Healthcare: Do you have it? How much do you pay?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

I think we're a pretty broad cross section of the populace. My current employer covers the full cost of employee only in the HMO option which is what I have. How about you?

Do you feel tied to your current position because of health benefits?
If your benefits were portable or if you had another affordable option, would you leave the job you have?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. I'll answer my own questions.Yes and yes. nt.

[Misskittycat]

2. Self-employed. Can't get insurance at any price; preexisting conditions.n/t

[Monkeyman]

3. No insurance Company will touch me

Agent Orange but tell that to the VA

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. In my opinion there should be a state or federal pool (group)

for people who cannot obtain insurance through an employer or because they are self-employed or because of pre-existing conditions. End of story.

[question everything]

24. And such a pool should be funded by the insurance companies

and their contributions should be pro-rated to how many policies they terminated once an insured person became too sick.

[demosincebirth]

28. there's one in Ca. Its call MRMIP

Major Risk Medical Insurance Program.

http://www.healthconsumer.org/cs033MRMIP.pdf

[Blue_In_AK]

41. Alaska has such a program.

[acmejack]

13. Hey Buddy. How you doing?

[candice]

Self employed, $5000 deductible, $225 a month...

Just for catastrophic and the bill gets knocked down by half when the insurance company negotiates the bill, which I then pay.

[candice]

5. Self employed, $5000 deductible, $225 a month...

Just for catastrophic and the bill gets knocked down by half when the insurance company negotiates the bill, which I then pay.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. My employer cannot afford to offer health insurance. The cost?

A few days ago a routine trip to the doctor for a skin rash cost me over $275.00, including prescriptions.

My employer, a small general contractor, has made an effort to find group health insurance for the company, but due to the age and physical histories of some of our employees, the cost overall makes it prohibitive. In my case, my share of the premium would amount to as much as I spend each month on housing.

[Pugee]

7. Unemployed, so no health insurance since August, but

the job that I held the last 8 years paid 68% of our health care. Them and me combined paid over $8000 a year for myself and my daughter.

I would have kept that particular job, but I know friends who can't leave their hated jobs because of the health insurance, especially if they have a sick family member.

[DODI]

8. HMO, dental, life insurance, disability - $180 per month

for a family of 4.

[Cleita]

9. I have Medicare and medigap.

My out of pocket expenses just for the insurances are about $300 a month. I have no dental and limited prescription. (I refuse to do part "D" Medicare out of protest.)

This, however, is better than I have had for a long time. Before I turned sixty five, I had to pay that $300 a month for insurance, but I couldn't access it until I reached a $3,000 deductible according to their terms. I had to pay insurance and pay for my medical care on top of it, which means I didn't get it.

Our system is so screwed.

[yorkiemommie1]

10. medical thru my husband

205/HMO just got raised 25.00

So far excellent care , excellent dr.

Delta Dental Ins. ( since my employer dropped all our ins. coverage ) 155/ yearly for us both. doesn't cover as well as the Delta I had, but it helps.

[GoneOffShore]

11. Self employed business owner

Just me and Mrs GoS.

Changed our health insurance from $935/month to $450/month with a $2500 deductible with that going into the drug benefit.

I hate Aetna.

But BlueCross was going up every year so we had to change. We've also got a long term care policy that costs around $3K/year.

[Captain Hilts]

32. Wow. That's a lot. nt

[acmejack]

12. Yes, I have it. Disabled vet

The VA has a lot going for it in the efficient delivery of care. Computerized record keeping. negotiated pharmaceutical prices, but that limits the formulary-things like no Flonase all of a sudden. The new stuff they replaced it with makes my nose bleed. Their response was basically "Tough shit". Things that they would be happy to do if you or your insurance was paying don't happen, in my case back surgery, they said it won't help. You know they would be happy to perform it for the money they could charge in the real world, whether it was effacious or not!

But I am lucky to have it, I would be totally screwed otherwise! Even with good insurance, when I got seriously ill, the co-pays were the problem. The disability insurance doesn't pay your entire salary, they usually pay a percentage of it, plus you lose all those little extras you come to count on, differentials, overtime, etc. But those 10% here, 25% there that the insurance doesn't pay really add up. One good Pacemaker installation and Diagnostic routine can leave one $10,000 in the hole. He said ruefully.

