Subscribe to this BlogShocked into supporting health reform?
By now you’re probably accustomed to your health care costs climbing each year. But brace yourself: 2010 is shaping up to be a doozie — a year that could shake up your opinion about how attractive the current employer-provided health care system really is..
When I reported a story for the November issue of MONEY about selecting 2010 health benefits, I was shocked by the expected rise in health care costs. And while I thought the forecasted increase was alarming, I didn't have enough space in the print edition to fully explore its roots and magnitude. So here's what I couldn't include the first time around:
Next year, according to human resources consultant Hewitt Associates, employees on average will see a whopping 10% jump in their premium, bringing their share of annual premium costs to $2,085. They’ll also see additional out- of-pocket costs — deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance, for example — climb 10%. Adding up all these expenditures, Hewitt says total health care costs next year will be $4,023 — triple where they were a decade ago.
Appropriately enough, this price shock comes as Congress is debating the largest health care overhaul our country has attempted in decades. About 60% of Americans under the age of 65 get health insurance through their employers. Many workers are opposed to health care reform because they like their current coverage, and do not want it to change. Yet the new stark reality is that the coverage you are enjoying right now is probably going away. There's a good chance it will not be an option by next year, or at least shortly thereafter.
To understand why, just take a look at the trends for this year’s open enrollment season:
- Big deductibles. More employers are adding what are called high deductible plans, which typically come with monthly premiums 20% to 30% lower than those of traditional plans. But your coverage does not generally kick in until you've spent a big chunk of your own money: In 2010, at least $1,200 for singles and $2,400 for families. The bulk of large employers offer this type of plan as one of a few options, but some smaller companies are making it your only choice, says Hewitt's Sara Taylor.
- Co-insurance instead of co-pays. The days of simply handing over your $20 flat fee at the doctor office seem to be dwindling. Instead, to make you more conscious of your costs, companies are moving to co-insurance, where you pay a percentage of your bill — say, 20% to 30%. “At this point co-insurance plans are more in the norm than co-pay plans,” says Tom Billet, a benefits consultant at Watson Wyatt. “I would say co-payment plans are on the way out.” This is true even for regular doctor visits and prescriptions, particularly name brands.
- In-network deductibles. For many workers, your insurance coverage kicks in immediately as long as you stay within your health plan's network of providers. So visits to your regular doctor usually cost nothing more than your co-pay. But that is changing. Next year, some employees will now face an in-network deductible of $250 to $500 or more, before their insurance starts to pay. So that first doctor visit of the year will likely be paid for out of your own pocket. There is one exception: Preventive care, such as your annual physical, is usually fully covered even if you haven’t yet hit your deductible.
- Questions about your health. Despite the recession, companies are not pulling back on their investment in wellness initiatives. In fact, more companies are asking employees to fill out health risk questionnaires and are providing programs to improve and manage your health. A growing number are even doling out incentives for participating — for example, $150 cash for filling out a health risk assessment or enrolling in a weight loss class. Yet a few companies are beginning to make those incentives contingent upon your reaching a certain goal, such as a body mass index below 30, says Ron Fontanetta of HR consultancy Towers Perrin. Check out this story about how state workers in South Carolina who smoke now must pay more for their health insurance than non-smokers.
Do your 2010 benefits plans look much different from your current options? If so, have the changes influenced your views on health care reform?
Health Care Reform, or the MAJORITY of true patriotic Americans wanting to stop reform, want to do so to stop Gov't control of us, not only due to the pathetic costs that will come with it. If Americans are stupid, as the illiterate fool typed, it is because we voted Obama Reid and Pelosi into office in the first place.
Time to get smart, as I know we are as a mjority, and vote new folks into office. The progressives have little chance of continuing down the path they are on…what losers!!
It's shaping up to be a doosey because we will be paying for the insurance industry's campaign against reform…ugh!
To the illiterate boob.
Americans are probable the most dummest people in the world. The say they don't trust a government option but complane when their co pays and deductables go out of sight. They say they like their company provided health care until they lose their jobs then they cry they don't have any. Poor stupid Americans
At least this poor stupid American can spell complain, a lot of us can even spell probably, dumbest,oh yeah, and even deductible. So you tell me, who is the stupid American?
Given that health care costs have tripled in the past decade, how does that compare to other necessarities such as housing, food, utilities (heat, light, phone)?
