Over dinner last night, the topic of health insurance came up...socialized medicine, cost, etc. The subject seems to have faded a bit from the public eye but it is sure to be an issue once Obama takes his throne. When I worked for the bank, a family plan (super, super coverage) cost me $329/mo. My COBRA cost will be approx $1100/mo for the same coverage now that I have left. I shopped around for coverage & found a plan for under $400, the $400 was for 3 months worth of coverage. Now, it isn't the best coverage...high deductibles and all...but I really think the figures bantered about in the election by Obama of $1200/per month average for a family were greatly exaggerated. Rather than government provided healthcare, we need to look at completely seperating insurance coverage & the workplace. I mean we don't look to our employers for life insurance, home owners insurance or auto insurance, do we? If everyone shopped their own insurance on the open market I would certainly expect healthcare to get a whole lot more competitive for everyone.
You didnt write how big your family is. That plays a role in the cost. Why wouldnt you want the best coverage for your family? And folks that work for insurance companies certainly look to thier employers for other insurance. Are you required to accept a company health plan? No. But its a group thing. So the many is more profitable to the carrier than the few. I have an entire family,i.e. cousins, aunts, uncles, siters, etc. that totals more than 200. But we as a group cant get the same rate for health insurance that a company of 150 employees gets. Now why is that? By your logic, if you dont have a high paying job, you dont have the same right to be healthy as someone who does. I dont want to bring up the..''we are our brothers keeper'' thing again. This shouldnt be a cutthroat country. Heaven forbid we should subsidize health care. But lets keep bailing out GM. Thats more important.
You missed my point entirely. The perception is that healthcare is unaffordable to the masses unless the government administers it. I made 2 phone calls and found it for $130 a month, for a family of 4. Obama wants you to believe healthcare will cost the average family $1200 a month when that simply isn't the case. And I disagree that you will only get "the best coverage for your family" under a federally run program, in fact it would be just the opposite!! By the way, where did I imply only high earners deserve coverage?
I never wrote you get the best with federal funds. But someone poor can get better care with federal funds than with no federal funds. you wrote before that you had cobra for 1100 and made a call and had ''not the best '' for about 400. Now you called some more and got health care for 130. Which seems unreal. I mean an emergency visit is $175 alone. Oh wait you moved to Kentucky, where you can pay for Dr. visits with eggs and a pig. What masses? Arent you a citizen too? No offense, but 130 bucks a month for a family of four sounds like the worst coverage you can get. I prefer going to a doctor who doesnt double as the town drunk.
Don't talk up this insurance policy until you have in fact actually used it. Then and only then should you tell us how you feel about it. There are lots of policies out there that are rotten in practice, but look good on paper.
Sure you could. Your family would simply have to pay the same rate as the employer. Which means BOTH employee and employer contributions. Remember, it's not just that employers gather employees together and pass all health insurance costs on to the employees. The employers often pay considerably more towards health insurance than the employees do.
Thanks. I'll have to check on that. But I see that for now your health benefits are free. Thats not a slight or a jab.
Craig , where do guys stand with the Va..a friend of mine keeps telling me i should register , is it worthwhile you think ?
When I enlisted the G.I. bill was eliminated. In '76 I think and wouldnt you know it, it was brought back in '83. I never bothered because I had no benefits.
Although the current health insurance cost is way too high, with the current economic crisis, I don't really expect Obama and his new administration to pay much attention to this topic.
I consider myself VERY lucky. I have a job that pays 100% of our health insurance. 100% of full on BC/BS, and I can only wonder about the cost, my boss says it's about $3 an hour if he figured it by the month......
Only sort of. My health, dental, and vision is free, but it's not for my wife and daughter. And for theirs I have to use an HMO run by the government. There may not be much cash out of pocket, but the time and frustration ...