At one time I didn't want to use th eVA since I was flush and there were many vets trying to use their facilities. That decision cost me dearly!

[Digit]

14. New job, so coverage begins next month

There was a 90 day waiting period.
The job pays squat and the commute is hell, but the dental/vision will be free and if I went with regular health coverage, it would be free (for me) as well. I opted for more coverage which will cost me about $100/month.

I took the job only for the benefits.

[katinmn]

15. Self employed, moved to faith-based health plan 4 mos ago

But just lucked out and found a half-time job that pays full benefits (one of those rare situations) starting next week. Hate to give up the independence even half-time but I am tired of paying $500/mo or going without hc for me and my daughter. Neither of those are good choices.

Yes, health insurance has always been a major factor in my worklife. I have on two occassions stayed in jobs I wasn't ecited about for a number of years because they offered excellent health insurance.

[katinmn]

17. Faith-based health plan = Pray like hell you don't get sick

in case anyone was wondering. :)

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

18. Thank you! I WAS wondering. nt

[sarcasmo]

42. May I ask what is a faith based health plan?

Is that pray and hope you don't get hurt or sick?

[katinmn]

43. yes, see #17. I first heard the term here on DU.

[Miss Chybil]

16. Retired Military. Just under $500 per year.

$12.00 copays. $9.00 prescriptions. $50.00 per hospitalization. We have to use the base doctor as our Primary Care Physician. Anything beyond routine is referred out to civilian doctors. All hospitalizations are done in civilian hospitals.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Self employed - $775/mo in an HMO for two of us

But the care is good and the coverage is good. Scrips are $3 by mail or $10 in person. Doc visits are $15.

The plan is Kaiser's highest option. If we choose, we can go to any doc anywhere and they pay 80% after some deductible. So far we've never exercised this option as our doc has been great.

As HMOs go, Kaiser's pretty highly rated.

But I'd bet that if we had national health care paid by some increase in taxes, my annual cost would be less than half (in the form of increased taxes, not in any out-of-pocket direct health care costs).

Private insurance is a scourge and a rip-off.

[salin]

20. I have self-paid, and I have had all paid, and now have

to contribute (to cover rises in the past two years from the insurer to the employer.) Having self-paid - which was very expensive five years ago, I would certainly say that while I am not at my current job because of health insurance being primarily covered (I pay about $100 a month as opposed to $400 a month when self-covering), health care benefits would effect my choice of future jobs. Funny, as when I entered the market after college, I never took a job (except short-term work) that did not have benefits. Point being - within my work life-time the expectation that professional jobs included health insurance has declined - to where this is no longer a reality. Turns on its head the idea that each generation in this county would have the opportunity to supercede the previous generation. We are now in a time where it will be harder and harder for the next generation to simply match the preceding generation.

[Bitwit1234]

21. Retired

I have Medicare and you know what that costs. But my old employer pays for most of my supplemental health insurance. The same for prescriptions and boy am I glad. I would never be able to afford my medicine if they didn't. Medicare prescriptions are too high.

[Captain Hilts]

22. All I can get is basically 'accident' insurance because I'm unemployed.

I actually can afford better, but the companies I've spoken to won't sell it to me. I guess being unemployed places me in a higher risk group.

[matt819]

23. Self employed - $10,000/yr, high deductibles, two people

Can't get a group policy. One company wouldn't cover me, so we have policies with two different companies. And these are both mostly major medical policies. Nothing much in the way of routine care or Rx. Children are coverd by a state insurance plan. Unable to hire one employee who won't leave current job because she has insurance, and we can't pick up the tab of another $6,000 per year on top of our own insurance and what we would have to pay her. This is a killer for small business.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

38. "a killer for small business" Agreed. Also a killer OF small business

Where is all this vaunted support for American entrepreneurialism? Something REAL that would help smalll business is some health care reform that meant something for people like you. It also depresses start-ups because a lot of people see this as a major issue going in that they have little or no control over.

