Employer paid health/life insurance?

[jackellis]

My brother in law is a Dr. for Kaiser in California and he tells me all the time of the craziest things people will come in for because it doesn't cost hardly anything to come to the clinic.

Exactly. I get a regular physical every other year, though I will probably start going every year here soon (I'm over 50). I have to get a separate physical for my pilot certificate but I pay for that one myself. Otherwise, I've been to the doctor once in the last 35+ years for a complaint and that was only after things didn't get better for quite a while.

My wife, on the other hand, goes to the doctor about once every other week it seems. She's not a hypochondriac but she will have someone look into what I consider pretty trivial problems.

[BigguyZ]

I pay $35/ month for a Medical/ RX plan through my employer. My plan incorporates a Health Reimbursement Accout, or HRA. The HRA is completely employer funded, and is used to pay for costs towards my $2500 deductible. The HRA account is $1500 a year. Preventative care, such as eye exams and physicals, are covered completely with no cost what so ever. So, if I go to the DR because I broke my arm, my HRA will pay for that visit up to $1500. Then I need to pay the next $1000 to meet the deductible, then I have a coinsurance of about 20% until I hit my Maxiumum out of Pocket. As long as my non-preventative costs (medical + RXs combined) are less than $1500, I don't have to pay anything past my premiums.

A nice thing about the HRA, is that each year anything not spent is rolled over, and another $1500 is added to the account. So, last year I only needed preventative services (physical and an eye exam), so now this year, I have $3000 to pay for any medical or RX expenses. If I have a major issue, the first $2500 of the $3k will go towards my deductible, then the last $500 will go towards my 20% copay. So I'll have to have $5,000 worth of medical expenses before I pay a penny out of pocket (remember that the HRA is employer funded). I think it's a pretty decent plan for either the really ill, or the perfectly healthy. There are more traditional options that our company allows us to choose, but the HRA plan has a lower maximum out of pocket- which means that if a catastrophic event happens, I'll pay less before my plan covers everything at 100% up to a lifetime benefit of $1million.

As far as life insurance goes, my company automatically provides each employee with a policy equivalent to I think 3 or 4 times the employee's yearly salary.

[ejs1097]

$300ish for the family but you won't find me complaining.

healthcare is always a touchy subject. I love it when you hear of strikes here in PA (quiet often the public sector) and they are striking primairly for healthcare increases. then you hear they insurance OOP for the family would go up from $25 to $35 per month of something like that.

My sister is a school teacher and her husband a police officer, they carry family on both public employers because they pay about $35 total OOP. Geesh.

I'm healthy but I know if you add up all our insurance bills, my OOP is less then what I've paid in over 10 years.

PA's wonderful Governer is trying to roll out 'healthcare for all' or something like that. To encourage employers to offer insurance, he's going to apply a 3% payroll tax if you don't offer it. Employers are going to find out it's cheaper to pay the tax so they'll drop insurance coverage. Which will inturn push the bill to the taxpayers....What a system.

[Hellrazor]

Blue Cross PPO, Dental coverage ($1000/yr max), $25k life insurance, Disability insurance, copay for doctors visits and for medication. The copay towards your insurance is $290/yr single, $580/yr for 2 or 870/yr for family.

[MilDoc]

My perspective after 30+ years as a doc, in private practice, then teaching at a med school, now on contract to the military:

1. Wall Street took over healthcare years ago. Most HMOs, health insurance, etc (including many Blues) are now for profit. And their CEOs get 6-7 figure incomes to satisfy the stockholders (while returning as little as 70% for true healthcare). Meanwhile, payments to docs get lower and lower (same with Medicare etc). There are non-profit exceptions, but not that many. Many hospitals are also for-profit, and many are dropping ER care as a money loser.

2. Americans expect instant gratification. So you need to wait 8 weeks to get your cataracts out? Gee, how long you had em? Knee pain - instant MRI, but waiting 4-6 weeks might actually result in no knee pain.

3. Lawsuits - no consequence to the attorneys or the "injured parties." So, go ahead and file at a steadily rising cost to everyone. Might cost $100,000 to "defend" a case that never gets to court. Other countries do not allow this. Not to mention "junk science" allowed in court.

4. Docs who can't say no or just don't know any better. Snotty nose for 3 days? Here's the latest and greatest antibiotic that the drug rep assured me is the best at $75 per Rx (which you probably don't need since you have a cold)

5. BigPharm - this country has the highest drug prices in the world because BigPharm owns Congress. Amazing how most other major countries negotiate prices while you (Americans) subsidize their prices.