OK as I wrote elsewhere (may be Marketwatch WSJ) it is wrong to face, to look a health care reform as only a financial budget.It is certainly a more complex issue than this.Unfortunate electronic media do not contribute to much to clear up the subject, introducing more and more confusion,that even reaches deputies house.
I hope reason continues prevailing
Just my view
Homero Velazquez
Now if all you people will get out and vote these creeps out of office, we might get our country back from all the big money people who only care about THEIR bottom line. Remember your anger come the next elections.
Ha, I love all the comments from people complaining about for-profit companies, whether it's doctor groups, hospitals or insurance companies. Obviously, none of you work in the healthcare delivery field or you'd know that, generally speaking, the non-profits are much worse to deal with than the for-profits when it comes to quality of care and costs. I'll take care from a for-profit hospital any day over care from a non-profit. Think about it. For-profits have massive regulatory requirements, SEC filings, earnings reports – everything's disclosed. Non-profits on the other hand, are privately held, there's no regulatory disclosures, no earnings reports, no P&E reports, etc and they don't pay corporate taxes. Non-profit's profit margins are nearly always higher than their for-profit competitors.
Stop letting the political dribble influence healthcare reform. Educate and think for yourselves people!
All of you make great points, even if some of your facts are a bit off. It goes to show that we all have a stake in the issue, the issue is huge, and all of us are accountable. Parents, perhaps you should work fewer hours at your depressing heart attack inducing job so you can keep that big mac out of little Billy's mouth or that cigarette out of little Sally's. Providers and carriers, I realize mission is impossible without margin, but you have to know the way you interact with each other is suspect at best and criminal at worst. Providers need to be reimbursed for quality and not quantity. Easier said then done, but you all are some highly educated people, so please figure this out sooner then later. Government, I applaud your efforts. This country's healthcare system is in need of a serious overhaul, and you are probably the only one capable of leading it. Keep in mind your people need you to lead the overhaul and not the system itself. Give us the tools to make things better, then get out of the way and watch it flourish. Anyway, this is all pretty easy for me say as I am an employed, middleclass, night school taking, employer sponsored health insurance having, guy who sees a lot of people hating and loving the health system we have. Good luck!
Thank God for Walmart's $4 per month prescription drugs, it saved me lots of money. My insurance co-pay would cause me $35 per month for the same drugs! We should ask Walmart to implement a national health plan.
Americans are probable the most dummest people in the world. The say they don't trust a government option but complane when their co pays and deductables go out of sight. They say they like their company provided health care until they lose their jobs then they cry they don't have any. Poor stupid Americans
To Pianist, San Diego, CA
Please find and read further:
Health care spending – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States
U.S. healthcare costs exceed those of other countries, relative to the size of the economy or GDP.
Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at approximately 16% of GDP, second only to East Timor (Timor-Leste) among all United Nations member nations. The health share of GDP is expected to continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017. Of each dollar spent on health care in the United States 31% goes to hospital care, 21% goes to physician services, 10% to pharmaceuticals, 8% to nursing homes, 7% to administrative costs, and 23% to all other categories (diagnostic laboratory services, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, etc.
The Office of the Actuary (OACT) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publishes data on total health care spending in the United States, including both historical levels and future projections. Go to url noted for more.
References Cited: ^ "National Health Expenditure Data: NHE Fact Sheet," Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, referenced February 26, 2008
^ Sean Keehan, Andrea Sisko, Christopher Truffer, Sheila Smith, Cathy Cowan, John Poisal, M. Kent Clemens, and the National Health Expenditure Accounts Projections Team, "Health Spending Projections Through 2017: The Baby-Boom Generation Is Coming To Medicare", Health Affairs Web Exclusive, February 26, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
WHO (May 2009). "World Health Statistics 2009". World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2009/en/index.html. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
^ a b "2008 Annual Report" (pdf). PHRMA. http://www.phrma.org/files/PhRMA_annualreportFianl.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
Other countries are doing just fine and their health care works and doesn't break their country. But here in America it can't work? Our country is miserable over health care. People are bankrupt and it's on everyone's mind constantly. Why can't it work here? Is America too stupid? Or is war and supporting countries other than ours more important.
Every 100 dollars spent for health care, only 4 dollars go to ALL DOCTORS COMBINED. Did you read that? Read it again…The system is not sustainable, TRUE. Blame that on everything else, but the MDs..
