Nurses General Nursing
Published Jan 21, 2010
HeartsOpenWide, RN
1 Article; 2,889 Posts
So I was laid off last month. Still waiting to get my application for COBRA insurance. I called the number to ask them when it was coming and asked them how much it was going to cost to have me and my husband on COBRA....$1,000 a MONTH just for medical. Seriously??? My unemployment check will not even come close to covering that, not even half! I am not in favor of Obama Care, but today I am seriously wishing some one would come up with a reasonable universal health care...Take my job away so I have no income and expect me to pay THAT for insurance...what are they smoking?
Altra, BSN, RN
6,255 Posts
I wish that all employers would do what my last 2 have done: indicate on your pay stub what they are paying for your health insurance. In most cases, employees for medium and large organizations (including hospitals and LTC groups) pay less than half of what the employer is charged by the health insurance provider and have no idea what the total cost is. And premiums typically go up 10-15% per year.
Only when the average citizen understands in real dollar terms what kind of profits are generated by the current insurance system will there be a chance for any real reform in this country.
NotFlo
353 Posts
Hey, are they still doing the cobra subsidy or is that over? We are using the subsidy and about 2/3 of the cost for my family is subsidized so we pay roughly $330.00 instead of over $1000 per month. It was going to last nine months but we just got notice it was extended to a 16 month period.
DogWmn
575 Posts
You are not alone, I lost my job 19 months ago and Cobra was way too expensive so I'm now without HI along with the millions of unemployed and underemployed.
I'm truly sorry you lost your job.
There are several threads already going about Health Care reform so go check them out and add your input!
fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN
464 Posts
i was also told by cobra that mine would be over $1000 per month for myself and my kids. however when the bill came, it was just $300, due to a subsidy that obama put into place.
ilovelearning
15 Posts
I am a benefits counselor right now and the subsidy is 65% of Cobra premiums, so you end up paying 35%. If you were already receiving this subsidy it should continue with the extension, but if you are newly applying for Cobra make sure you fill out the application for the subsidy as it is not automatically given.
dannyc12
228 Posts
me and my husband on COBRA....$1,000 a MONTH just for medical. Seriously???
Be sure and thank your fellow Americans in Massachusetts for helping ensure you will continue to be denied access to affordable health care. According to many conservatives, since you lost your job, you don't deserve health care.
Batman25
686 Posts
65% should be covered and you should end up paying only to start. Call and inquire immediately. The subsidy has been extended until 9/2010 at present.
tothepointeLVN, LVN
2,246 Posts
When we went on cobra after my husband got laid off 2 years ago our cobra was about that. The only upside is you can claim the payments back on your tax return otherwise it suck and of course if your not earning anything and paying any taxes then there is nothing to claim back...
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
I thought the same thing the first time I came in contact with COBRA. What a farce!
oramar
5,758 Posts
A lot of people who did not support insurance reform are ending up on the wrong side of the insurance experience all of sudden. You help make the bed but now you don't want to sleep in it do you. Do you see what all the fuss was about now?
Anne36, LPN
1,361 Posts
Wow, you guys are lucky if you got a subsidy. We went without health
insurance for a while because of layoff/reduced hours. Now are getting it thru
my husbands employer for $800/mo for our family. We cant afford it. We are
living in the poor house for this and are a healthy family which is good because
we cant even afford to use it after making the premium. Its so hard to make
this decision. I have used my savings up, and in reality cant really afford to pay
the grocery bill! Sometimes Im not sure if we made the right decision buying the
health ins.