Health Insurance rates...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

At my new job are crazy high! Although I am not working at the actual hospital, I am at one of their physician's offices, it's the same cost for all employees in the whole system.

For an HSA, 3k ded, family coverage, is listed at $105 per 2 wk pay period. Not bad right? But if you have a spouse that works then you have to pay an extra $160 per pay period for them. Which all adds up to around $500/mo for a stinking HSA. And they don't pay anything towards your 3k ded. I won't even look at the HMO plans , it's in the $700/mo range.

Is this normal? I can't afford to go the hospital I work for lol. I won't complain about being on my husband's HSA now, it's not the best a 5k ded for our whole fam per year, but at least it's affordable and his employer contributes some money in our HSA. It's just kind of mind boggling to me, if for some reason my husband's insurance increased to those premiums we would not be able to afford it, especially with two kids in daycare.

Sorry I know this is off topic but I was shocked! And now a little worried that one day all rates will be like this and we will be left with no choice other than having no insurance.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

I ended up getting insurance for myself with blue cross blue shield of Texas for $110/month. I am generally healthy and don't go to the doctor often so I chose a plan in case of emergencies or a catostrophic event. Deductible is 2500 then coinsurance is 25%. Out of pocket limit is deductible plus 3000. So most I would pay out of pocket annually is 5500 of something bad ever happens to me. I hope I chose a decent. It also covers preventative care 100%.

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Is it better to get insurance through your employer or just buy it yourself? I don't have any insurance as of right now but want to get some sort of insurance in case something happens. I am single with no kids so it would be just for me. When my employer had open enrollment it stated it would be give or take $130 per pay period so that's about 260+ a month. When I looked at individual insurance plans online. There were plans for give or take $150 a month.

So was mine, but when the deductible reached $10,000, I finally gave up my private plan. I'll get an Obamacare plan January 1. Free.

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Just so you know, your employer is subsidizing those premiums. Were you to lose your job and go on COBRA for a period before you had another employer, you'd find out just how much your family premium really is. Count on it being at least 50% higher, and maybe double.

The ACA requires many preventative services to be free, with no deductible (like annual well-woman exams, colonoscopy, and others). Also, health insurance companies can no longer turn you down for a previous health condition (or charge you more because your previous condition is being female), and they must prove they are spending 85%+ of the premium they collect on health care and not overhead, executive bonuses and perks, etc.

I am self-employed and live in MA, so I am required to carry health insurance on myself. I buy it through a very loose association of small businesses and I still pay about $700/month just for me...it's a pretty decent plan with a pharmacy benefit but that total's not counting the coinsurance and deductibles and the out-of-pocket annual maximum. Sorry, no sympathy here.

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Is it better to get insurance through your employer or just buy it yourself? I don't have any insurance as of right now but want to get some sort of insurance in case something happens. I am single with no kids so it would be just for me. When my employer had open enrollment it stated it would be give or take $130 per pay period so that's about 260+ a month. When I looked at individual insurance plans online. There were plans for give or take $150 a month.

It depends on what each plan covers. The private plans may cost less per month but have a higher deductible and/or co-pay and may not cover the same things as the plan through the employer.

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Just so you know, your employer is subsidizing those premiums. Were you to lose your job and go on COBRA for a period before you had another employer, you'd find out just how much your family premium really is.

Which is why next year, lots of employers are going to opt to pay the penalty of $2000 or so per employee per year, rather than provide group coverage for $6000-10,000. Do the math.

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Be careful, cause in some states what you would pay in state income tax penalties for not having health insurance is a lot more than just taking a plan. I pay $15.00 for a doctor visit, have pretty good insurance for prescriptions, my ER cost is up to $100, only $500 deductible for hospitalization, and no lifetime limit--which is good, considering the high cost of hospitalization, and the fact that a lifetime limit can be used pretty quickly. A family plan plus a good plan for dental is $850 per month.

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Just so you know, your employer is subsidizing those premiums. Were you to lose your job and go on COBRA for a period before you had another employer, you'd find out just how much your family premium really is. Count on it being at least 50% higher, and maybe double.

The ACA requires many preventative services to be free, with no deductible (like annual well-woman exams, colonoscopy, and others). Also, health insurance companies can no longer turn you down for a previous health condition (or charge you more because your previous condition is being female), and they must prove they are spending 85%+ of the premium they collect on health care and not overhead, executive bonuses and perks, etc.

I am self-employed and live in MA, so I am required to carry health insurance on myself. I buy it through a very loose association of small businesses and I still pay about $700/month just for me...it's a pretty decent plan with a pharmacy benefit but that total's not counting the coinsurance and deductibles and the out-of-pocket annual maximum. Sorry, no sympathy here.

Am not trying to start a debate or cast doubt on your word, but the provisions mandated by the ACA may be *free* on paper but make no mistake somewhere, and somehow someone is going to pony up.

Obama and others would like us all to believe they've tamed those big bad insurance companies and that they will provide all these new services out of the kindess of their hearts. However anyone who has followed that industry carefully over the years knows that isn't likely to happen.

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Specializes in Home Care.

I lived for over a decade in Florida and had worked for a couple of the big medical insurance companies before going into nursing.

I couldn't afford health premiums or the out of pocket expenses on my part-time LPN income. And I knew that health care costs were only going to keep on rising.

So...I moved back to western Canada 2 years ago for many reasons.

Now I have FREE healthcare...well its paid by our taxes. What I pay in taxes a year doesn't come close to what some of you pay in premiums and out-of-pocket.

Our healthcare system isn't perfect but it does work and I know that if I'm sick and go to the ER I'm not going to be billed.

I've been following what's going on in American healthcare....things really aren't going to get much better and health premiums and out of pocket will continue to rise.

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Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

I only pay $102 per month for medical, $12 per month for vision and $15 per month for dental and feel extremely blessed.

BTW, annual wellness exams, mammograms, colonoscopies, etc...have always been free with no deductible under most insurance providers. These services are not something new that Obama put into place. I have been getting free wellness exams every year since well before Obama was put into office.

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So was mine, but when the deductible reached $10,000, I finally gave up my private plan. I'll get an Obamacare plan January 1. Free.

Is it "free"?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

It depends on what each plan covers. The private plans may cost less per month but have a higher deductible and/or co-pay and may not cover the same things as the plan through the employer.

^This...including deductibles for labs, prescriptions, etc. Before ACA, I had private insurance that was raised at least once; one year TWO times. My health insurance is about 60 bucks/month; now 40/mo, thanks to a health screening I participated in. Mist employees with families pay a flat rate of 200/month...My insurance is pretty good, 100% preventive services. 1,000 deductible for hospital stay ONLY. Prescription plan pretty good, as well...no deductible, got dental and vision too...

I paid so much when I was young with no health problems, I feel as though I deserve a reprieve, I currently have pre-existing health issues, which in order to recover, I was eligible for Medicare. Didn't want to do it, but I would not be in the position to continue to be in a career I actually love. I'm actually in favor for the ACA...if you can't afford health insurance, by all means I hope it works for the many who struggle to keep their family covered.

Also, for those who think that their deductible is too high...have you paid out if pocket for labs, and doctor visits??? One visit to the doctor for a problem can total up to 500 dollars for self pay, including labs...don't include any prescriptions you may have to pay out of pocket. I'm all for people needing to make a living, but going broke when you are sick is NO fun! :facepalm:

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Is it "free"?

No nothing is free. I was going to point this out, but didn't want to go there if I was the only one to notice.

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