference. The insurers are making out like bandits, though -- our school participates in group bargaining each year, and they had to shop around to get ONLY a 13% increase this year. I think the last few years have all been double-digit increases. How can the insurers get away with this? They're going to break the system.
farmgirl / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:09 am / #
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When the Federal Government is your employer, it's not any better. I pay $50 per 2-week pay period for single coverage. If I ever win the right to add my partner to my coverage, family blue cross is $118 per pay period. Still a $500 deductible, 20% copay, etc. NO DENTAL! It would be worth the extra cost to be able to cover her, though. She hasn't been to a gynocologist in 21 years.
You know, they talk about how if we had Canada's system we'd have rationing and long waits for appointments... the only reason we don't have that now is because there are so many people who can't afford to get any health care until they are dying and go to an emergency room!
Angel / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:17 am / #
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I wish we could find insurance for $450/month. My husband works in Virginia for a major retailer and the plan offered by his company would have us pay $13,713 per year for a family of 4. The company contribution was less than $3,000. This includes a $1000 family deductible.
We decided to opt for individual coverage through a local healthcare system. My son and I have have allergies and asthma, which resulted in a monthly rate of $719/month or $8,628 per year.
It is much better for us than the pre-tax insurance payments from my husband's employer,as I am a homemaker with part time self-employment. But still it is a huge chunk of our income going to premium payments alone.
Sheila / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:21 am / #
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I'm in Kansas City and our employer pays the majority of our healthcare premiums. The employees do pay a small percentage but nothing like what I'm seeing here. We're even a startup at just over 3 years in business. We're hoping the company can pick back up the costs once we go into profitability sometime mid-next year but are still unhappy about how the economy has played out under this administration.
Geeman / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:32 am / #
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I work for a Major Mutual Fund Company ( That likes Lord Nelson and British Man-O-Wars from circa 179 and they give me $300 for me and the wife, but the total package costs me an extra $160 Dollars. 4 years ago under Clinton, they paid for everything. This year it's going to get even worse.
Chuck / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:55 am / #
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I work for a small record label and most of my coverage is paid
by my employer.. the deductable isn't bad, and I'm fortunate
enough to have dental as well.. but the scam is that the rates
are set by the insurance company so a procedure that my dentist
would charge me $800 for would be more like $1300 using my insurance
program.. what a scam it is, even the doctors admit it's a rip-off.
in any city, the largest building(s) are always owned by insurance
companies.. it's oh-so-true.
Chris in Chicago / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 9:58 am / #
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I run a large public library, which in this state means it's an independent government unit with a tax rate of its very own.
We spend $350 a month per for single coverage on 75 full time employees. They pay over $400 a month themselves if they wish to cover family members. And many of them are only making $22,000 to $29,000 annually.
GW has said publicly that the federal employee plan costs $7700 a year.
Our average increase in health insurance costs for the last 5 years has been 17%. More than three times the percentage our tax revenue is permitted to grow annually.
CJ / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:23 am / #
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Free? What is that word?
I work for a small advertising agency.
As a single person (no partnershop benefits, no dependents), highest deductable PPO selection. $40 is removed from every paycheck (2 week cycle). Additionally, a co-pay is required at every doctor's visit-regardless for the reason.
And, the company claims to be studying yet another change in providers (this was the 3rd in 5 yrs).
Wages have been frozen--no CPI increase. No unions.
Affordable for now, I suppose but hardly 'free'.
moi / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:36 am / #
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I'm covered by a union health plan which folds all the LA motion picture IA unions together.....if you go to one of their clinics and doctors it costs nothing.....(defacto union HMO) if you go elsewheres you make up the difference......my partner can get covered under domestic partnership BUT as you all know....the premium is TAXED as NON WAGE income for me....even in California .....gee thanks......most people still don't know this about domestic partner health coverage....
Complaining in Kalifornia
Anonymous / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:46 am / #
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I have to contribute $200 month for family coverage under my employer-provided HMO (the cheapest of the options offered) in our benefits package. And of course there are co-pays for every medical visit or prescription (typically $20).
