OT: Anyone hear the NPR interview about the person getting dependant care coverage from parents

[bearishgurl]

[quote=enron_by_the_sea] . . . Like it or not – the future of our healthcare is HSA+HDHP and some bargaining with your favorite doctor.

I am in the 5th stage of Anger-Denial-Bargaining-Depression-Acceptance cycle of this issue. Most of the country seems to be in stages 2 and 3.[/quote]

enron, I don’t have an HSA, but have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) which I used to think was “affordable.”

All in all, I DO have a good policy and I would have no problem “bargaining with providers” if I should run into major medical bills.

I, too, think it’s unrealistic to expect your “paternal” employer to pay your health care premiums PLUS those of everyone you can successfully pass thru as a “dependent.” I also think that the days of $10-$15 co-pays and <$5 prescription drugs are dwindling, if not dead. All this does is cause SOME people to visit a provider several times a month and get over-tested for anything and everything when diet, exercise and over-the-counter remedies might be able to cure 75% of their frequent complaints. These "chronic health-care users" run up the premiums for all of us.

[UCGal]

flu – clearly you haven’t worked for scrooge like employers.

I worked for an employer that REQUIRED you to go on your spouses insurance if they had an insurance option. You were not allowed to put yourself, your family, etc. on the company plan – even if the spouses insurance was crappy or more expensive. This was challenged by more than one employee – but the company held firm on this policy. (It was a small company – so everyone knew who was married, who’s spouses worked, etc.)

My husband’s employer covers 50% of a crappy plan for the employee. It covers NOTHING for spouse and kids. The 50% premium is more expensive than adding him to my family coverage. Unfortunately, this means I can’t quit my job, ever, since I have the family insurance. This is not the first firm he’s worked for that had limited or no contribution for spouse/family.

If you have any kind of pre-existing condition at all – it has historically been hard to get insurance. My best friend has several pre-existing conditions. When she was laid off from the dot-com in the dot-bust years she found contract/consulting work… No benefits, but it covered her mortgage. But she needed insurance so she also took a job with a local grocery store for $7/hour – for the benefits. This meant she had fewer hours for consulting (which paid better)… a total catch22. A few years later, after getting a good job then being recruited to a start up with the promise they’d give her bennies before her cobra ran out… they changed their minds… Fortunately WA state had passed a law that said if you had no lapse of coverage, you couldn’t be denied…

I guess I’ve seen too many situations that don’t fit your ideal world scenario, Flu.

[UCGal]

flu – clearly you haven’t worked for scrooge like employers.

I worked for an employer that REQUIRED you to go on your spouses insurance if they had an insurance option. You were not allowed to put yourself, your family, etc. on the company plan – even if the spouses insurance was crappy or more expensive. This was challenged by more than one employee – but the company held firm on this policy. (It was a small company – so everyone knew who was married, who’s spouses worked, etc.)

My husband’s employer covers 50% of a crappy plan for the employee. It covers NOTHING for spouse and kids. The 50% premium is more expensive than adding him to my family coverage. Unfortunately, this means I can’t quit my job, ever, since I have the family insurance. This is not the first firm he’s worked for that had limited or no contribution for spouse/family.

If you have any kind of pre-existing condition at all – it has historically been hard to get insurance. My best friend has several pre-existing conditions. When she was laid off from the dot-com in the dot-bust years she found contract/consulting work… No benefits, but it covered her mortgage. But she needed insurance so she also took a job with a local grocery store for $7/hour – for the benefits. This meant she had fewer hours for consulting (which paid better)… a total catch22. A few years later, after getting a good job then being recruited to a start up with the promise they’d give her bennies before her cobra ran out… they changed their minds… Fortunately WA state had passed a law that said if you had no lapse of coverage, you couldn’t be denied…

I guess I’ve seen too many situations that don’t fit your ideal world scenario, Flu.

[UCGal]

flu – clearly you haven’t worked for scrooge like employers.

I worked for an employer that REQUIRED you to go on your spouses insurance if they had an insurance option. You were not allowed to put yourself, your family, etc. on the company plan – even if the spouses insurance was crappy or more expensive. This was challenged by more than one employee – but the company held firm on this policy. (It was a small company – so everyone knew who was married, who’s spouses worked, etc.)

My husband’s employer covers 50% of a crappy plan for the employee. It covers NOTHING for spouse and kids. The 50% premium is more expensive than adding him to my family coverage. Unfortunately, this means I can’t quit my job, ever, since I have the family insurance. This is not the first firm he’s worked for that had limited or no contribution for spouse/family.

If you have any kind of pre-existing condition at all – it has historically been hard to get insurance. My best friend has several pre-existing conditions. When she was laid off from the dot-com in the dot-bust years she found contract/consulting work… No benefits, but it covered her mortgage. But she needed insurance so she also took a job with a local grocery store for $7/hour – for the benefits. This meant she had fewer hours for consulting (which paid better)… a total catch22. A few years later, after getting a good job then being recruited to a start up with the promise they’d give her bennies before her cobra ran out… they changed their minds… Fortunately WA state had passed a law that said if you had no lapse of coverage, you couldn’t be denied…

I guess I’ve seen too many situations that don’t fit your ideal world scenario, Flu.

[UCGal]

flu – clearly you haven’t worked for scrooge like employers.

