New health insurance hoop to jump through - Page 8

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Stray I can go outside my insurance to private options which are prohibitively expensive because there is no subsidy from anyone but I can't enter the marketplace if I have an employer offering so that's my hurdle. We are getting our open enrollment packets this week so I'm dying to see how bad or good 2017 will be.

@Tinkrbl44 I never said insurance people are sadistic. That's ridiculous.

But having been in the corporate world all my life, I understand the meetings and thinking that goes on to raise profits of which adding surcharges does very nicely. I disagree with that line of business and I personally think insurance heads have a higher calling to do right by their customers when they are literally depending on you for their health care.

I get that they, like all companies, need to turn a profit to stay in business (they aren't a charity) but I think that needs to come from negotiating with the providers and not surcharging customers of which they absolutely can do and have done. I lost my access to my preferred provider for a month while BCBS and one of the largest healthcare providers in my state tried to come to terms with a new contract. They were fighting over pricing. Good for them! Do more of it!

It's the same thing we are seeing on the pharmaceutical side where drug companies raise their prices to whatever they want and try to have the insurance cover the price tag. That's who they need to target. The providers who are raising costs without any true justification for it. Consumers will never be able to pay enough in premiums to cover rising costs like that.

If your price ceilings are on the providers, we agree. And this may make you happy but I would not be in favor of price ceilings on the consumer side. I think a business should charge whatever they want to for their coverage WITH the exception that I have a viable option to take my business elsewhere if I don't want to pay it.

I don't have that choice right now because there is no competition and I am legally barred from the affordable care avenue because I work for an employer that offers a plan. Bring competition into play like most every other industry and watch how fast costs and premums come into line.

Just my two cents on this whole insurance world I'm personally experiencing right now...

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

@Laura14 wrote:
@Stray I can go outside my insurance to private options which are prohibitively expensive because there is no subsidy from anyone but I can't enter the marketplace if I have an employer offering so that's my hurdle. We are getting our open enrollment packets this week so I'm dying to see how bad or good 2017 will be.

@Tinkrbl44 I never said insurance people are sadistic. That's ridiculous.

But having been in the corporate world all my life, I understand the meetings and thinking that goes on to raise profits of which adding surcharges does very nicely. I disagree with that line of business and I personally think insurance heads have a higher calling to do right by their customers when they are literally depending on you for their health care.

I get that they, like all companies, need to turn a profit to stay in business (they aren't a charity) but I think that needs to come from negotiating with the providers and not surcharging customers of which they absolutely can do and have done. I lost my access to my preferred provider for a month while BCBS and one of the largest healthcare providers in my state tried to come to terms with a new contract. They were fighting over pricing. Good for them! Do more of it!

It's the same thing we are seeing on the pharmaceutical side where drug companies raise their prices to whatever they want and try to have the insurance cover the price tag. That's who they need to target. The providers who are raising costs without any true justification for it. Consumers will never be able to pay enough in premiums to cover rising costs like that.

If your price ceilings are on the providers, we agree. And this may make you happy but I would not be in favor of price ceilings on the consumer side. I think a business should charge whatever they want to for their coverage WITH the exception that I have a viable option to take my business elsewhere if I don't want to pay it.

I don't have that choice right now because there is no competition and I am legally barred from the affordable care avenue because I work for an employer that offers a plan. Bring competition into play like most every other industry and watch how fast costs and premums come into line.

Just my two cents on this whole insurance world I'm personally experiencing right now...

@Laura14- you do have a dilemma....my health insurance was expensive when I was working but my coverage was good but your deductible is even higher than mine was....when I moved to the retiree plan, it was so much better. Are you near Medicare age? It is difficult because you are paying high premiums with a very high deductible.... you would have to be very sick to use that much..... I worked for a large corporation that was in the insurance business but not health and our HR reps., tried to negotiate the best deals possible for employees. Have employees spoken to the benefits people?

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Stray My company is a multinational public company. We are not even allowed to contact HR directly. You have to go up the chain of command starting with your direct supervisor and so on so not really an option. We threw a fit two years ago when they took us over to no avail. Take it or leave it is my current choice.

My mom just hit Medicare age last year and she was thrilled. I can't wait at this point but I have at least two decades to go.

conlt · ‎03-16-2010

We have had a wellness program at work for 3 years now. We have to get our physical and fill out your vitality questions or you will get charged $30 per month surcharge.

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

@Laura14 wrote:
@Stray My company is a multinational public company. We are not even allowed to contact HR directly. You have to go up the chain of command starting with your direct supervisor and so on so not really an option. We threw a fit two years ago when they took us over to no avail. Take it or leave it is my current choice.

