Cost of your benefits?

[jsu102]

Hello,

My husband and I are thinking of moving from Pennsylvania to the Raleigh NC area and we are trying to consider all of the factors. I know the pay is a little less (I've seen starting there typically around $19/hr as opposed to the $23/hr here) but I also know the cost of living is a lot lower there so it sort of balances out.

But recently I looked at the insurance being offered by various hospitals and I was amazed at what the rates appear to be. I currently pay about $50 a paycheck (every other week) for my husband and I, and when we start a family it will increase to about $75 a paycheck. And we get fantastic coverage - we pay nothing at all for annual pap smear, annual physical, and anything considered "preventative care". Our deductible is low and so is our copay. According to the Wake Med site, it costs $141 for employee + spouse and $173 for employee + family per the same pay period!! Is this common? For a family that's almost $350 a month for health insurance!

We want to start a family soon and I know the most I would pay here for my pregnancy & delivery would be $500 to meet my deductible (that includes all prenatal visits, labor & delivery, and all followup visits for mom and baby). I'm not so sure what the coverage would be like there.

If anyone could share some insight, I would very much appreciate it. I'd love to know what rates are common, what you feel you get for your money, and anything else!

Thanks!

[fayethlove]

I must say that is pretty common for this area. I have worked for 3 large health or hospital companies and just to cover myself was at least $120 per month and I had a least a $500 deductible. Insurance in this area sucks!1 I'm sure if you look hard enough you could find some other companies that are the exception to this

Good luck!

[justme1972]

It's not so much the cost of the benefits, but what it offers. Any insurance company will offer any package to employers...it's up to the employer to choose what they will offer employees and how much of it they will cover.

I discovered that when your insurance runs very high, you are typically not receiving partially paid benefits that are paid for by your employer...what you are getting is a group discount.

I personally, always ask for a detailed, benefits package at the interview, and make it very clear at the interview that it is #1 priority for me.

When I get out of nursing school, I will only be looking at hospitals that have a fully insured pension plans in addition to the 401K...that will be the "deal breaker" for me.

[jsu102]

Thank you so much!

Just out of curiosity, is there a big difference between a 401k and a 403b? I've seen some hospitals offer 401k and many others in NC offer 403b.

[cajrio]

Wake meds premium is considered low compared to Duke, at Duke you have three types of insurance, but the one that allows you the most leeway is bcbs and it cost me 397.00 per month for myself and family. Our ded. 15/30 per office visit plus we have to pay a hefty amount for hospital visits. Also no 401k here, once you work for the hospital for 5 yrs then you become vested in their plan.

I miss the NY area, the cost of living here in NC is not that much less, I pay more here for food, electricity and water then I did on long island. The only bill that is cheaper is the cost of housing and property tax. I have to work o/t each week to ensure my bills are meet. The one advantage to living in this state is the ability to continue your education at a nominal fee.

:smilecoffeecup: