This has some background information, fair warning long post / rant. My most recent previous employment was a 3 year contract. I was given the benefits chart when I was hired. It looked like the employer didn't pay anything at all and was almost $18k/year in premiums. I mentioned this to the hiring manager, and said this wouldn't be better than my current situation in terms of compensation and they said, Ok, we will make you a salaried employee, and poof my health benefits (employee + Family) plan were magically under $600/month. Roughly $550/month. After a year, the rate was 'tenured' and went down a little more, but inevitably these plans also manage to increase by a small amount every year. I thought it was still very expensive. I could not have been more wrong.
That contract ended and I got hired on at my next job full time! Great news! Now, surely the employer would take great care of me, I would have viable benefits because they want to take care of their team members, right? No, wrong again. The employer pays 50% of employee health coverage premiums (which is great and better than many other places). The family plan is still $800/month. This costs more than my mortgage. I can't believe it, but I grin it bear it for the new opportunity. It only takes a couple of months before I realize I am not in the best place income wise, and I am back on the job hunt.
Here are 2 recent examples, which just continue to blow my mind.
Company 1: Pays for employee Healthcare premiums, anything else is the responsibility of the employee (+spouse / +child / +family) The family rate is $966/month. Outrageous, even worse than what I have now. What really got me is the coverage. Every potential line item for health coverage is '0% coinsurance once the deductible is met' That is their entire plan. If you need healthcare outside of preventive Dr visits, you're on the hook 100% cost to you. If you hit the deductible ($6k/year individual $12,400 for a family) the plan pays for everything. So with premiums + Deductible anyone with a family plan would be out $24k and suddenly the plan will pay for everything. Congratulations! You've hit the arbitrary pay wall quota! Enjoy your Healthcare.
Company 2: They have 2 health plan options: High Deductible and “buy up plan”. Family plan premiums on the buy up plan are around $1300/month. If you actually want coverage, forget it. This pushes most employees to the high deductible plan. $8k/year for a family + HSA with employer contributions of $3k/year. So “high deductible” turns into $5k/year and this plan actually becomes ideal in terms of cost and coverage.
These plans are not benefits. They are shifting the cost of health insurance from the employer, to the employee. Companies have the power to collectively bargain for actual benefits and they definitely have the means to spend the money to provide for the workers who generate profits for them. Companies have actively made the decision not to. Around every corner, every move is a corporate entity doing what is best for them and fuck the workers. They don't have to say it, we can hear them loud and clear.
I am not saying my personal experience is as bad as it gets. I definitely do not feel “lucky” to have access to these poor excuses for health care plans. I am considering a private plan with better / premiums / coverage through my bank of all things.
Fuck Health Insurance. We need to get rid of private insurance. Oh, but all those people's jobs!! Boo-hoo, this system is bleeding everyone dry and the bloat is corporate leadership of multi-billion dollar Health insurance companies that do everything in their power to deny Health care when it benefits them.
Medicare For All. Now.