Employees Face Big Hike in Health-Care Costs

[douglas9]

Federal government employees can expect a big jump in their health-care costs in 2010, officials said Tuesday.

Employees enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will pay an average 8.8 percent more in health-care costs, according to figures released by the Office of Personnel Management.

The increase averages $5.98 per paycheck for individual health-care coverage, and a $12.87 increase for employees whose plans cover families, the OPM said. The increase compares with a 7.9 percent jump in 2009 and a 2.9 percent increase in 2008, according to the OPM.

"An 8.8 percent increase is not an increase that we feel comfortable with," Nancy Kichak, OPM associate director for strategic human resources policy, told reporters. "It's not one that we would like to see our enrollees bear, but unfortunately we're a victim of the market."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903539_pf.html

[Orwellian_Ghost]

1. Massive strikes needed

[Vinca]

2. Isn't the federal employee's program essentially the wonderful

set of private insurance options they want us to be able to choose from? Single payer makes so much sense.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. My employer just announced a lowering of premiums for non-smokers

And an increase for smokers.

[rhett o rick]

7. So what? nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. Apperently they are trying to reduce their costs by encouraging employees to make healthy choices

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. Gov't healthcare costs rise 12-15%

while only increasing employees contribution by 8.8%. Hence actual percentage of total healthcare premium paid by employee in 2010 will be less than in 2009.

So the gov't(employer) contribution to healthcare will increase about $66 per paycheck for individual and $129 per paycheck.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Time for the federal government to rein in the 'market'. Either pass real HCR with a strong

public option or start putting caps health insurance policies.

[L0oniX]

6. They got to pay for all the lobbying somehow.