Exploding health care premium
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Anonymous
Yes, it is obviously a choice. But someone with enough to pay for an early retirement, spare the major medical costs, should not be stuck working until 65+ simply because they need healthcare. We should join the rest of the civilized world and have affordable healthcare. Healthcare at age 60 for just 2 adults should not cost $3-4K/month for a crappy plan with a $9K/$18K deductible. |
Anonymous
New. Drugs are always very expensive. |
Anonymous
| Wait…are you saying that Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, is actually not affordable and requires massive taxpayer funded subsidies to stay afloat!?! Who would have thought?!? The Great Divider Messiah could actually be wrong. Wow |
Anonymous
Troll harder, Comrade. Smart people understand that the Affordable Care Act was completely gutted by sniveling Republican morons. |
Anonymous
Insurance costs are shared with employers. No employer you pay full cost. |
Anonymous
Yeah, we did NOT get what Obama really wanted as the R in congress worked as hard as possible to ensure that. Had we gotten actual Universal Healthcare, pricing would have dropped as well, because costs would drop. But the fact that I can go get a mammogram. The facility charges $900. If I have good insurance, the negotiated rate is $200, but if not it can range anywhere from $200 up to the $900. UHC would bring us the following: Procedure X is $A in Region 1, $B in Region 2, $C in region 3, etc. Everyone gets the same negotiated rate for their area. If you have insurance it's filed with them, if not, then that's the cash rate if you pay that day. (but with UHC everyone would have insurance). Right now, the cash person has to negotiate and hope for a lower rate than $900. They should be entitled to $200 (or less since they are paying cash upfront and the company does not have to deal with billing insurance and waiting 3 months for payment). Many of us just want High deductible insurance for true emergencies and Negotiated rates for everything else. I'd self insure if I could get that. And most years nothing would be paid for by insurance. |
Anonymous
And my employer insurance cost is $2400 (I pay $500) for an entire family (up to 10 KIDS, so 12 people) with a $1.25K/$2.5K deductible. And it covers medical, dental and vision. I'll happily pay that until I turn 65, but would rather not pay the $4K per month and then also pay for dental and vision on top of that! Or pay the $9K/$18K deductible before anything except 4 office visits are paid for. And that is with a small company (400 US employees). Imagine how much lower the rates are at the Amazons/FB/Verizon/large companies with economies of scale to negotiate insurance. Now imagine if we all got access to those lower prices because 350Million are on the insurance plan..... |
Anonymous
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On a side note me included people are getting married late in life, have kids later in life and men marry women younger then they are.
Meaning when an average man turns 65 his wife will not be 65. So if he quits he had a very high insurance premium even if he is covered by Medicare. Also when I was young my Mom did have a Fortune 500 job and her policy kicked kids off policy at 18 unless in College. And even if in college was something like 21 or 22 they kicked you off. Today it is 26. When I turn 65 my wife will be 62 and my youngest will still be in college on my medical plan. My youngest plans to do grad school so will graduate when I am 68. My wife does not turn 65 till I am 67.5. I will try to work till 67. Maybe a few months COBRA til wife hits 65 and buy kid a cheap college medical plan til she gets a job. It is not just cost. It is quality of plan. Most people who work at a Fortune 500 company with Medical, Dental and Vision heavily subsidzed do not realize what is it like in real life once they retire in particular if before 65. And I have two friends with second marriages. My one friend 63 with a 52 year old SAHM wife and a 6, 10 and 12 year old at home and he has heart problems. By time wife eligible for Medicare he will be 74. His youngest graduates college when he is 77. In Europe he be fine. In the USA he has issues. |
Anonymous
Exactly. For the math to work, coverage can’t be optional. |
Anonymous
It actually works better if optional. High Risk people in past pre ACA just had no healthcare. Near me back then a lot of hospitals closed Emergency rooms as they have to accept patents regardless of insurance. Hence since insurance was risk based and insurance companies could drop you it was more like Car insurance where better drivers with no claims paid less. Now that is not fair as we all get sick, old, have accidents and at some point all of us will be high risk. But from a cold hard actuary standpoint with no compassion, you only got low rates if young, healthy with no claims in your history. |
Anonymous
There are lots of problems with the healthcare system in this country, but one that doesn't get talked about enough is that many/most? people have no idea what their employer-provided health insurance actually costs. I'd hate the extra tax bite, but I'd actually be in favor of health insurance premiums paid by an employer being taxable to the participants. It's really just another type of income, after all. That way, people would actually be forced to know the cost. |
Anonymous
Well there is so much else to consider with that in the USA and elsewhere. Like the fact he (or you) will be 70+ when your final kid is out of college. If you choose to have kids later, you should be responsible and plan for all scenarios should you not be around to help them thru college. |
Anonymous
I'm the poster with the $500 monthly costs. I am well aware of the actual costs of health insurance premiums (and what percent the company pays). However, I have always fully supported UHC and think it's pathetic that we as a country don't have it yet and likely wont for decades (if ever). It should NOT cost what we pay for decent health coverage. It doesn't in the rest of the civilized world. Sure UHC is not perfect, but people don't go bankrupt for medical reasons. What we have is ridiculous....health insurance should not be tied to a job, period. Everyone should have full access to basic healthcare. If you want to supplement with a private plan, go for it. Just like many of us pay for concierge or use the ACA and pay for a PPO/EPO versus an HMO. That way it is YOUR choice about how much extra coverage you want. But at least you know you end up hospitalized with a heart attack and you will only owe $200-500 max (many countries it's even less). |
Anonymous
I have “good” insurance and still had to pay out $250 out of pocket for my mammagram! Anyone defending the US healthcare system at this point is a fool. |
Anonymous
You don’t understand what the word “works” means, it would seem. |