I feel sorry for you Americans, you've really got it bad. The medical insurance companies seem great at fooling the majority of you into believing that other nations healthcare systems don't work.
In England, the NHS works very well (with some occasional faults) and continues to improve (I work for the NHS) and is an excellent lifeline for people who can't afford your incredibly expensive private insurance schemes.
Of course, private treatment is available throughout the UK – just pay for it and jump the queue.
Its blatantly obvious that the NHS is vastly preferable to worrying about your ability to pay your doctors bill, hospital bill etc etc.
Don't be conned by the greedy insurers.
rahul, you are ignorant. a general physician has far more education than either an ms or mba. here in the u.s., both surgeons and general physicians alike require 4 years of medical school education post undergrad. an mba program? 2 years, some in 1. during the 4 years of medical school, the AVERAGE debt accumulated is over $150,000 plus interest. in addition to their 4 years of medical school, general physicians require a 3 year residency, working 80 hours per week. please point out any mba with equivalent training.
not to mention, physicians do not come up with billing prices, insurance companies do. physician groups and hospitals have to charge an "overpriced" amount to break even because the return by insurance companies can be as low as 50%. And if you cannot afford to pay the rest… guess who has to "eat" the cost of providing care for you? the hospital/insurance group… which only causes further increase in prices.
as for the value of general physicians, next time you have a sore throat.. 1)try getting an appointment with an ENT the same day and 2)then see what your bill comes out as.
How about having health care providers not duplicate services. My 10 yr old broke his leg on a Sunday so we had to use the ER. X-ray revealed a spiral fracture. ER Dr. had paramedic put a splint on it and sent us to see a orthopedic Dr. on Monday. Monday they went to take x-rays and I asked why they couldn't use the x-rays from the hospital. They said they needed to take their own x-rays without ever seeing the ones from the hospital. Don't tell me there are not ways to cut costs! Since when did a hospital not have the capability of applying a cast to a simple fracture?
$900 for the ER, another $800 or more the next day. What was I supposed to do,say "Son, let's wait and go see the DR. on Monday so we can help keep health care costs down?"
Insurance companies are a waste of money. Cut the middle man out of the equation totally. The only people who should make money off from health care are the doctors and the people that develop the technologies. The goal of an insurance company is to make money and not to save your life. People worry about the government making medical decisions and we already have for profit companies making those very same choices for us. I work for a company that has a history of good benefits and every year they get worse. People who tell you that costs will go down by including more younger people in the system forget to tell you that it won't be cheaper for those people.
Do any of you realize that all this year Congress, and our Majority reps have been making someone else the bad guy in this healthcare debacle?
So please, stop shifting the purpose to reform by blaming the providers, the carriers, or the sick. And do not allow commentators or your representatives to continue to treat you like idiots. Take your pick: The "Bad Guys" are – today Insurance Companies, yesterday Providers, earlier Republicans, Tea party’s, Right Principles – Bob MacGuffie, and FreedomWorks, Dick Armey.
Affordable Healthcare? How? – Allow interstate carriers to sell the same product to individual, sole proprietor, or small group. The more members the cheaper the premiums, period!
Stop unnecessary mandates of cafeteria benefits, these add costs to all plans for the benefit of a few!
Stop shifting the purpose to reform, and blaming the providers, the carriers, or the sick.
*We need a Basic National Plan Design, with ability to add richer benefit riders as desired or needed, that all carriers can be appointed to sell.
*An individual, sole proprietor, or small group can purchase these Basic National Plan Designs from any of the carriers offering this product.
*If an individual cannot afford the full premiums, they can apply for or automatically trigger a tax credit. Congress can do that without spending another trillion!
*Leave our present plans alone!!! They will stand the competition of new interstate market plans or they will be priced out. This is the way our FREE MARKET WORKS.
Yes the costs of healthcare are high, and getting higher. But, insurance companies are paying out huge surcharges to hospitals for the uninsured now, and generally paying at 140% of Medicare reimbursement rates already. Many States facing Budget shortfall this Spring 2009 raised taxes on these health plans of 7% to 10% – nobody told you about that?
In January the Medicare reimbursement rates are going down, so the insurance carriers know they will be paying out even more to cover the shortfall from government programs. Did you hear about that one?