I worked for an employer that REQUIRED you to go on your spouses insurance if they had an insurance option. You were not allowed to put yourself, your family, etc. on the company plan – even if the spouses insurance was crappy or more expensive. This was challenged by more than one employee – but the company held firm on this policy. (It was a small company – so everyone knew who was married, who’s spouses worked, etc.)

My husband’s employer covers 50% of a crappy plan for the employee. It covers NOTHING for spouse and kids. The 50% premium is more expensive than adding him to my family coverage. Unfortunately, this means I can’t quit my job, ever, since I have the family insurance. This is not the first firm he’s worked for that had limited or no contribution for spouse/family.

If you have any kind of pre-existing condition at all – it has historically been hard to get insurance. My best friend has several pre-existing conditions. When she was laid off from the dot-com in the dot-bust years she found contract/consulting work… No benefits, but it covered her mortgage. But she needed insurance so she also took a job with a local grocery store for $7/hour – for the benefits. This meant she had fewer hours for consulting (which paid better)… a total catch22. A few years later, after getting a good job then being recruited to a start up with the promise they’d give her bennies before her cobra ran out… they changed their minds… Fortunately WA state had passed a law that said if you had no lapse of coverage, you couldn’t be denied…

I guess I’ve seen too many situations that don’t fit your ideal world scenario, Flu.

[UCGal]

flu – clearly you haven’t worked for scrooge like employers.

I worked for an employer that REQUIRED you to go on your spouses insurance if they had an insurance option. You were not allowed to put yourself, your family, etc. on the company plan – even if the spouses insurance was crappy or more expensive. This was challenged by more than one employee – but the company held firm on this policy. (It was a small company – so everyone knew who was married, who’s spouses worked, etc.)

My husband’s employer covers 50% of a crappy plan for the employee. It covers NOTHING for spouse and kids. The 50% premium is more expensive than adding him to my family coverage. Unfortunately, this means I can’t quit my job, ever, since I have the family insurance. This is not the first firm he’s worked for that had limited or no contribution for spouse/family.

If you have any kind of pre-existing condition at all – it has historically been hard to get insurance. My best friend has several pre-existing conditions. When she was laid off from the dot-com in the dot-bust years she found contract/consulting work… No benefits, but it covered her mortgage. But she needed insurance so she also took a job with a local grocery store for $7/hour – for the benefits. This meant she had fewer hours for consulting (which paid better)… a total catch22. A few years later, after getting a good job then being recruited to a start up with the promise they’d give her bennies before her cobra ran out… they changed their minds… Fortunately WA state had passed a law that said if you had no lapse of coverage, you couldn’t be denied…

I guess I’ve seen too many situations that don’t fit your ideal world scenario, Flu.

[afx114]

[quote=bearishgurl]These “chronic health-care users” run up the premiums for all of us.[/quote]

Agreed with “chronic” users, but there’s also a lot to be said for preventative checkups. If we can catch diseases before they become exponentially more expensive to treat, we all come out ahead.

It’s no different than getting regular tuneups/oilchanges for your car. Sure, spending the time/money every few months is a hassle, but it is a lot cheaper than having to rebuild your burnt out engine.

[afx114]

[quote=bearishgurl]These “chronic health-care users” run up the premiums for all of us.[/quote]

Agreed with “chronic” users, but there’s also a lot to be said for preventative checkups. If we can catch diseases before they become exponentially more expensive to treat, we all come out ahead.

It’s no different than getting regular tuneups/oilchanges for your car. Sure, spending the time/money every few months is a hassle, but it is a lot cheaper than having to rebuild your burnt out engine.

[afx114]

[quote=bearishgurl]These “chronic health-care users” run up the premiums for all of us.[/quote]

Agreed with “chronic” users, but there’s also a lot to be said for preventative checkups. If we can catch diseases before they become exponentially more expensive to treat, we all come out ahead.

It’s no different than getting regular tuneups/oilchanges for your car. Sure, spending the time/money every few months is a hassle, but it is a lot cheaper than having to rebuild your burnt out engine.

[afx114]

[quote=bearishgurl]These “chronic health-care users” run up the premiums for all of us.[/quote]

Agreed with “chronic” users, but there’s also a lot to be said for preventative checkups. If we can catch diseases before they become exponentially more expensive to treat, we all come out ahead.

It’s no different than getting regular tuneups/oilchanges for your car. Sure, spending the time/money every few months is a hassle, but it is a lot cheaper than having to rebuild your burnt out engine.

[afx114]

[quote=bearishgurl]These “chronic health-care users” run up the premiums for all of us.[/quote]

Agreed with “chronic” users, but there’s also a lot to be said for preventative checkups. If we can catch diseases before they become exponentially more expensive to treat, we all come out ahead.

It’s no different than getting regular tuneups/oilchanges for your car. Sure, spending the time/money every few months is a hassle, but it is a lot cheaper than having to rebuild your burnt out engine.

[blahblahblah]

I like how our national plan to fix the problem of crappy healthcare insurance is to force everyone to purchase crappy healthcare insurance. What a country!

[blahblahblah]

I like how our national plan to fix the problem of crappy healthcare insurance is to force everyone to purchase crappy healthcare insurance. What a country!

[blahblahblah]

I like how our national plan to fix the problem of crappy healthcare insurance is to force everyone to purchase crappy healthcare insurance. What a country!

[blahblahblah]

I like how our national plan to fix the problem of crappy healthcare insurance is to force everyone to purchase crappy healthcare insurance. What a country!

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