Don't some of the upscale workers on here realize that some jobs do not offer free-even affordable-health ins?

Question

Four of my children are working full time, for some time--two of them have jobs that offer health insurance--equaling 1/2 of their monthly paycheck. The other two work for companies that do not offer health insurance at all.

Fortunately, one has a wife who has free health coverage for herself, and very inexpensive coverage for him. The others have nothing--or nothing within reason.

If our country is not going to supply national health coverage--with the price of doctors, labs and hospitals, etc.--then shouldn't all employers offer it?

Fraginal...: That's just for Workman's Comp--injuries on the job--they have to offer that.

David M: And when I did secretarial work in New York--we got medical insurance on day one, through the company--no 3 month, 6 month, or one year waiting period--and no co-pay.

Jeeper...: Read what I wrote to David, above.

Jake: You should read what I wrote to David, above, too. This was at any office job--and it was free--as long as you worked full time for them.

In the mid/late 80s, I checked myself into the hospital--and my job-paid health insurance covered that in full.
PEOPLE--Corporations get insurance for large groups of employees for pennies--compared to what we as individuals have to pay

Brantley: But it was...that was how many corporations got employees to sign up with them--they were willing to take a little less pay for the health coverage.
Also--what happened to dental? It just cost my daughter $490 for an extraction! And that was with her employee discount--an extraction--the cheapest thing there is.

Answer 1

We need coop healthcare that is affordable, not healthcare designed and run by the insurance companies. The states and federal government are already spending the taxpayers money to basically pay for a system. And if we would quit paying for Europe's military we could easily afford it, by the way healthcare and college are free in Europe because we finance their military needs.

Answer 2

I don't see it happening. How many small businesses would go under? They employ more people than any of the big businesses do. (total population speaking) There isn't a simple solution. We need to understand why our health-care costs exploded since about 1990. Why? I work for a large company and my health insurance costs have gone up every year. In the mid 80's I thought it was somewhat costly but I'd give anything to get back to even triple that cost. We can not expect government to wave a wand and fix it. They have a track record called Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Far from stellar wouldn't you say? If you remember, all we heard about a few years ago was how bad SS was. It still is a problem but health-care has now replaced it as the new problem. We need to focus on reducing the costs yet allowing the system to make money for those who need it so they can continue to re-invest in the system making it better. Somewhere along the line something has gotten out of whack. Stay away from mandated tax withdrawals and bring back balance to the free enterprise system is the best way to attack the problem. (my opinion) Or let the whole thing crash down and start from scratch.

I am not convinced that it's only the insurance or pharmacy companies causing the problem. There are more people with their hand in the pot. Those companies have investors which forces them to release their financials for all to see and if they were making unusual mounts of profit there would be an uproar from the businesses themselves because they also pay for some of the employee plans. It would be nice to get objective cost views rather than information from the extreme edges of this issue. Right now I don't trust any numbers I hear.

Answer 3

Health Insurance Companies like all insurance companies loan the Federal Government billions of dollars. The FDA is run by former members of Health Care insurance Companies.

the American people as a whole are sheep and blindly go to the voting booth and pull the lever for either Democrat or Republican

The problem with this Country is that the American People will never stand up and say enough is enough.

Answer 4

Guess what, from the 50 until the 80 you were offer health Insurance. But then the Insurance companies hadn't bought out the government. They need to take the profit out of Healthcare. Every since Reagan Insurance has went out the door as far as companies offering it. Now the insurance companies are robber barons. Time for universal healthcare if you don't want it than buy your own. Until Clinton you only spent 24 hours in hospital after have a baby.

Answer 5

The Republicans, and the big money they depend on from Pharmaceutical companies and your HMO's via lobbying interests, do not want you or your kids to have affordable insurance. They want you to have profitable insurance, profitable for them. That is why the Republicans will do everything within their power to see that a national health system never comes about.

They will tell you it will bankrupt the country.
It will cause your taxes to skyrocket.
It will force you to go to the doctor they choose.
It will mean rationing of health care.
It will mean you have to wait for years to have surgery.

Fear, scare, fear, rummer, fear.

I have heard a dozen Republicans, and a good many Democrats say that we need to let private business solve the Health Care crisis. We do not need "Government Bureaucracy" which is to inefficient to handle anything.

The cost of paying the doctors and hospitals is not the problem in our health care system. It is the cost of paying the insurance companies huge profits. Look at the profit/loss statements, they are getting rich while they tell you that your not covered for that proceedure.

Medicare provides over 95 cents of payments to doctors and hospitals for every dollar spent. The most efficient private insurance companies provide 65 cents of payments to doctors and hospitals.

If we paid all those premiums to Medicare instead of the insurance company, we would be able to insure every man woman and child in the US for the same money we are spending now.

Then there is the Pharmaceutical companies. They tell you about the high cost of research to bring a new drug to market. The billions spent on testing and FDA approval. They don't explain why they sell a new drug to the people of America for $3.50 a pill, and then the same day sell the same pill, made in the same machine, with the same lot number, and the same medicine, to another country for a nickel. Why is it that people of the US have to pay for the whole worlds research?

Answer 6

Many companies are starting to go into the Health Savings Plan and insurance coverage way -- luckily our company offers both (but they are hoping more people go to the health savings plan). HSPs are great for younger workers with no dependants. It gets more sticky if you have an accident or other problem before you can pay your $3,000 deductible, which you have to pay (in this plan) before the insurance kicks in.... yeah, small price in the case of a big problem, but if you don't have $3,000 to begin with (or enough to cover an MRI or whatever), you'll be paying intrest payments for several years on that large payment after putting it on a credit card, if you have one. IF you can get the deductibled down before a catestrophic event, then it might be ok -- they started the option this year. My son saw three specialists rhis year, and with our current "typical" insurance I paid about 150-300 out of pocket. I would not have been able to pay for the consultations and exams if I had to pay all of those bills up front.

Answer 7

They are things that can only be discovered after hundreds and hundreds of trials. And of course, strict restriction needs to be in place. However, because the basis of science is always changing due to new discoveries, we need to also have sympathy to the drug company as well. They are not miracle makers, they only try to make profits by selling something that they "think" might help other people. Imagine the world without antibiotics and other medication, how many people would have to die? If we agree that science can be changed, the drug company might not have an excuse of increasing medication prices because of law suit.Also if we look at any other area that has used the socialist system it has bogged down and failed to live up to its Utopian promise. No system is perfect but open and free market is the best out there.

Answer 8

Don't some of the upscale workers on here realize that some jobs do not offer free-even affordable-health ins?

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Answer 9

David M,

The reason nobody expected the government to help was because the cost of insurance and health care wasn't astronomical back then like it is now. Nobody wants anything free - they just want affordable.

Answer 10

Don't get me started ! Pep Boys, Aetna coverage is for the birds. We were all told if we stayed with Aetna our yearly physical would be free. A a 400.00 dallier allowance would be granted to us for the use of our medical bills.My bill for my physical came to 600.00 dalliers and that came out of my pocket. Since then I have seen my Doctor 4 times and I am yet to leave their without paying an extra 100.00 over my 15 dallier deductible.