And yes there are other reasons, but when insurance becomes so expensive that no business can afford to subsidize it, look out.

[Howard]

I just got my 3rd class airman's medical renewed in January. The Dr. is a semi-retired guy, I was in and outta there in about 20 minutes. Didn't even have to turn my head and cough! Whew!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

My perspective after 30+ years as a doc, in private practice, then teaching at a med school, now on contract to the military:

1. Wall Street took over healthcare years ago. Most HMOs, health insurance, etc (including many Blues) are now for profit. And their CEOs get 6-7 figure incomes to satisfy the stockholders (while returning as little as 70% for true healthcare). Meanwhile, payments to docs get lower and lower (same with Medicare etc). There are non-profit exceptions, but not that many. Many hospitals are also for-profit, and many are dropping ER care as a money loser.

2. Americans expect instant gratification. So you need to wait 8 weeks to get your cataracts out? Gee, how long you had em? Knee pain - instant MRI, but waiting 4-6 weeks might actually result in no knee pain.

3. Lawsuits - no consequence to the attorneys or the "injured parties." So, go ahead and file at a steadily rising cost to everyone. Might cost $100,000 to "defend" a case that never gets to court. Other countries do not allow this. Not to mention "junk science" allowed in court.

4. Docs who can't say no or just don't know any better. Snotty nose for 3 days? Here's the latest and greatest antibiotic that the drug rep assured me is the best at $75 per Rx (which you probably don't need since you have a cold)

5. BigPharm - this country has the highest drug prices in the world because BigPharm owns Congress. Amazing how most other major countries negotiate prices while you (Americans) subsidize their prices.


And yes there are other reasons, but when insurance becomes so expensive that no business can afford to subsidize it, look out.

That is an awesome summary of the problems with US healthcare! I think I would add advancements in marginally better medical equipment and a "it's for your health so how can you question the cost?" attitude. Lancaster General in Lancaster PA has a baby grand piano with a person who plays same. What the **** does that have to do with medical care?!?! All the stone and granite and cosmetic face lifts to the facilities? Come on! One of my wifes Drs office looks like a fine hotel. Who needs this crap? Who do they think is paying for it? Let's get back to basics! But you can't because people use the "how can you question spending on your health?" attitude. This same thought process seems to run through education as well ie "it's for the childrens educationl, so how can you question it?".

I also agree with the statement made by another poster about HMO/PPOs with $10 co-pays. This has without question caused increase in people seeking medical care for minor issues.

Our family insurance is through my wifes employer. We pay around $250 per month and the employer pays $950. Wife has 10x salary through work for around $8 per month. Being self employed, I have my own 20 year term policy for $1 million from SBLI. I pay $372 per year. Great mutual life insurance company operating in NE US. Great prices and excellent service.

[MilDoc]

Lancaster General in Lancaster PA has a baby grand piano with a person who plays same.

That is Wall Street's and the MBA pygmies ideas of what you need. "Please the customer."

Know what?

You are my patient not my customer. Don't like that? Go to the local convenience store.

I am a doctor. A prostitute is a provider.

The CEO of Aetna will earn in one year what I could possibly earn in sixty years.

And for that I spend 150 hours a year staying on top of things (average doc spend about 20).

In 3 years, .... I quit.

Sorry.

Rant off.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I am a doctor. A prostitute is a provider.

Best quote ever.

[JSCOOK]

[QUOTE=MilDoc;254089]
I am a doctor. A prostitute is a provider.
[QUOTE]

ROFL! ... I'm glad I had put the coffee down ... that's a classic!

[Kristofor]

And their CEOs get 6-7 figure incomes to satisfy the stockholders

Ha! The Chairman of United Health (headquartered in the city I grew up in), had over 10 figures of compensation (including lots of back-dated options...)

2. Americans expect instant gratification. So you need to wait 8 weeks to get your cataracts out? Gee, how long you had em? Knee pain - instant MRI, but waiting 4-6 weeks might actually result in no knee pain.

Having waited in an ER for 16hrs in significant pain waiting to have my appendix out (after ~2hrs at urgent care), and over 12hrs in another ER waiting to even be seen with a dislocated shoulder I'm somewhat sensitive to a slow response. I recognize that neither of those are as critical as people with serious trauma, but shoot I wish you could stop at Walgreens on the way in for something stronger than Tylenol if you're going to sit and wait in agony for hours.

5. BigPharm - this country has the highest drug prices in the world because BigPharm owns Congress. Amazing how most other major countries negotiate prices while you (Americans) subsidize their prices.

No Doubt, agreed!

You are my patient not my customer. Don't like that? Go to the local convenience store.

