WTF?????? Some employers consider ending health coverage

seneca_roman · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from misterno:

where did you get this info? Can you give us a link?
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http://ehbs.kff.org/

athlonmank8 · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from peilthetraveler:

Getting rid of health insurance helps the economy and lowers health insurance prices. It works like this.

Company gets rid of health insurance.
Sick employees die off.
Healthy unemployed people take over the job.
Unemployment cured.
When less health insurance is bought, prices come down making it more affordable which puts more money in peoples pockets which goes to buying other consumer goods which improves the economy which makes more employers need more employees and since unemployment is down, employers need to pay more to get employees which means higher wages.
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sick employees die off?! you're messed up. I more than welcome you to that group.

misterno · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from seneca_roman:

http://ehbs.kff.org/
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Thanks

I wonder why the coverage increased from %60 to %69 in 1 year.

See below, so all of a sudden employers decided to be more nice to employees? why the sudden jump?

http://facts.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1677

MKTrader · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from misterno:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Surve...45.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Nearly one of every 10 midsized or big employers expects to stop offering health coverage to workers once federal insurance exchanges start in 2014, according to a new survey from a large benefits consultant.

Towers Watson also found in a survey completed last month that an additional 20 percent of the companies are unsure about what they will do.

Another big benefits consultant, Mercer, found in a June survey of large and smaller employers that 8 percent are either "likely" or "very likely" to end health benefits once the exchanges start.

Employer-sponsored health insurance has long been the backbone of the nation's health insurance system. But the studies suggest that some employers, especially retailers or those offering low wages, feel they will be better off paying fines and taxes than continuing to provide benefits that eat up a growing portion of their budget every year.

The exchanges, which were devised under the health care overhaul, may offer an alternative for their workers. These exchanges aim to provide a marketplace for people to buy insurance that can be subsidized by the government based on income levels.

A large majority of employers in both studies said they expect to continue offering benefits once the exchanges start. But former insurance executive Bob Laszewski said he was surprised that as many as 8 or 9 percent of companies already expect to drop coverage a couple of years before the exchanges start.

Such a move comes with potential payroll-tax headaches and could subject firms to fines. It also would give their employees a steep compensation cut if companies don't raise pay in exchange for ending coverage.

"Dropping coverage is going to be very difficult for these (companies) to do," said Laszewski, a consultant who was not involved with the studies.

Towers Watson's Randall Abbott said the survey results should be seen as a snapshot of how companies are thinking now. They can't be viewed as a final decision because there are still many unresolved variables. No one knows what the exchanges will be like or whether consumers will accept them, and companies may change their thinking once they learn more about the overhaul.

The health care overhaul also faces court challenges, and President Obama is up for re-election next year, two more variables that could shape what happens in 2014.
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No surprise. Plenty of people warned of this during the Obamacare debates.

If the gov't tries to make it too painful to drop coverage (excessive fines, red tape, taxes), companies will continue coverage but pass on the ever-increasing cost to consumers. Thereâs no free lunch here.

stock777 · Aug 24, 2011

you morons, and yes, even you imbeciles, that abuse the rest of us by accepting any price for healthcare because you're insured, deserve to pay for it out of your own pocket.

maybe then , you'll tell the hospital and the doctor to go fuck themselves when they present you with an obscene bill.

here, have a shat

jimbo555 · Aug 24, 2011

We can't afford it. Eat pizza your entire life after 50 the sick care bills start to run up! You payed cash for the pizza now you can cash for the result!

MKTrader · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from stock777:

you morons, and yes, even you imbeciles, that abuse the rest of us by accepting any price for healthcare because you're insured, deserve to pay for it out of your own pocket.

maybe then , you'll tell he hospital and the doctor to go fuck themselves when they present you with an obscene bill.
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Yeah, itâs crazy. âIâll just go to any old doctor I like that accepts my insurance and $30 co-pay.â Until the end-user is affected by the costs (and health care facilities have to compete more), thereâs no end to the inflation.

In addition, there are very few incentives to prevent people from being 300+ pound, sedentary, drug-popping zombiesâ¦other than a shorter life span. "Someone else will pay my medical bills."

jd7419 · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from stock777:

you morons, and yes, even you imbeciles, that abuse the rest of us by accepting any price for healthcare because you're insured, deserve to pay for it out of your own pocket.

maybe then , you'll tell the hospital and the doctor to go fuck themselves when they present you with an obscene bill.

here, have a shat

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Sorry but sometimes you can't price shop in the heat of the moment. My wife had an emergency c-section, she could have died, I wasn' thinking about the cost of the procedure.

seneca_roman · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from misterno:

Thanks

I wonder why the coverage increased from %60 to %69 in 1 year.

See below, so all of a sudden employers decided to be more nice to employees? why the sudden jump?

http://facts.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1677
More...

It may be because of the tax credit included in Obamacare. See:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304879604575582642946850052.html

MKTrader · Aug 24, 2011

Quote from jd7419:

Sorry but sometimes you can't price shop in the heat of the moment. My wife had an emergency c-section, she could have died, I wasn' thinking about the cost of the procedure.
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Truthfully, I donât expect people to research medical costs (not readily available) if they donât have to. Itâs a classic âtragedy of the commonsâ case. The whole system would have to be changed so everyone feels the effects of costs (patients) and competitive pricing pressures (providers).