Husband and Wife need advice!

[gospel Rn, BSN]

Hello all, we are married and graduating in May. We have been told by many that one of us should receive the benefits while the other decline and take the pay. My question is how much more on the hour should we expect when declining benefits? Starting rate here is $21.00/hr with benefits. We are at the point that we need to start interviewing and we do not want to make a mistake.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

I would check on the benifits at your facility. It is cheaper for my husband and I to both take out seperate benifits (much cheaper), and use each other's insurance as supplemental. Now, if you have children, that is different.

[wildmountainchild]

As new nurses pay is pretty much set. You can just ask your potential employer what the differential w/o benefits would be. If you both work at different places be sure to read the fine print in your benefits package so you can decide which plan if the best to enroll in.

Who knows, it may actually be cheaper to have each of you enrolled in a seperate plan through work (but I doubt it). Whatever you decide make sure that BOTH of you take full advantage of any 401K or retirement plans available at your individual facilities, the more $ in savings the better.

[lvnandmomx3]

There are other consideration with opting out of benefits in lieu of more $$ an hour such as holiday pay, vacation retirement benefits...... I would take all this into consideration. I'm not sure of the difference in pay but would that outwiegh a benefit package?

[happydays352]

My mom took pay w/o benefits b/c she was covered by the military, she made 25$ an hour versus the 20$ with bennies.

[gospel Rn, BSN]

Ok let me clarify. We are both graduating from nursing school in May with BSN degree's. We will be working at the same hospital, people keep telling us that the medical benefits from one will cover the other. So we both do not need the medical benefit as we will both be covered from one of us. I am so confused about this:bugeyes:

[gospel Rn, BSN]

My mom took pay w/o benefits b/c she was covered by the military, she made 25$ an hour versus the 20$ with bennies.

This is what everyone else keeps telling us to do. Anyone else with this experience?

[kukukajoo, LPN]

Many places will fo a rebate if one is electing to not receive benefits.... Also one could work per diem and make more $.....

Congrats on the wedding AND the upcoming graduation!!

[gospel Rn, BSN]

Many places will fo a rebate if one is electing to not receive benefits.... Also one could work per diem and make more $.....

Congrats on the wedding AND the upcoming graduation!!

Thank you KuKu, we were also considering this as well.

[llg, PhD, RN]

You'll have to do the math based on your employer's specific benefits packages. In some places, the employer pays almost all of the employee's health insurance, but the cost of adding family members is very high. If that is the case with your employer, it would be cheaper for each of you to have your own insurance. In other places, the cost of adding a spouse is relatively cheap, which might make it worthwhile for one of you to be added to the coverage of the other. There is no set rule on that. It depends on the specific benefits offered by your employer.

You might also want to consider the possibility that you may have children and how that will effect your choices. While it is possible to change your mind when your life circumstances change, you may want to make it easy on yourself and choose the arrangement you are going to want to have long term -- rather than count on changing your choice later.

Finally, as someone else said, be sure you understand ALL of the implications of any decision you make. Will your choice about health care benefits effect any other benefits? (e.g paid vacation time, sick time, retirement benefits, etc.) Those other beneftis add a lot to your overall compensation and many people fail to take them into consideration as much as they should.

Your employer's Human Resources department should be able to go over all the options with you as you are making those choices. Don't be afraid to ask them about your choices. Put it on paper and compare your options side-by-side.

[rjflyn, ASN, RN]

I am getting what your saying and what others are trying to say but are not putting in solid numbers so you don't see in and under stand. SO I will try to explain it.

Here goes: this is for example only and is not any real figures

Say your hourly pay is $20/hr insurance for a single person is free every pay period single and $150 couple or adult/one child and $200 for larger family. Your facility mandates coverage ie your or your spouse has to have coverage. Plus dental, vision, disability, and everything else still has to be deducted.

Waived benefits pays $22/hr.

PS I have worked a more than one place that it was cheaper for each individual to have single coverage than family.

Rj

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I met my husband at my job. We continue to maintain seperate medical insurance policies because we were told that in order for my son to be placed under his insurance, he would have to be adopted. My son has a very active father in his life and would not have accepted that, and neither would my son, so, he will remain under me until he turns 23 (college kids over 19 may continue to receive full benefits as long as they are full time students). However, under GHI, we do not pay contributions to have this insurance, we have copayments when visiting the physicians.