What employer health care coverage is most fair to employees? (Poll)

[David__77]

I wanted to get people's opinions on how to ideally allocate a given level of resources for employee health benefits.

The decision involves whether to 1) give greater benefits to employees with dependents by covering more of their dependent insurance cost, or 2) to have a more generous benefit level for the employees themselves, and let those with dependents pay more for dependent coverage.

The three options below of essentially revenue-neutral in a particular context. Please note that in the option listed below, "Health Savings Accounts" are dollars allocated to employees that may be used to dental, optical, or medical copayment expenses. There is no separate dental or optical insurance available to employees.

What is the morally right choice? The tension is between 1) a desire to have compensation equity (not discriminate against employees that do not have dependents) and 2) the desire to be socially responsible. Opinions?

0 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	100% Low Co-Pay Coverage for Employee + 50% Dependent Coverage + $2,000 Health Savings Account
	0 (0%)
	100% Medium Co-Pay Coverage for Employee + 75% Dependent Coverage + $1,000 Health Savings Account
	0 (0%)
	100% High Co-Pay Coverage for Employee + 100% Dependent Coverage
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Gravitycollapse]

1. Zero premium, zero copay, zero deductible for employee and family.

[David__77]

2. That's not even an option offered by the insurance companies.

The lowest co-payment option is more than twice as costly as the next lowest copay option. Selecting that would mean that revenues would not cover the existing salary levels and wouldn't provide much better coverage in practice. That's why the health savings account was established - to help employees pay for copayments.

[Gravitycollapse]

4. Large corporations could easily afford complete coverage for their employees free of charge.

[David__77]

6. This is a company with about 50 employees.

The options are much more limited, and there is little polarization in wage levels. So it's really a question of how to allocate revenues.

[Gravitycollapse]

7. What kind of annual net income is this 50 person company making?

[David__77]

10. Does that matter?

Or, let us say that I don't know. But let us hypothesize that profits are very low to non-existent, and principal compensation is comparable to employee compensation. In any event, there are definite, finite resources.

[Gravitycollapse]

11. Don't throw out hypothetical companies unless you have hypothetical numbers.

In any event, a 50 person company can still pull in a lot of income. So that is why I asked.

[David__77]

13. If I had to guess...

Let's say 4,000,000 annually.

[Gravitycollapse]

14. A 50 person company with a net income of 4 million could easily afford it.

Complete coverage for all employees.

[magellan]

3. +1 Universal healthcare n/t

[Gravitycollapse]

5. Fist bump

[magellan]

8. I read your thread about discovering PCIP is closed, Gc

I wanted to get my husband signed up when it was still open but we couldn't afford it. I'm sorry for the situation you've been left in.

Wish we had a compassionate health system in this country.

[abelenkpe]

9. I worked for a company

once where health insurance cost nothing. No deductible either. Dental and vision had a 20 percent copay but everything else was free.

Over the years it went from being free, to costing two percent, then four, then six percent of salary as they opened overseas offices to keep up with the competition, slowly off shoring jobs, reducing US workers pay and benefits.

You know the story.

But damn, it was great while it lasted.

[abelenkpe]

12. All those options bite. nt

[flvegan]

15. The one that Congress has. n/t

[David__77]

16. Completely agree. Universal health care is the way to go.

I don't think there's a good answer to the question posed...

[Lars39]

17. All the choices are cruddy. Why are you pushing them?

[David__77]

18. I'm not pushing them. I'm asking what's the best of these limited choices.

I don't have the power to offer more than that, nor am I an owner of the firm in question.