open enrollment

[greenskeeper]

Annual open enrollent for benefits started today. Owebamacare is increasing costs an average of 6% per employee after the company absorbed half.....so the real increase is 12%!

So much for the "affordable" health care act.

[bigdaddybus]

The exact same plan I had last year for my family of 6 is costing me 3.5% more (on my end) so 7% more between my employer and my contribution.

One new thing my company started this year is they have plans for tobacco users and non-tobacco users. If you are found to be lying, you can be fired as a code of conduct violation.
I found it interesting that my company is focusing on tobacco users costing more to the company and charging them more....vs the obese. Maybe that is next.

[hamchan]

Our premiums are going down by about $60 a month, and additional changes to the coverage are going to effectively cut our average annual health care expenses by about one third. This is because copays will now be subject to the annual out of pocket maximum, whereas before they were not. So even after meeting out out of pocket maximum which we nearly always do, we were still having to pay hundreds each month in copays.

[TheKayla]

The point is its making it affordable (and often times attainable at all) for those that really need it, as a trade off for those who can afford healthcare very easily may see a slight increase. With my loans, I likely wouldn't be able to afford healthcare at all, or at least be forced to pay the minimum on my debt so it would last me decades. Thank god it came in time, I would have really been screwed. I'd probably still be living with my parents, or moved to a different country where living was more sustainable. (I was highly thinking about it before graduating in my early college years) It has helped tremendously more and a greater number of people than the slight disadvantage for people it has 'hurt' (those who have money). If I make an adequate amount of money to survive and have food on the table and a roof over my head, plus many of life's luxuries, I don't care about a 6% increase to help many others and the health and wellness of an entire society.

I agree with the obesity thing, smokings definitely awful for you, but its debatable that its healthier than being very overweight. Our society doesn't see it that way though because so many people of overweight. I think better education and access to healthcare is going to do wonders for people's livelihoods over the next few generations, and improve those statistics.

[hamchan]

What Kayla said.

[Wino]

...more and a greater number of people...

Cite your source, please. There is no data yet to support such a claim from my searches.

[RoadWorkAhead]

Try a PubMed search. It has helped families like mine who were faced with the insurmountable max lifetime allowance on a child with a chromosomal disorder. There are plenty of articles that are showing positive impact on sectors - though definitions of what qualifies as "many" might vary. I was able to support that point all semester in my health care policy class. I can also reasonably support how we could more easily afford a single payer system than our current healthcare system

That said, our healthcare plan has been rising annually. We saw no change in premiums this year, but some co-pays/co-insurance were increased. We have a couple reasonable plans, but we are also in health care. DH's union insurance hasn't changed as of now, but we've never paid a premium for it as that is negotiated through the union. Our co-insurance/co-pays and deductibles have been stable throughout, and high enough that ours doesn't qualify as a cadillac plan. Our union was very pro-ACA and pro-president, which means they aren't jacking rates and calling it Obamacare without acknowledging that rates have been rising exponentially, as have our per capita health care expenses as a country, since long before this president. The issue isn't Obama or Bush, Republican or Democrat. The issue is an unsustainable system that was created piecemeal to act as a patch for this group or that.

[cardtrick]

I switched to HDHP with HSA for next year, so although my premium got cut by 60% (from $40 a month to $16 a month), I will be spending about $250 a month in pre-tax dollars, most of which ($236) will go into my HSA. Yes, our insurance plan is awesome. Much better than what even government employees get. A big reason why we have such a big employee retention rate. We have many many employees who've been around for over 30 years.

[feh]

It fascinates me how some people assume any increase in their health insurance costs is due to Obamacare.

[TheKayla]

It fascinates me how some people assume any increase in their health insurance costs is due to Obamacare.

^ This too. exactly. It goes up just about every year regardless.

[kv968]

It fascinates me how some people assume any increase in their health insurance costs is due to Obamacare.

Who's assuming?

Here's a portion of an email we were sent from HR:

"Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, known as the Affordable Care Act, U.S. businesses must comply with federal requirements over the next few years or face strict monetary penalties, which take effect in 2018. We, like many large employers, are implementing plan changes over several years so that we can transition in a way that is effective for us. You will see some changes in our plan offerings for 2014 as we begin to make the transition. Each of the medical plan options are impacted in different ways. For example in 2014:

· Certain plans with low employee enrollment will not be available for 2014.

· Depending on the plan you choose and the number of dependents you enroll, your monthly paycheck deductions for coverage may increase or decrease.

· Changes could impact your out-of-pocket costs through changes in deductibles, coinsurance, co-pays and out-of-pocket maximums."

[bdoubleu]

I was pleasantly surprised - our plan (which we get through my employer) increased the deductible by $250, they now reimburse $250 into an HRA account (non-taxable money for use on medical expenses). So the deductible is essentially the same, and the premium went DOWN $20/paycheck. So I'd say we made out pretty well.

[hamchan]

By the way, I calculated how much we are spending this year on medical care, and it wound up being over 20% of our gross household income. So when I hear people bitching about a 6% increase in premiums I kind of want to vomit. Some people should really just count their blessings.

[siggy_freud]

I haven't seen how, if at all, my healthcare plans will change through my company. However many of my friends who don't have healthcare can now get it, as can my sister who has preexisting conditions. So even if I'm paying more, I'm okay with pitching in so others less fortunate can be covered too. I benefited from a number of government programs when I was in college, so now is my time to return the favor.

[cardtrick]

I would also not mind pitching in for those less fortunate. I can see how badly food service workers and discount store employees are ripped off with ridiculously low wages. However, in order to win my support, you have to increase out of pocket costs for heart disease and diabetes. That's a huge chunk of healthcare costs and is mostly caused by poor lifestyle choices.