Years ago (at the same place) we used to have first-class BC/BS coverage that was entirely employer provided. But those days are long gone.
walden / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:48 am / #
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Employer pays 100%. Last of a breed. However, I never had coverage until I was 41 (soon to be 47). Earlier jobs had copay too high to afford coverage (approx 420 bucks a month). Wages in Mississippi too low to afford that kind of coverage. Good thing I never get sick...unless you count being totally sick of this rethuglican admin..
Enjoy.
Tim Fuller / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 10:49 am / #
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Fun facts from the Bush era: my late father's employer provides union negotiated retiree benefits. But they've managed to wiggle out of paying any of the medical, just providing the group umbrella and billing. My mother's premium has nearly doubled each year for three years, and this is with Medicare. I'm paying it, because she can't comprehend that they don't.
Company: ConocoPhillips, so they can't scream poverty.
And I buy super-high deductible for myself:$150 mo.
Leslie / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:22 am / #
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I work for the University of Missouri. For the HMO, per month, employee pays $76.26 ($83.12) for self, $151.70 ($165.36) for self & kids, $223.32 ($243.42) for self & spouse, or $266.52 ($290.50) for self, spouse & kids. There is a $10 copay for Dr. visits, $75 for emergency room, but zero for hospital. The dollars in () are the 2005 numbers. There is a prescription drug benefit which is decent and separate dental insurance plan which is so-so (20-50% copay after $100 deductible, annual limit of $1500) with monthly cost of $11.92 for self, $23.84 for self & spouse, $28.92 for self & kids, or $40.84 for self, spouse & kids.
en / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:25 am / #
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I work for the University of Missouri. For the HMO, per month, employee pays $76.26 ($83.12) for self, $151.70 ($165.36) for self & kids, $223.32 ($243.42) for self & spouse, or $266.52 ($290.50) for self, spouse & kids. There is a $10 copay for Dr. visits, $75 for emergency room, but zero for hospital. The dollars in () are the 2005 numbers. There is a prescription drug benefit which is decent and separate dental insurance plan which is so-so (20-50% copay after $100 deductible, annual limit of $1500) with monthly cost of $11.92 for self, $23.84 for self & spouse, $28.92 for self & kids, or $40.84 for self, spouse & kids.
en / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:28 am / #
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Husband & son ,2 person painting business.
we pay $1100. per month for two family plans . basically 4 adults , 2 children.
Because the law says we don't need to carry very expensive workers comp. , we don't . But any on the job injuries are not covered at all.
We found that out 3 years ago when DH fell off a scaffold.
we're still paying off the $30,000. medical bills.
fateefa / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:32 am / #
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Quit whining. You are looking for a welfare handout. You are no better than a "welfare" mother. You want free health care, you want "social" security. These are handouts. These are all communist ways of thinking. We won the cold war, why are you still acting like a communist? Go get some training, it's free, and get a "better" job so you can pay for your health care costs yourself. Start a company like Halliburton and get some government contracts by "negotiating", that is the American way. You don't get it do you? Become a small business like our President. He owns a small Timber Company among many other ventures, he offsets all his income with his small businesses that don't ever seem to see a profit. And you've been bitchin' about not being able to get a flu shot, Whaaaaa. We have a "market" economy now, finally we Republicans have got our dream. If the "market" can't find a profit in making flu vaccine, because the flu season is so unpredictable then it won't make any or enough. This is called market based free enterprise! Plus we still need to get rid of tort attorneys, cuz they slow us down in our further plans. Further if we didn't have those commie UK people shutting down the only flu vaccine plant because of "contamination" we would have had some. Those govt' organizations that regulate and stifle our progress have got to be stopped! The market found that that UK plant was the cheapest way to get the job done, that is the beauty of outsourcing! Plus if you're real good at bein' in the market, your company can swallow up all the other smaller companies and you are then the only one left. We use to have to put up with anti trust laws that wouldn't allow big monopolies, but that's been put to the wayside finally. We Republicans have finally been able to have real free enterprise. If you can rise to the top of the heap, you can take everything. There is nothing stopping us now. We even own the media now, we own Clear Channel Radio network, we banned the Dixie Chicks for 30 days from our stations nationwide because they questioned out leader President Bush. We also are proud of Sinclair Broadcasting Group cuz they've been able to make their TV stations put on a view that will keep our markets free. So you need to join us and quit complaining.
