What about health insurance benefits?

elkpark · Jun 8, 2012

'Way back in the dark ages, when I started practicing, being an RN in a hospital pretty much guaranteed you good health insurance. Not these days. Some healthcare employers still provide good insurance benefits (but it costs more, for everyone, than it used to, of course), some provide crummy benefits -- it all just depends.

missnurse01, MSN, RN · Jun 9, 2012

Are heath insurance benefits better being in the nursing field?
Wanted some real life opinions because in my current position (not healthcare related), the health insurance is super expensive and has a really high deductible (1000$). Does being a nurse in a hospital benefit in the way of health insurance?
What about for a family of 4?

I pay 500 a month for signif other and children with dental benefits. we pay 20 to see doc, 40 for specialists. I can't remember what my deductible is, haven't really had to tap into paying that. Each plan is so diff at each hosp it's hard to compare across the board-but I don't think our insurance is any better than any other professional group.

allnurses Guide · Jun 10, 2012

Not really, no. The benefits I had prior to working in the hospital were better than I have now, in cost, in coverage and in provider choices.

pecanpies · Jun 10, 2012

Sadly, $1000 isn't a high deductible - that actually sounds low-to-normal to me. I'm on my spouse's plan (not quite yet eligible for benefits at my job yet) and we have a $4000 deductible. Not a typo - that's a 4, followed by three zeros! Everything is out of pocket except for preventive care until we meet that deductible.

Now, my hospital plan is FANTASTIC - our deductible will be only $1000 and we will be able to pay co-pays for doctor's visits and prescriptions (versus out of pocket like we do now). I'm working at a hospital that's affiliated with a university. Where I live, benefits for hospital employees (at any of our major hospitals here in town) are generally very good.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2012

Let's see. . .

I worked in a paper products plant as a factory worker from 2001 to 2004. While working there, I paid $20 monthly for excellent health insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield and only had a $250 deductible. Prescriptions were $5 for generics.

I was a grocery store clerk at two different markets back in '99 and '00 and received free health insurance. The companies totally funded it.

I earned my nursing license in early 2006 and my first job did not offer health coverage to any of its employees, even though this was classified as a full-time position. My next job did offer health insurance, although it was more than $200 per month for a single person with no spouse or dependents.

My next job charged $86 monthly for coverage (single with no spouse or dependents), but this was only 80/20 coverage. I had to pay 20 percent of all charges out of pocket, so I had to pay $4,000 for a $20,000 overnight hospital stay several years ago.

In other words, I have always had superior health insurance while working non-nursing jobs. Once I entered nursing, my benefits have eroded in quality and quantity.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jun 11, 2012

This is a confusing issue for a lot of people. Our employers are health care suppliers, but the employees are health care consumers... and usually there is a large gap between the two areas. Your employer has to purchase health care insurance, just like everyone else. The cost of Health care benefits is determined by the size of your 'pool' and the market that you are in. If you are lucky enough to work for a very large organization, you can benefit from the volume discounts that they negotiate. The converse is true for small employers. It is a pretty well known fact that healthcare costs vary dramatically in different parts of the country. If your organization is 'self insured', your insurance costs are affected by the health claims of your co-workers.

Economically, healthcare is one product that does not follow the law of supply and demand. For instance, the more MRIs that an area has, the more they cost (????!!!!) because everyone has to pay for their machines & fewer customers mean they have to charge more for each test. That's nuts, right? Physicians can also drive up costs by practicing defensive medicine... particularly true if you live in an area that is known for large malpractice payouts.

pockunit, ADN, RN · Jun 18, 2012

Our deductable is $7500. But we used to pay $23K in premiums. A year. TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND. So it's a step in the right direction, I suppose.

Music in My Heart · Jun 18, 2012

Are heath insurance benefits better being in the nursing field?
Wanted some real life opinions because in my current position (not healthcare related), the health insurance is super expensive and has a really high deductible (1000$). Does being a nurse in a hospital benefit in the way of health insurance?
What about for a family of 4?

Worse by comparison to my previous career experiences...

Waiting period of 3-6 months, no employee discount for utilizing hospital services, extremely high premiums, copays, and deductibles...

It really depends, however, on the specific employer; some are pretty good, and even downright fabulous...

If you really want good, affordable healthcare, join the military (or go to prison).