[fuzzyball]

25. Jumps from $185/month to $245/month as of January 1st 2007

plus I pay medicare $72/month which is going up in 2007 by
a dozen dollars or so.

The insurance is PPO for a family of 4, so we can go to any
doctor within the PPO network which is pretty extensive. It
covers dental but not eye exams or glasses.

[kineneb]

26. CMSP

County Medical Services Plan

http://www.cmspcounties.org/index.html

Medical coverage for the low-income medically indigent between 18-65 in rural California counties.

My share-of-cost is $245/month, because the state of California assumes an adult couple can live on ~$934/month; a sum which has not been changed since 1997. At least if I don't use the service, I don't have to pay the share-of-cost.

Hubby has Medicare/Medicaid because he is on dialysis.

[Doremus]

27. Self-employed. $1000/mo. for 3 people.

That's bad enough, but then there are co-pays and deductibles as the policy only covers 80%.

We paid out over $15k last year in medical costs. This year will be higher because DD needed to have her wisdom teeth pulled to the tune of $1200 out of pocket.

Somebody's GOT to do something.
With business down and expenses rising thanks to the "thriving" economy, we're in a royal squeeze.
I don't think we're going to be able to hold on much longer. :(

[FrenchieCat]

29. Self Employed (sole shareholders of SCorp) and pay

Large HMO $1,087 for medical and dental per month for two adults, 2 children, plus $30 co-payment per visit; prescriptions ($10 for generic drugs, no special coverage for name brands); and dental pays up to $1,500 per year per person at 80% for routine, 50% for crowns, etc....

We also have to pay $2,528 per year for college attending daughter due to state law where she's attending school although she remains covered in our state via the HMO as long as she is a college student at the same price as if we only had one child insured (we have two).

It's a lot to pay.....considering all other bills.

[Vinca]

30. Can't afford it - among the ones the insurance companies don't want.

This is an illuminating thread. It shows very clearly why we need universal care if coverage runs from a hundred bucks a month to a thousand or more a month for many different levels.

[tapper]

31. Employed, about $34 a month

is what I pay. Dental and vision included. $20 doctor copays, $10/20 generic/name prescriptions at local pharmacy. Supposedly $1000 out-of-pocket/year. PPO. Company offers plans from 2 insurance companies, 2 plans each, plus the idiotic Health Savings Plan.

The company is high-tech and currently rolling in money. (They bought my old company.) Hope it lasts until the idiots in DC see the light, and realize Single Payer would almost certainly help America's 1) security, 2) entreprenuership (how many would be entrepreneurs don't dare make a move because they can't afford to lose health insurance) 3) costs.

[OzarkDem]

33. Can we get some recommendations? Thx.

We need to keep this issue on the front burner. This is a good exercise in raising awareness of high cost of health insurance and its growing burden on our economy.

[high density]

34. I pay about $3,000/year for myself

My employer also pays $3,000/year towards it. It's a decent HMO plan with low copays, etc. Of the "taxes" I pay every two weeks, this is certainly the one that pisses me off the most.

I don't feel tied to my job because of health benefits, though I do like my job and I plan on being with this company for a while.

[seabeyond]

35. as an employer 1,100 a month per family of four. it went up significantly

two years ago so to get that cheap price, 1,100 a month we had to increase co pay and deduction.

[katinmn]

44. Harder to give raises to good workers now, isn't it?

Everyone knows the hc system hurts working people, the vast majority of Americans, and employers.

All congress members have wonderful hc packages for life. They give themselves raises every year and tax breaks for the wealthiest who don't need them.

And yet, they ignore the plea for a living wage and basic healthcare for every American. Even children.

I'm looking for some big changes out of this Congress. If we don't get it now, never will.

[seabeyond]

47. that is why husband voted kerry in 2004. our last employee had

insurance thru his wife's job so we just added it to his salary. i feel much better about that then paying off this insrance bullshit. we can not even get dental insurance and when i ask a dental office a good company they literally laugh at me. something is seriously wrong when i cannot even PAY for insrance

[MountainLaurel]

36. COBRA coverage from last employer

After the first of the year, it'll cost me $400/month plus copays and such. I'm working part-time, but my job offers no benefits. It's hard to afford, but I need to find the cause of some problems I've been having, get a sense for treatment options, and then I'll have to drop it if I can't find full-time work.