Enough already with vilifying doctors. It takes upwards of 12 years of education before day one on the job. It also takes hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans.
And they still have to work their way up, while paying back said student loans and malpractice premiums–literally thousands per month. How many MBAs do you know paying malpractice insurance?
Do the math. If a doctor earns $250,000 per year, they pay (and these are estimates obviously) close to $90,000 in federal tax, $20,000 in state tax (unless in a state w/ no income tax), $30,000 per year in student loan repayments, and $50,000 per year in malpractice insurance… There isn't exactly a Wall Street-sized pile of money left.
The liberal bloc in this country is taking this vilification of money thing too far. We live in a capitalist society. Spend years studying and money on loans, sacrifice time in internships, displacement away from home, etc., to become the best professional one can be. Then reap the rewards. To portray it any other way is an exercise in obfuscation.
In short, get used to doctors speaking with a foreign accent. How many on this list would recommend to their own children (if you have any) to become a doctor in today's political climate?
High deductible plans often provide employers enough of a savings (30% off of entire annual premium costs) to fully fund the employees' deductibles. Meaning the employee has 0 out of pocket expense until the deductible is reached, at which point many plans waive copays and doctor visits are free, or you simply would revert back to your $25 office copay. Remember, that's after the deductible is met (if you hit that limit). These deductibles also cover RXs. It's the way to go if you know what you're doing – you can't beat it.
Lazy people who want work are ruining us, as one respondent noted below. Have you tried to find a job lately? Are there a lot of $50k or higher jobs out there for uneducated people? Hmmm, not very likely. Yes there are some lazy people out there but the vast majority of people that need health care coverage and cannot afford it are not lazy. They are old, infirm, senile, mentally challenged, physically challenged, unemployed (for any number of reasons), illiterate, the list can go on. Those are the souls that this great country of ours should have the compassion to help. Stop lumping all in need into the safe old Republican "lazy" people basket. Open your own damn eyes and stop listening to pundits like Rush. Use your own brain for once. You may find that you are not capable of much thought.
Do you think medical service providers will post their fees if I have a 30% co-insurance coverage? How will I shop for a provider for non-emergencies if there are no prices posted?
Imagine a guy who calls himself Dr Bill Toth, not Bill Toth MD would be against any kind of government program that would lower costs. What kind of Dr. is he? A Doctory of Insurance?
Every one of the 8 physicians our family uses (including specialists) lives in a million + dollar home except one. The poor guy lives in a $700.000 home. I haven't seen one of them foreclosed yet. Sure sounds like they aren't feeling the recession like everyone else. I wonder why?
I'm surprised on how ignorant the public is regarding how our health care system works; doctors and hospitals no dot charge ridiculously high proces, because these are determinend by the insurance companies (doctors bill insurance companies with codes, not with money values). In addition, insurance companies shift a lot of their reimbursements to physicians to the patient, who has to pay high deductibles, copays etc. So guess who is running away with the money? THE INSURANCE COMPANIES, IDIOT!!!
This Rahul from Washington is as ignorant about healthcare as some democrats. A doctors training is not the same as a MS or MBA. I lost my entire 20's training to be a doctor and accumulating 150K in debt. Tell that to your MS, MBA. Where do you get this info from. Not the US!!
I work for a large privately held company and our insurance options are great. We don't go to the hospital very often and when we do we usually only the the co-pay (even though we have a High Deductible Health Plan). Government is not the answer. It is not the proper role of our government to provide universal health care. All the countries that have it (Canada, Great Britain, etc) have failed miserably. What makes Obama and Congress feel that they can do the same thing and get different results?
They should do government health care like they do welfare. If you need some help you go and get some. Then when you are on your feet and can afford the health care, you can buy your own.
Of course by then you will probably buy you a 61 inch plasma TV and a new car and maybe have another kid. Then when you get sick you are back to where you started.
The problem with high health care costs is the doctors and hospitals who charge riduclously high fees. The gov't needs to control those fees, not how health care is managed. We also need to stop providing free health care to people. There are lazy people in our society who does not want to work but have everyone else pay for the expenses. Stop providing them with the free ride. That is waht is killing us.
I think Obama makes big political mistake by rushing with health care reform. If it passes this year he'll get blamed for all premiums' increases in 2010. He should wait for current system to collapse and then people will be more supportive for the reform.
