Frustrated. Take home pay $9k. Health insurance $3k/month

[Anonymous]

I pay over $2,000 in premiums for employer-based health insurance for a family of 5. The premium for a high deductible plan was not that much less. I work at a smaller company. This is the reality for A LOT of Americans.

I seriously wonder if paying this much in taxes to get universal health care for all would be a better thing for our country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the Wegovy effect. 3k = 1 to 2 adults on a 1K/month drug

This is false. First, the majority of insurers don’t cover wegovy. Second, prices are dropping rapidly thanks to insane competition.

They aren’t really dropping rapidly. They are sold for massively cheaper prices abroad (I would say 1500% cheaper…but since our dipshit president is so stupid…often 75%+ cheaper) and just like statins, when they come off patent you will be able to get them for just like $10/month or less.

Yes they are. I started them a year ago paying out of pocket. It was originally $1100/month, then dropped to about $500 and now to $350. That may not be cheap, but it's a pretty rapid price drop.

Cash price isn't the insurance paid price...

Right, insurance pays a cheaper price because they have more leverage. Competitive pressure caused by competing drugs is the same, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This makes me glad to be married to someone from another country. We have enough money to retire early there if we needed to and there health care is much much cheaper. If I lose my 300k tech job and can’t find a replacement I’ll probably leave the country and FIRE

+1 DH is a dual citizen with the UK. Paying oop there is still much cheaper than here with insurance. When our youngest graduates from college, we are seriously of thinking of moving there for a few years before I qualify for medicare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a rant. I am frustrated. We are family of 4 and we pay $3k/month for health insurance. We take home $9k. That's 33% already gone before we pay for mortgage and all lother expenses.

Why do we accept this as Americans??

In covid my take home pay was zero and my monthly insurance was $3,500 a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a rant. I am frustrated. We are family of 4 and we pay $3k/month for health insurance. We take home $9k. That's 33% already gone before we pay for mortgage and all lother expenses.

Why do we accept this as Americans??

starbucks, only have to work 20 hours a week to get medical, and they have a 401K they match on. That is not many hours. I used to work 20 hours all during college. Giving starbucks by my house is open 5am to 9pm most days. Pretty easy to do 20 hours even with a full time job.

Go apply for a job at Starbucks and report back on if you get it.

I used to have two jobs both with health insurance and I picked job with better deal and if I lost it just went to other companies health plan.

But seriously in College I did work at Barclays Bank on nightshift in credit card processing operations and I could have done that job easy with a full time job. I worked part time during school year and I work 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours a night three days a week. 20 hours to get benefits. I was on second shift so 4pm to midnight. so did my hours often 8pm to midnight during week. My boss let me skip 15 minute break and leave at 1145pm if I wanted it. But was cool could go to bathroom, get coffee etc. Was not hard. They also paid 3 credits of my college a semister on top of me having benefits. And I kept my job a bit after I started my first full time job after graduating college.

We also had tons of "semi stay at home moms doing 20 hours. A few did 9am to 1pm daily while kids at school .

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry OP! That absolutely sucks. It’s not right that families in this country have to pay so much for insurance (and then still have high deductibles and copays). We went from $0 premiums to $10k a year and I was very upset. At the same time our deductibles and copays doubled. I then learned from family members that we were still paying lower premiums than most so we should just be grateful. But of all those I’ve heard of paying more, nobody has shared they pay $36k a year as you do. It sounds to me like your employer is passing 100% on to you. In another week, so many Americans will be priced out of insurance. There’s no excuse for this to be happening. I don’t want to get political but I know who to blame. While socialized medicine might not be perfect it sure beats what we have now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a rant. I am frustrated. We are family of 4 and we pay $3k/month for health insurance. We take home $9k. That's 33% already gone before we pay for mortgage and all lother expenses.

Why do we accept this as Americans??

starbucks, only have to work 20 hours a week to get medical, and they have a 401K they match on. That is not many hours. I used to work 20 hours all during college. Giving starbucks by my house is open 5am to 9pm most days. Pretty easy to do 20 hours even with a full time job.

