I got a $4 raise when I went from being a F/T employee in a nursing home to PRN PDN nurse. The difference was because I had no health care benefits, but I didn't take them at the nursing home either (we went through my hubby's insurance) so it was fantastic for me. I get a week paid vacation for every 2000 hours worked, which takes me about 14 months, since I take summers off.
Your agency allows you to take summers off AND keep the cases you were working at before the summer?
I one nurse who told me she took a month off and when she came back the agency had already replaced her with another nurse permanently.
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
Your agency allows you to take summers off AND keep the cases you were working at before the summer?
I'm oriented to about 12 cases at any given time. I see 3 different cases on a regular weekly basis, but I get mixed around by the client services managers quite a bit. My office has most nurses cross-trained, and it really helps cover clients in a pinch. At first I didn't like it this way, but I love it now because if a client is in the hospital or is d/c'ed, I don't have all my eggs in one basket. So yeah I'll "lose" my schedule, but the shifts are largely filled by school nurses who only work PDN in the summer. For 4 years, I've filled up my schedule as soon as I returned in the fall.
CloudySue, I am glad the ACA worked out for you. For me and my family, it was anything but affordable.
$20,000 out of pocket per year (premiums and deductible) before insurance touches anything is hardly affordable.
Insurance offered through my husband's work is about the same (outrageous premiums and high deductible) and around $20,000 before insurance kicks in.
I never dreamed I and my family would be uninsured, but here are. We are all healthy, thankfully, but I hate the precarious nature of it.
But I also have to remember that even if I HAD insurance, I'd still be out $20,000 should some medical issue arise! It's cheaper to just pay cash for the few doctor visits we go to and save the thousands of dollars in premiums we'd be shelling out.
(Sorry for the rant...I was just so shocked and disappointed when I discovered how unaffordable the ACA was!)
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
$20,000 out of pocket per year (premiums and deductible) before insurance touches anything is hardly affordable.
Woah! That just doesn't seem right. My family of 4 is paying about $6000/yr for a silver plan. The deductibles aren't great for the adults, but the two girls were required to go through CHIP and their part of the overall total came down to $61/month each with fantastic, tiny co-pays, and minimal deductibles. I don't understand how yours could have been so much. Was that a "platinum" plan? I remember that the platinum for us was ridiculous, but not even that bad.
But... you're saying "deductible" too. That doesn't get paid unless you have a problem and use benefits, and it's highly unlikely that all family members are going to max out their deductibles every year. I would look into that again and talk to hubby's HR dept for clarification. At least try and get your kids into a government program.
And I included the deductible in the cost because it makes a big difference when you have a huge deductible to meet before insurance kicks in.
To us right now (all healthy with few doctor trips), the cost wouldn't be worth it. It is cheaper just to pay out of pocket (whixh we would essentially be doing anyway on top of the premiums each month).
We are probably being punished for making too much money...too much to get a reduced rate, but not enough to be able to afford the cost. We've kind of fallen through the cracks, undortunately.
When I wasn't working, my kids all qualified for CHIP. It was wonderful. Full dental and medical coverage for free.
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
In PA, all kids going through ACA must go through CHIP. They ALL qualify, but not necessarily for free. It was a sliding scale for income, thus the 61/mo per kid. It maxed out at 81, so still pretty good! The only thing that sucks was no orthodontia. We recently lost my hubby's work insurance (perm disability) and we had it then. And this fall our girl's braces go on! UGH!!
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
That's interesting about CHIP.
Where I live it is only for families that meet the income requirements.
And thankfully none of my kids have whacked out teeth requiring braces. That would be a major expense without insurance!
As a part of the affordable care act most children are rolled to CHiP if parents apply via marketplace. The guidelines changed last year but the public education about the opportunity was pretty poor
As a part of the affordable care act most children are rolled to CHiP if parents apply via marketplace. The guidelines changed last year but the public education about the opportunity was pretty poor
I'm oriented to about 12 cases at any given time. I see 3 different cases on a regular weekly basis, but I get mixed around by the client services managers quite a bit. My office has most nurses cross-trained, and it really helps cover clients in a pinch. At first I didn't like it this way, but I love it now because if a client is in the hospital or is d/c'ed, I don't have all my eggs in one basket. So yeah I'll "lose" my schedule, but the shifts are largely filled by school nurses who only work PDN in the summer. For 4 years, I've filled up my schedule as soon as I returned in the fall.
You are lucky.
My agency makes a fuss if i want to take Saturdays off in the summer.
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
My family was uninsured last year -- we paid almost $2,000 in penalty fees to the IRS this April because of it.
We're on my husband's insurance this year, paying $5,000/year to cover three people with a $3,500 deductible, and there are no in-state providers who are in-network, so we can't even get our "free" preventative care and birth control without traveling out of state.
Gonna look at just getting ACA insurance for my son next year and just paying the fine to HRH Obama for not covering me and Hubster. If Hubster has a heart attack or stroke, we'll just let him die. It's cheaper that way.
smartnurse1982
1,775 Posts
Your agency allows you to take summers off AND keep the cases you were working at before the summer?
I one nurse who told me she took a month off and when she came back the agency had already replaced her with another nurse permanently.
I do not think my agency would go for that.