Health care should not be a commodity traded on Wall Street. This causes the large for-profit Hospital Systems, Physician Groups, and Insurance companies to focus on keeping shareholders happy and that does not always translate into controlling costs or getting Americans any healthier. For some of these companies, sicker Americans means bigger profits and growth, just what Wall Street cherishes. Then these companies dump huge lobbying dollars into Washington to make sure they can continue profiting, and becoming quite wealthy off the illness and misfortunes of the American citizen.
When hospitals and inusrance companies are in collusion to set prices as they are in MA (see Boston Globe article on Blue Cross and Partners) prices will continue to soar for health insurance premiumns.
It is grossly unfair that companies can deduct health insurance costs but workers are forced to meet some convoluted calculation to determine the extent of their tax deduction. It isn't fair but companies with high paid lobbyists scream about the cost even WITH this deduction. Our failure to be a golf buddy makes sure our increased costs which aren't deductible aren't discussed during the healthcare reform.
We will be paying even more and will have less choices including what care we receive while the "BIG boys and girls" keep their government plan or buy private insurance and use private hospitals as they do in Europe – the benefit of money or class.
What has happened to our country? Ask someone who had lived in Communist Russia and then start speaking out.
Seriously…you people who think all doctors get paid a fortune and get to keep all the money they collect need to be better informed. Due to the lack of Tort Reform, a huge portion of that payment typically goes to malpractice insurance. Then you factor in the overhead (doctors offices aren't cheap), the nursing staff, the paperwork, the billing expenses, the equipment, the ongoing education classes they are required to attend, the fact that of that $175 bill, they typically only see a fraction of that from Medicare and insurance companies…months after the date it was billed (doctors have to float the costs until then). Lets not forget about repaying student loans (which are ridiculously high). I am not a doctor but my father is, and has been for a long time, and is just barely breaking even on a good day.
Always comes down to the dollar. They know we're an aging generation and yes, take care of yourself the best you can. But you can't have great health forever!
I cannot believe how sheepish most folks are about health care. The health care industry and the health insurance industry will continue to intentionally drive up costs until someone makes them stop. But this nearly 1 trillion dollar health care bill they call reform won't do anything to keep the costs from going up.
More govenment is almost never the right answer, unless it is done in great moderation and with the utmost consideration. I have a solution that can work and it would cost only a tiny fraction of the tax dollars the reform bill will require.
In the past, the federal govenment had no problem regulating industries. Remember when the oil industy was regulated? We need to do the same with the health care industry and the health insurance industry. Appoint an independent commission of folks who are not politicians and let them regulate. Cost regulations would keep costs down. Participation regulations would require insurance companies to offer coverage and keep them from denying or terminating coverage.
We need to remember, sometime the more simple the idea the more effective it is.
Reform is needed; but the current House Bill just makes matters worse. There is nothing in that bill that will decrease costs–except the eventual rationing of care, which the bill effectively contemplates.
The increases are because we are already paying for the uninsured to go to the hosipitals… think of it this way… a hosipital visit is picked up by the gov. right now, and also by effect insurance companies… it cost $1300 on average… a doctors visit would only cost $100-$200… now as the numbers of uninsured grow, its more and more going to the hosipital for treatment, instead of the doctors office… the amount becomes higher and higer… now where does that money come from… you, me, and everyone else… so if we made it so these people could go to the doctors, it would be less money… then we could start cutting down on waste with paper work… and then malpractice reform… and with that you have over 1 trillion about in savings… about half of the money we spend yearly… WHY DONT YOU PEOPLE WANT THAT?
I get you "don't want to pay for others health care" BUT YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. Think about it… a hosipital must stablize all people that come into their doors… insurance or not… now without insurance no one will ever be able to pay it… but they still get the treatment… so THEY don't payit… INSTEAD you PAY EXTRA for something that could have been LESS… like if you go to the dealer vs a local garage for a oil change… or if you buy brand name when there is a equal genaric… its a waste… can anyone tell me why they don't want it… please!
tell me about it, IBM raised our premiums(same policy, same coverage) by 77% over last year and tried to blame it on the health care provider
I get so frustrated when I hear people talk about rising costs in healthcare as if there are a handful of people at the insurance companies squeezing money out of people for their Ferraris…
The reality of it all is that America has the highest cost of healthcare of any country in the world. Period. The reason for this isn't that we are getting squeezed, it's because we are the unhealthiest developed country in the world. This issue is compounded by the fact that our litigation-happy population views suing doctors as a way to make some easy money (higher costs that are pushed down the line to the end user), and the fact that it takes an average of $700 to bring new prescriptions through our approval process and to the counter.
