Average Cost of Insurance

[Quark09]

Would anyone mind sharing what they pay for health insurance (if it's through their place of work)? My husband is AD military, and we've used Tricare for several years. If he doesn't reenlist he's considering working in the civilian job market or going to law school - should he choose the latter option, then we'll purchase insurance through my employer (wherever that might be; we're currently stationed in South Korea).

I would like to compare benefits packages from a few different prospective employers (hopefully I'll have that option!) but am curious about what to expect. What's the average premium per month for a family plan? What is the deductible, and are there cost-shares? Prescription costs? I've tried searching online but have not been able to turn up specific numbers, only that different institutions offer "competitive" benefits. Thank you in advance for your replies.

[lrobinson5]

My husband pays I believe $80 a month for our family of 4 through his job at Verizon wireless. The insurance is crap though, we will probably change it to Kaiser (the one we have now is anthem). You have to pay for everything with our plan, $15 Office Copay, $200 ER Copay, huge deductible (so high that I haven't been able to get gallbladder surgery). I've heard that having a Kaiser policy on your own is expensive, like $300 a month.

On a side note, I've been hearing a lot lately that people graduating from law school have been having a very hard time finding work. I haven't read any articles recently but it would be worth looking in to.

[DCtraumarn]

I pay $390 a month for my healthcare through my employer (Aetna PPO). This is for family coverage.

[DCtraumarn]

We also have copays - usually $10-15 per office visit and $50 for a ED visit

[coolpeach]

I pay did pay about $150 for a family of 4. In addition, I pay about another $10 for vision insurance, and $20 for dental. So about $180 total.

I have a $1000 deductible, but it doesn't apply to DR visits. So I can go to the Dr without worrying about my deductible. I pay $30 for Dr visits, and $150 for the ER, 20% of hospital visits after deductible. My Dr has an x-ray machine, EKG, and lab in her office, and if I do these in the Dr's office its included in the original $30, and I don't have to pay anything additional. Specialists $40. Medication $10 generic, $25 name brand. All preventative care is free (physical, yearly well woman, mammogram, immunizations), $10 for an eye exam. Glasses and contacts really depend on what you get. I think I paid $125 for my sons glasses. Dental has a free for each thing you get done so it depends on what you get, cleaning are free twice a year.

[SimonJester]

My PPO run about $285 per month for family coverage. $20 co pay for dr, $40 for specialist, $5 generics, $20 name brand. For major events the plan covers 90% after my $1,000 deductible is met until I hit $3,000 max per year it then switches to 100%.

What I dont know is how much my employeer is kicking in for their plan each month...

[DC Collins, ASN]

I remember the 'good ole days' when insurance was just that...*insurance*. Insurance is something which is intended to cover your ass for disasters, whether medical, car, home, etc.

What we mostly have now is Managed Care, where people expect to have every sniffle covered in the ER, visits to the doctor covered for little to no $ out of one's pocket, etc.

I enjoyed the days when I could cover myself with a $5000 deductible and one free annual physical. No 'co-pay' for the doc, because I paid it all (and he gave me better rates than his other, more highly insured pts).

I would go in when I *needed* the doc. And guess what...I had the money to pay because I was paying about $100/mo. for my entire family.

/shrug

/rant off

DC ED NOC RN

Abbreviations R Us :)

[larry v]

$572/month for family. Pretty good coverage though, $10 generic meds, $20 primary care copay, $30 Specialist.

Going to switch over to Tricare Reserve Select as soon as I can.

[oregonmom]

Insurance through my husbands work costs us about $50/month for a family of four for medical, dental, vision. It costs his work around $900/month to cover us. Through Regence Blue Cross. $150 deductible, 90% coverage no co-pays. Dental 95% coverage, unlimited for kids, limited to $1500/year for adults. Great coverage for crappy production job, one of the reasons he stays. I am still in school, so un-employed.

[Quark09]

On a side note, I've been hearing a lot lately that people graduating from law school have been having a very hard time finding work. I haven't read any articles recently but it would be worth looking in to.

He'll go into JAG after graduating, so we won't worry too much. He's considering the Warrant Officer/Law School route as well, which means he'd still be enlisted while attending, but that's just one option on the table. If he decides not to go into JAG (or if they wouldn't take him) my father is an attorney and he'd be working with him :)

[Super_RN, BSN, RN]

I pay $280 per month for family coverage with a $3000 family deductible. However, anything we have done at the hospital where I work is covered 100%, no deductible needs to be met. Including labs, xrays, ER visit, surgery--it's all covered. We might have to pay a radiologist fee or pathology fee if it's sent out, but that's it. Very nice.

Once our deductible is met, everything is covered 100% everywhere else--not just our hospital.

[tainted1972, ASN, RN]

I pay 135 every 2 weeks for a family (smokers rate) for medical and dental.

Our dental insurance is horrible.

Medical is good, we have a clinic on site that does not charge us a copay, they offer urgent care services as well as any other services you would get at a doctors office. There is never a wait to get in :)

ER copay is 150 and doc visits are 20 and urgent care is 30