Go apply for a job at Starbucks and report back on if you get it.

I used to have two jobs both with health insurance and I picked job with better deal and if I lost it just went to other companies health plan.

But seriously in College I did work at Barclays Bank on nightshift in credit card processing operations and I could have done that job easy with a full time job. I worked part time during school year and I work 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours a night three days a week. 20 hours to get benefits. I was on second shift so 4pm to midnight. so did my hours often 8pm to midnight during week. My boss let me skip 15 minute break and leave at 1145pm if I wanted it. But was cool could go to bathroom, get coffee etc. Was not hard. They also paid 3 credits of my college a semister on top of me having benefits. And I kept my job a bit after I started my first full time job after graduating college.

We also had tons of "semi stay at home moms doing 20 hours. A few did 9am to 1pm daily while kids at school .

And what year was this, do tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a rant. I am frustrated. We are family of 4 and we pay $3k/month for health insurance. We take home $9k. That's 33% already gone before we pay for mortgage and all lother expenses.

Why do we accept this as Americans??

starbucks, only have to work 20 hours a week to get medical, and they have a 401K they match on. That is not many hours. I used to work 20 hours all during college. Giving starbucks by my house is open 5am to 9pm most days. Pretty easy to do 20 hours even with a full time job.

Go apply for a job at Starbucks and report back on if you get it.

I used to have two jobs both with health insurance and I picked job with better deal and if I lost it just went to other companies health plan.

But seriously in College I did work at Barclays Bank on nightshift in credit card processing operations and I could have done that job easy with a full time job. I worked part time during school year and I work 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours a night three days a week. 20 hours to get benefits. I was on second shift so 4pm to midnight. so did my hours often 8pm to midnight during week. My boss let me skip 15 minute break and leave at 1145pm if I wanted it. But was cool could go to bathroom, get coffee etc. Was not hard. They also paid 3 credits of my college a semister on top of me having benefits. And I kept my job a bit after I started my first full time job after graduating college.

We also had tons of "semi stay at home moms doing 20 hours. A few did 9am to 1pm daily while kids at school .

And what year was this, do tell.

my bank still hires tellers part time with great benefits for only 20 hours a week. And Navy federal has a 24/7 call center you can do renote 20 hours a week.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don’t know your baseline health situation, so that may change things but if I were you I’d consider forgoing traditional coverage, taking half that amount per month and putting it into a savings account that you use for out of pocket expenses (dental cleanings, etc).
When my current insurance expires I refuse to pay more. It’s just not worth it. I’ll travel for care or ask for self pay rates for the basics (dental vision, etc).

[Anonymous]

Just canceled mine. So liberating. I will pay the fine if I have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Republicans have no health plan coming

Project 2025 removes preexisting condidions, maternity care and many other items that we currently get.

Thanks maga cult of stupid

While healthcare costs were always problematic, the high deductibles and premiums really started to explode when Obamacare was created. It didn't magically come about in the last 12 months. So you can blame the Democrats just as much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me glad to be married to someone from another country. We have enough money to retire early there if we needed to and there health care is much much cheaper. If I lose my 300k tech job and can’t find a replacement I’ll probably leave the country and FIRE

+1 DH is a dual citizen with the UK. Paying oop there is still much cheaper than here with insurance. When our youngest graduates from college, we are seriously of thinking of moving there for a few years before I qualify for medicare.

UK is begging people not to go to the hospital. It's broken

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay over $2,000 in premiums for employer-based health insurance for a family of 5. The premium for a high deductible plan was not that much less. I work at a smaller company. This is the reality for A LOT of Americans.

I seriously wonder if paying this much in taxes to get universal health care for all would be a better thing for our country.

I don't think you need to wonder. It definitely would be better.

[Anonymous]

That is ridiculous.. no one pays that for insurance. I cover my family and it's no more than 1100/ month with low deductible. Take the time to find a new job. This is NOT typical.

[Anonymous]

It’s better to go without insurance. Save the money to pay for the catastrophe.