Ah, I see you're familiar with the minute clinic style office wave sweeping the country. I know there are lots of hard feelings from many of the traditional medical providers regarding these outfits, but most people want to be seen as valuable customers, not just a patient.

That doesn't/shouldn't mean giving into "the customer is always right". But it is reasonable to expect kindness, respect, and concern. Maybe I've had good luck, but that has always been my experience when dealing with medical professionals.

[MilDoc]

And United has announced that they will fine the docs if you don't go to their contracted labs for any ordered tests. So what if the lab is 20 miles away!!!!

And just why did you have to wait in the ER? Couldn't possibly be because idiots are there ahead of you for their snotty noses, vomiting x 1, headache for 2 hours? Or any other such nonsense/ See, Federal Law makes it darn near impossible to say go home moron.

And re: mini-clinics: if you think the NP or PAC there has half the training I do ... then all I can say is what I used to try to impress on interns and residents ---

"Thank G most of what we do doesn't kill people..." The mini-clinics will treat you like their customer. Not a patient. But that's the American way.

[bradley_osu]

5. BigPharm - this country has the highest drug prices in the world because BigPharm owns Congress.

In all fairness it is harder (cost more) to get things through the USFDA than it is to get approved in other countries. Also, we're the only country in the world that still allows direct to consumer advertising which makes up the majority of BigPharma's budget, so it would make sense that we pay the cost for that. And that's a necessary evil because how else would you know what new and improved drugs are out to treat new and improved diseases that you didn't even know you had!

End sarcasm.

Amazing how most other major countries negotiate prices while you (Americans) subsidize their prices.

My favorite part of Medicare Part D... Companies providing the medicare part d service are not allowed by law to negotiate drug prices like they do when they provide service as a third party payer for non-medicare patients. Can we say waste of tax dollars?

On that same note, what burns me daily is seeing tax dollars fly out the window paying for "random addict on medicaid"'s trip to the ER to get his vicodin prescription because x hospital's policy on pain is that if the patient complains of it then a prescription for something must be issued.

Want to hear about another waste of your tax dollars? It is a relatively well known fact in the world of pharmacy, that medicaid (at least in Ohio) takes up to 6 months to begin paying for a generic medication. This summer when Zocor went generic we filled brand ($60 more per prescription) for every medicaid patient from June until well into the fall. That is $60/person/month for one of the most prescribed drugs in America. Needless to say much money was wasted.

Then there's even more health-care money wasting as drug reps go all over the country and give away literally billions of dollars in free merchandise, meals, event tickets, etc. to prescribers in an effort to convince the lazy ones who don't bother following recent studies and guidelines, to prescribe their new and expensive drug. I've heard of sporting events and concerts, dinners for very large groups at the most expensive steak house in Columbus with everything paid for including the bar. The scary thing is just how many prescribers listen to these reps (business majors who may not even have a bachelor's degree) about how to prescribe for their patients.

It's truly alarming how much this practice affects the cost of healthcare. Not only are expensive drugs being utilized more, but patients are recieving poorer outcomes because of the poor prescribing. Poor outcomes lead to increased medication use, hospitalization, doctors visits, chronic health problems, all of which rack up astronomical costs on the entire system. This is the part where I would usually go in and start referencing the value of a medication expert (pharmacist) in the system showing how even with paying for the pharmacists services overall costs for the system are dramatically reduced... but I don't want to be preachy

[Kristofor]

And re: mini-clinics: if you think the NP or PAC there has half the training I do ... then all I can say is what I used to try to impress on interns and residents ---

"Thank G most of what we do doesn't kill people..." The mini-clinics will treat you like their customer. Not a patient. But that's the American way.

Not me. I'm light on the medical service needs. Since graduating from high school I've been in for medical service for ~4-5 physicals, 1 appendix removal, 1 kidney donation (with all of those associated screenings/tests) and 4 shoulder dislocations(dunno if waiting so long the first time made this more likely or what but I still do the PT stuff and still pop it occasionally, the 5th time I was canoe camping in the middle of nowhere and was able to get it back in myself) .

Though if I picked up strep throat now like I did as a kid (4-6 times/year) I would think about the quick and easy in/out deal...

[bradley_osu]

if you think the NP or PAC there has half the training I do

My previous post was long... but this one holds a special place in my heart.

I had a CNP arguing with me that HydrALAzine relieves itching, she would not listen to me when I told her that what she meant was HydrOXYzine. If you took enough of it you might stop itching... because you'd be dead.

She finally said "See look I'll show you," and went to her reference followed by a dejected "Nevermind, you're right."