[Greyhound]

37. Not for six years now, couldn't even begin to afford it. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

39. Groups most affected by out of control costs - small business,

entrepreneurs, people with pre-existing conditions, and families in general (since most companies pick up the employee but not the spouse or the dependents). Plus of course, the unemployed, the under-employed and the working poor who have to choose between healthcare and/or food, shelter and transportation.

Small business is supposed to be the largest employer in the country. I know of countless small businesses, that because they are small, their groups are small, and when they get even one catastrophic illness in the group - their rates go through the roof.

WHEN WILL SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?!

[Blue_In_AK]

40. $600 a month is taken out of my husband's pension

for him and me.

[taps]

45. Have none, can't get any because diabetic n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

46. You may HAVE it - but what happens when you USE it?

I am talking specifically about small groups or the self-employed when they actually use their coverage for a catastrophic illness - your rates will rise so high you will effectively be forced out of what the insurer has deemed is a no-win situation (for them. This is what I have heard from various people.

Also, every insurance policy has limits. Your 1 or 2 million limit might sound like a lot - but just talk to someone with multiple cancer surgeries, treatments, radiation, etc. and find out how fast even the employed and insured will hit their limits. We are all living in a fool's paradise if we think this cannot happen to us.

[AZBlue]

48. I have it, it's good and I have low deductibles (with NO monthly premuim). Wanna know why??

I work for a Canadian company. They understand the need for good healthcare coverage.

[Blue_Tires]

49. cannot afford it

currently i have sporadic PT employment

[Earth_First]

50. No healthcare coverage. n/t

[windbreeze]

51. We pay close to $700

for retired husband and me...however...I am older than he is...soooo...they pulled a fast one when he retired..forced me to sign up for prescription plan D, with a $250 deductible/no choice...and copays...and I also pay for medicare...now there is no eye coverage...and I have to pay up to 500% more on copays for dental, even though we pay the same premium for both of us...it's expensive to retire...
windbreeze

[Lydia Leftcoast]

52. Self-employed, lousy insurance

Until this summer, I was paying nearly $300 a month for a policy with a $1000 deductible, but that became unaffordable on a month-to-month basis, even though it can come off my income taxes.

I then raised my deductible to $5,000, which I hope I never have to use, and now pay "only" $194.10 per month. However, that is the "preferred" rate, and if I ever actually used my insurance, I'm sure the rates would go even higher. Another woman of my acquaintance did exactly the same thing.

All the insurance companies available to self-employed people here are equally bad, with no more than $10-20 per month difference in the premiums.

And the CEO of my bloodsucking insurance company had the NERVE to write an op-ed saying that we need to cut costs in the health care industry through better record keeping and more competition.

Hey, you, CEO! How about competing by offering more affordable policies for your subscribers?

Naa, you've got to use the money to provide goodies for your board members.

[krispos42]

53. Yes I do

My work (small startup manufacturing company, employs about 8 plus the 3 owners) pays 80% of the costs for me and my kid. I pay about $46 every two weeks, so I figure it's about $1200 a year that I pay for medical. No dental or vision yet, but may be coming next year.

I don't feel tied by health benefits, but I did at my last job, because my ex and I were trying to conceive our first kid and the place had fertility benefits.

I actually like where I work. The owners pay decent (on top of the insurance, which is an extra $4800 a year), my boss is pretty cool (cool enough that I helped him move a couple of months ago), and the hours maximize my time with my kid (long weekends every week). And the job is perhaps repetative, but I have Air America on all night, and it's not much in the way of heavy lifting or dangerous work.

I just need to get a degree so when the company expands, there I am!

[JCMach1]

54. 0$ for GP visits $30 for the Emergency room and 10%

of medications. This includes OTC if it is prescribed by a doc.

The catch? I live in the UAE.

Excellent PRIVATE healthcare. They don't have a public system.

Employers pay for MOST health insurance.