My mom just hit Medicare age last year and she was thrilled. I can't wait at this point but I have at least two decades to go.

@Laura14- that sounds a bit oppressive, maybe as a group, people could organize and petition? I worked public health many years ago and had to take their insurance but I was young, healthy and in those days, no deductible....

thats the thing that does irk me....we have an affordable health care act and yet, I know many who can't afford the premiums and those who work, middle income citizens, are being squeezed with almost unaffordable health care. My premiums were high when active but my care was good....and all preventive care was free ....so the rest I paid out of pocket, but my deductible, was within my reach....your deductible is quite high and will go higher.....I mean, my company was global, but American but you still have rights working in the USA ....you don't have an ombudsperson? We objected to changes in our health care, so the Company introduced more options....that's all your asking for. Most likely, your insurance would cover you in the event of catostrophic illness but i hope that never happens....more than the high rates, it's disconcerting, to me, that you are not able to speak to your benefits people...I worked in HR, employee relations and conflict resolution, for many years and just can't imagine a Company where employees can not reach out for help or their confidentiality is not guaranteed. I think your Company could be cited but your standing might be affected or in a company such as this, your job in jeopardy....

i understand your ire and I would be upset as well. My experience was totally different and I felt my health insurer helped me, tho, their goal was different than mine...

its quite sad that young young people are wishing they were older so that they can obtain affordable health insurance. Something is very wrong with this picture?

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Stray That's exactly where I am at. I can't even get these people to send out correct statements to the highest paying customers we have. And I have caught multiple instances of fraud (stealing from the company) and I get crickets everytime I report it.

I literally have a Wall Street global employer who has no idea how they are losing business and not servicing their customers. They haven't even said hello to me in the two years I've worked under them. We are also still on the previous owners' computer system because they don't want to buy a license to give us access to what their entire global network uses. It's insane. And I still hear comments of your one of those and not one of us. Really? After two years, the 25 businesses you bought out should be one of you by now.

And the kicker is that you can't even really quit and try your luck elsewhere because then you lose your insurance and you get penalized for that at tax time. It's the most insane set up I've ever been caught up in.

People have contacted HR and get told in no uncertain terms that they are to deal with their direct supervisor only. And if you don't follow it, you get yourself and your supervisor in trouble.

This is one aspect I really do look forward to getting older so I can have a program that I can afford and use. My HSA gets drained every time I go for my annual because there are certain labs and other tests they won't cover in full. In fact, I am seriously considering not doing my annual mammogram next month because I really don't want to put out hundreds of dollars again. And that's not a consideration I should ever have.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:
I work for a large worldwide company and I was reading through our paperwork getting ready for open enrollment.
So in addition to $650 additional annual premium cost if you use tobacco products, there is now a annual wellness visit with your PCP that is required.
If you do not get an annual wellness physical by year end the employee is charged an additional $30 per pay on top of the insurance cost.
Not getting a physical and tobacco use is getting VERY expensive.
What next?

I just started working at a new job last fall...and I have to admit that I didn't get the physical and now have to pay an addition $100 a month!

I have been blessed to be very healthy and work out more at age 62 than I did at 32.

But I understand why they want a physical every year...it ultimately helps people STAY healthy and saves a lot of money. I waited until it was too late to get in for an annual...I had no idea that it takes months for that type of appointment - well, 7 weeks to be exact, in my case!

Making employees get an annual physical keeps corporation's premiums lower because it overall saves money (and sometimes saves lives too).

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

Finally hunted down my open enrollment packet and my deductible is now $6550. That bus now needs to run me over two or three times before I actually have insurance to help cover some of the medical bills.

You know I'd be all for these mandatory provisions except for the past 25 years that I've been in the working world my open enrollment letter ALWAYS says "due to rising health costs...". and here's how much extra you have to pay this year.

Just once I want the letter that everyone didn't use the insurance as much as they thought and here's your lower premium. I find it hysterical that "rising health costs" are primarily in the areas that our insurance doesn't cover anymore. I guess I'm not supposed to notice that and ask them "And that affects my premiums how if you're not paying for it?"

Mmsfoxxie · ‎06-19-2010

Omg, @Laura14. That's an unbelievable deductible. I guess I was lucky to have worked until 67...two month's shy of 68 actually. At the time, I was a little embarrassed because coworkers and the principal (who had a replacement in mind for me) teased me about it. But, alas, I went right into Medicare and never had extreme premiums to pay. Don't know about tomorrow though, in these unstable times.

Hope you get relief soon.

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore to be happy”. (By Nightbirde, singer of the song, It’s Ok)