Larry / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:33 am / #
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Gee, I didn't think I'd hold the (dubious) record here. I work for a private school of about 250 employees. Our insurance is with a group of other private schools so we are actually in a larger pool and the rates should be better than they are.
If you only cover yourself it is free. The rates go up from there. When I started here 4 years ago (at the beginning of the Bush tenure) the insurance for family coverage was about $300. It has gone up each year since then. Now family coverage costs (gasp!) $600 a MONTH (notice after 4 years of Bush!) With a $1000 deductible and recently, an RX deductible of $100. How is this acceptable?! You'd have to spend over $7200 a year in premiums and then your $1100 in deductibles before you get anything covered. You just pray you don't get sick because if you do you can't afford the Dr. bill after expending all this money!
Something has GOT to be done about healthcare in this country!
C Neilson / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 11:49 am / #
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I work at a mid-size CPA firm. We don't even have a group health plan. We have a §125 plan, but it is still our money. The thing about health insurance is that it can be offered to selected employees, at least in Iowa.
It totally sucks. I know a couple of the employees pay in the range of Chris' sister. Outrageous.
Matthew / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:10 pm / #
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I feel for you Guys. Here in the UK, (we're all Commies of course), it goes like this
I get sick I call my doctor, I arrange an appointment and go. If needed I receive a prescription or referral to a specialist. Each item on the prescription will cost me £6.50. Free for those on low incomes.
Recently I injured my shoulder, saw the triage nurse within two weeks and the physio a week later. Free.
If I have to go into hospital treatment is free at the point of delivery and my medical insurance, £3.20 a month, pays me £45.00 for every day I am in hospital.
I know which system I prefer. You have got better Dentists though
g1lgam3sh / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:14 pm / #
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We pay $120 per week, approx. $520 per month, $6,240 per year, $15 co-pay for Dr. visits, but we haven't reached the deductible for family yet this year so basically we still owe the entire bill when we do go to the doctor. Prescriptions are usually $40 now and there are some pills that both my husband and I need that will help us later but we just can't do right now (for me, bone loss) because I was laid off a year ago last July. I often think how much better off we would be if we discontinued it but, of course, if we were in an accident or seriously ill we most likely could not recover financially. I've come to think of it as catastrophic healthcare for us.
Ann / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:15 pm / #
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I am lucky as my law firm pays 100% of our insurance, which is also a PPO plan. Being a single young guy, the way the system works I actually get paid $13.52 a month to have insurance. Still can't figure that one out, but hey, in this day and age I ain't complaining.
I do live and work in San Francisco and often time I think this is the only sane place left in the country.
Dave Hale / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:50 pm / #
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I have my own business and have an individual policy through Blue Cross Blue Shield. It's a PPO type policy with lots of doctors but with double digit increases each year and a dramatic age-based jump every 5 years, I have had to increase my annual deductible to $2500 to keep the costs reasonable. Anytime I go to the doctor, I get a statement from BCBS showing what was billed, what was allowed, what BCBS paid and what my responsibility would be. Something a lot of people don't realize is that even with a high deductible, you save a lot of money by having an insurer like BCBS. For example, for some routine lab tests, the lab billed BCBS $276 but the amount allowed by BCBS was only $32.40! That is what the lab accepts as payment from BCBS but I'll bet if you were paying on your own, they'd go after you for the full $276.00.
My mother lives in Canada and I can assure you that the wild claims of long lines for treatment are largely baloney. She has had two knee replacements, angioplasty in the past few years and has had top notch care in each case. She did go on waiting lists for the knee replacements but some of that was due to her desire for a particular, renowned surgeon and the fact that she had to wait a certain period of time after her heart attack to have the second one done.