This all ends up meaning that we all pay more for health care. This stuff isn't free, and as long as we are ok with having one third of our population being obese (and the myriad of health problems that result from this) we are going to have to pay a lot for healthcare.
This is purely political in nature. If the government truly wanted to intervene in the matter or cost of healthcare… they would do better to go after the manufacturers of drugs. With an industry-wide market cap of $894 Billion and a profit margin of 17.4%, they easily eclipse the entire health insurance industry ($35 billion and 5.8%, respectfully)
The 4 points listed in this article are all positives for health care. High deductible plans typically have premiums that are much lower than full plans, and someone who is relatively healthy will not end up spending the difference between how much they now pay and how much they would have paid in premiums with a more extensive plan. Insurance should be just that; a means to cover yourself in a catastrophic health emergency. It should not pay for every health issue you have, as this leads to abuse of the system. Co-insurance works in the same regard.
In-network deductibles are irrelevant if you already have a high deductible plan. Most high deductible plans require well over $1,000 to be spent before the co-insurance portion kicks in. However, they do give you the option of a health savings account, which you can contribute to with pre-tax dollars. This reduces your out of pocket expense by about 20% on average.
The questionnaires are an excellent way to determine which employees fall into which risk categories. Why should a healthy non-smoker in their 20's pay the same amount as a heavy smoker in their 40's? They should not. You should pay premiums realtive to your own personal overall health. This gives unhealthy people incentive to lower their health risks and therefore pay lower premiums in the future.
The real question for everyone to understand the increase in health care costs is, "why are they increasing?" I read that it consistently outpaces inflation, why? I haven't read anything that helps the average person understand the underlying causes of the increase. Political talking points aside, how can we, as citizens, make a decision on a best course of action if all the people hear is the effect not the cause.
I pay too much for a high deductible health insurance. I am 54, and take very good care of myself and only have to go to the doctor once a year for the checkup. My main drive to make sure I wreck my checking account every month to pay my premium is more to protect my finances if I were to have some sort of physical accident. I have never had a broken bone or any physical accident in my life, but that is a bigger concern to me then my personal failing health, though that could happen too.
I agree with the comment that healthcare companies are locking in higher rates while they can. The same thing is happening with credit card companies locking in higher rates ahead of a new law taking effect in January next year.
I am self-employed. Anyone facing increased costs through their employer-sponsored plans will have to look elsewhere for sympathy. The article stated "$1,200 for singles and $2,400 for families". What a joke. Try $10,000.
People should know the cost of the services they receive. I support the shift to the consumer in that regard. However, consumers should be given greater choice to shop for health plans in return to be fair. I don't see that happening. It appears this government would rather spend a trillion starting up public option plans in each of the 50 states, instead of allowing consumers to shop across state lines.
Honestly speaking doctor's are overpriced and collect a big chunk of money from the insuance. The government needs to step up just like they have controlled the CEO salaries for TARP companies, they should put a CAP on the doctor fees state by state. A doctor on average charges $175 for may be 10 minute cold/cough visit. That is ridiculous. Some may say doctor's are valuable, yes I do agree they have put a lot into their education and hence shall make more, but that probably should only apply to surgeons and not general physicians. It is only in USA that general physicians are highly valued. Honestly speaking the education level of a general physician is the same as an MS or MBA, then why do they make much much more than the comparables.
As long as health insurance is a FOR PROFIT business, you can forget about lower health care costs. Wall street greed will trump what's good for the country every time.
My benefits have been going up 10% yearly as along as I can remember so nothing new there. Our 2010 health benefits are actually better than 2009 as we now have no deductibles and 100% coverage. Well worth the 10% increase. Comparing to 2009, our 2010 benefits provide additional coverage and are relatively cheaper than 2009. Our company employes 11,000 people locally. I was a bit surprised at the poll above not having a " 2010 looks better than 2009" option.
This is terrible news considering the spread of the Flu this season. Eventually, even people with insurance will stop going to the doctor. Those with jobs will come into work sick for fear of losing them in this economy. This is going to be a disaster.