[shimmergal]

55. Medicare-alternative HMO

I'm actually lucky--pay nothing out of pocket per month for the coverage (I said to the sales representative "How can you afford to do this?" Answer: "Oh, we get hundreds of dollars monthly from Medicare for each member." _And_ they're making money--Insurance Co's corporate headquarters has marble corridors etc.). I guess there's actually close to $100/mo. deducted from my social security to pay for it, though.

There's a $10 co-pay for most office visits; $20 for specialist visits. Generic prescriptions are $7. If the script isn't in the formulary it's $55--not bad compared to a lot of prescription charges, but still painful to pay monthly for one of my BP medicines--there's no generic equivalent.

Supposedly they have a vision benefit. But you know what? I went to LensCrafters last summer, armed with my med. plan card, coupon from newspaper, and my AAA membershhip card. They'd only honor one of the three. When I said, "Pick the one with the best deal," it turned out to be the AAA discount. Exam, frames, and progressive trifocal lenses still came to about $450. I wonder how much it would have been under my med. plan, because of the three, it was the worst deal!

Still, I'm glad I'm in this plan. Don't like HMO's in theory, but for equivalent coverage even with Medicare, I'd have to pay about $200 a month for a supplemental policy. And after going almost ten years with NO medical coverage, due to part-time jobs/ low paying freelance work, I'm really, really grateful. Too bad everyone can't have at least as good coverage.

[BluePatriot]

56. Yes and yes, even though benefits are decent

I pay zero for United Healthcare health/dental/vision which is above average. Hubby pays zero for his at his job too. On my plan spouse and children are also free, on his, he would have to pay for me and anyone else. So, we use my plan, but at least we have decent options if one of us changes a job. If you are wondering what kind of jobs these are, they are medium and small airport businesses on "cafeteria plans" (I work at a freight forwarder, hubby is a courier for a customs broker)

Unfortunately, to offer these benefits, our companies don't really provide a competitive wage. Plus, I hate my job, it's not even closely related to my degree, but will I really find another job with such good benefits at my young age and relatively low experience level? (nope....) It makes me feel limited about my options to go "do what I want!" especially given a recent health scare.

[fencesitter]

57. self employed, high deductable with "prayers" rider

7500.00 deductable, pray I don't get sick. Costs 225.00/mo. for me alone. I'm in Pennsylvania, which along with New Jersey, have the highest rates in the nation. Premiums are geographical, based on risk. Since PA and NJ have large elderly populations and folks employed in risky occupations, we pay more. Also, I take medication for blood pressure which puts me in a higher risk class. I used to pay a bit more for an HMO which covered nearly everything, but the premiums rose way over 400.00 mo.

I think even if we made rates equal from state to state, the costs would be more reasonable.

[Eurobabe]

58. I was lucky enough to have BCBS fully paid by my employer

back in OH.

Now I live in Germany, and everybody has health coverage. It's the sane thing to do, healthcare is NOT tied to your employer, you can choose whomever you want to insure you on the govt. plan, OR you can go with private insurance and pay a bit on your own.

What a flippin' concept huh?

[Lugnut]

59. Imagine that!

Health care for all is a no-brainer.

I'm disabled and have only Medicare Part A because I'm covered for doctor's visits and prescriptions through DH's benefits from his job. PCP office visits are $10 and specialists are $25. Generic meds have a $5 co-pay. Based on the HMO's formulary other meds are either $35 or $55 and higher depending on the drug. Hubby pays $55.00 a month toward his coverage. Referrals are required and only for plan providers. Most diagnostic tests have co-pays so you're nickel and dimed along the way. It's better than nothing.

[Eurobabe]

61. USA's healthcare system is broken

and it's going to take alot to fix it. No more corporate welfare for big pharma and health insurers!

My co-pay for Doc is $10 per QUARTER, and my meds cost $5 per Rx.

Of course our taxes are higher, but I think many people would accept the trade off. With 300M+ people in the USA, something like universal healthcare should be possible.

[BlueStateGirl]

60. Yes, Aetna individual advantage. I pay $190 a month. No deductible

$20 co pay.