Ian S. / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 12:52 pm / #
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I'm a freelance cameraman, so I'm considered self-employed. I have to pay the full cost of my insurance, which runs $2124/year. Next year, however, I turn 40--which means an automatic $40/month bump to $2616. Every year that I've had this plan it has gone up 18% except for last year, when they raised all the co-pays instead. If they raise it 18% for next year I'll be paying $3086, just for myself.
My HMO used to offer only one plan; now they offer several less expensive plans but I don't dare go on them as one doesn't cover prescription drugs at all and both would allow me to run up debilitating medical bills in an emergency. I originally signed up with this provider to REDUCE my out-of-pocket expenses. I'm pretty healthy but I don't like taking chances, especially as it's always easier to sign on to a poorer plan than it is to get onto a better one.
I have no dental plan, and I've had very little go wrong with my choppers, but I'm getting to an age where I'll finally have to have some work done. Many have referred me to a local dental school. That's pretty sad, when a middle class person has to go to a dental school for help.
Like someone else who posted here, I'm also a member of the IATSE but I don't have access to their health plan. I don't live and work in LA anymore, and one needs to work 600 union hours in six months just to get on the plan. That may not sound like much to those of you with real jobs but to a freelancer that can be tough to do, especially with the U.S. film industry going through tough times.
Lastly, I could get insurance through my partner's employer but he'd have to switch plans, and even then I'd be taxed on whatever they spent on me. It's not worth it.
Like most insurers my HMO only insures people who live in certain zip codes. It disturbs me that if I move to the wrong zip code, or move out of state, I'll have to start the whole process over again--and risk losing all my coverage.
The only break I get is that, as a self-employed individual, I can write the premiums off my taxes.
What the fuck does health care have to do with having a job or living in a specific zip code? And we call ourselves a civilized nation...
Art / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:13 pm / #
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I'm married, no kids, and my wife works (as a benefits manager, of all things) for about $34k a year while I go to law school.
We pay $280 a month and have utter shit for insurance. When you're getting by on $34k a year, that's a pretty burdensome insurance premium. It went up 28% this year and they're planning to raise it another 14%. $500 deductable, no tests or lab work is covered. Not to mention we have no dental and no vision. I need about 4 fillings and have for a year, but can't afford it. Once I can, I'll probably need 4 root canals.
stevelaw / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:15 pm / #
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2 years ago I was laid off for 4 months and paid my entire health insurance bill under COBRA which totalled to $1100/month or over $13,000 a year! Plus my deductibles at roughly $3,000/year. This is a total of $16,000 per year for health coverage for a family of 3. Don't worry about my taxes -- fix my health coverage! Why do employers provide coverage anyway? Would it save them money if the government gave everyone coverage and the businesses were off the hook?
Keith Henry / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 1:45 pm / #
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Is the $450 properly called a "copay?" It sounds as if that is the monthly PREMIUM for an employee + 2 family members. It all depends on the kind of health plan your sister has enrolled in. HMOs, PPOs, fee for service ..... all different kinds of plan with different cost sharing dynamics. A "co-pay" is the percentage of the incurred charges that one pays AFTER any deductibles have been met.
$450 for an employee + 2 isn't out of line in today's world where companies (large or small) are passing more of the premium costs to the employees. The days of "free" health care are long gone, long ago.
Jimmy Mac / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 2:58 pm / #
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It's not atypical. My company would run a bit less than that if I had 2 or more kids and my spouse coverered. As it stands, they don't give me anything BACK because I don't have health coverage through them, although there's some employee contribution even if I wanted coverage just for myself and not with my spouse... I think it was around $100/month for employee+spouse and about $200 w/ 1 child or around $300 w/ 2 or more children.
Luckily my wife works at a university that still has 100% payments for her, and a minimal ($40/month) to add me. Much better coverage than my company offered as well.
Nate / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 3:21 pm / #
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My husband works for a German company here in Georgia and we still have the same great PPO and FREE healthcare coverage for our whole family for the past 10 years. I guess we have the best of both worlds...I work in the healthcare field and hear on a daily basis how the costs just keep going up from my patients. I try to give out samples whenever possible just to help them out.
Kim / Email / Homepage / 10.22.04 - 3:48 pm / #
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