Thank's DUMBOCRAT'S. Here's more of the change you wanted. You voted these idiot's into office now you get stabbed in the back AGAIN!! Just how stupid are you now?
I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield and my great health insurance just became $100-per-month cheaper WITHOUT any reduction in benefits.
I honesty don't know where all the fear-mongering comes from…
Our socialized law-enforcement seems to work. Are we now supposed to disband all local, city, state and federal law-enforcement officials and replace them with private security guards or Blackwater?
I have a high deductible plan and HSA. My premiums are very low. If I reach the deductible, then I don't pay out-of-pocket for the rest of the year. The HMO premiums would have equalled the deductible with no chance to save any money. It seems like Obama is getting rid of HSAs though.
My premiums are staying the same as they were in 2009.
Since it will be cheaper to hand off employee's health care to the "public option", expect many companies to do so. Get ready for a LOT of beaurocracy. Do you like dealing with the IRS when you have a problem? Imagine doing that when you or a loved one is sick, or trying to arrange surgery.
Please, please…everyone read the bill! It is huge…1990 pages, but if you can get 25% of the way through it, and still think this is a good idea, then at least you won't be kicking yourself in 3 years when you realize what a nightmare we have gotten ourselves into.
Small company plan with one single employee and one family covered. Monthly cost jumping from from $1,240 to $1,720 unless we shrink benefits. I'll take government bureaucrats over Aetna bureaucrats.
Who guarantees that the same will not happen with the so-called health care reform – plus higher taxes!
Dr Bill Toth – When I was in practice it appeared to me that people who paid for their healthcare out of pocket seemed to take better care of themselves, and were more interested in what they could do to stay healthy.
Live with Intention
DrBillToth
I work for the U.S. Postal Service and we have been informed that our premiums will increase in all the available healthcare providers choices available. I am thankful that I have a job in a society that ignores the sick if they do not have health insurance. What a nation! And to think it is all politics and the influence of the mega rich insurance brokers. BUT I can't blame them because if I had a chance to make $100 billion a year I probably would too since people are going to be sick anyway. Sick people and (legal) drugs are a good investment for the brokers to insure large returns on their investments.
Seen what the top guys make dening you. This has got to stop as we are being driven BK by the insurers…what will you do in 10 years…you won't have care at all…and they'll own everything you have.
If a more signficant share of health care expense is being paid by the employee (such as through co-insurance), it is essential that the employee now begin to aggressively comparison shop and negotiate with the hospitals and doctors for the cost services provided. When the insurance company is picking up most of the bill, the cost of the hospital or doctor is largely irrelevant to the employee so the employee pays little attention to the cost. But when the employee is picking up much of the cost, there is a real incentive to negotiate and shop around for quality service at the lowest cost. This is a major shift in approach but one that needs to begin. We all conduct comparison shopping, and negotiate in many cases, for everything else we personally purchase and pay for. Healthcare should be no different.
My medical benefit, disability, and term life insurance premiums have gone up slightly this year. All together, perhaps a $200.00 increase. This is marginal, perhaps because my company is changing the primary medical provider this year. But, have my costs tripled in the past 10 years, very likely, or at least a multiple of 2.5.
I am not surprised that CNN doesn't give an option that says-in anticipation of government interference, insurance companies have decided to lock in the largest increases in years while they still have a chance. Government interference drives up prices and then gives politicians a reason to overregulate. These increases are a product of Washington's actions.
Amen….. I work for GE Healthcare and healthcare expenses here are also climbing up by a huge percentage
WE'VE BEEN INFORMED THAT OUR SHARE OF OUR HEALTH CARE IS GOING UP 16.6% AS OF 1/1/10, NEGOTIATED BY CONTRACT, THIS IS WAY MORE THAN OUR LITTLE PIDDLY 3% INCREASE 7/1/09, BECAUSE OUR UNION DUES HAD ALREADY GONE UP IN APRIL.
I challenge each and every American citizen to take a close look at how they currently live their life. How many times in the past month have you opted for the fried food, decided you didn't need that trip to the gym, or are smoking a cigarette while reading these posts and placing blame on everyone else. If we were to collectively get in shape and quit smoking we could effectively cut health care costs in half. I am not saying that our health care system in America is without its faults. We have a crisis brewing here, but we need to start with fixing the individual and work our way up.