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#1
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
My thoughts on the concept of health insurance:
I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. |
#2
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
Frogwatch wrote:
My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. I offer two plans through Aetna. The standard plan that most people have and a "catastrophic" plan that has a $10,000 deductible. Only two are on Plan B. The rest opt for the standard plan. I pay 50% of their premium in either case. 100% dental, LTD, and a $15K life insurance policy. Not bad for a small company. Premiums will be up nearly 15% this year. |
#3
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
"D K" wrote in message ... Frogwatch wrote: My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. I offer two plans through Aetna. The standard plan that most people have and a "catastrophic" plan that has a $10,000 deductible. Only two are on Plan B. The rest opt for the standard plan. I pay 50% of their premium in either case. 100% dental, LTD, and a $15K life insurance policy. Not bad for a small company. Premiums will be up nearly 15% this year. I haven't stayed current with the insurance programs here in MA, but when I was active in the company we couldn't have split plans. As a small business, we couldn't have a major medical (catastrophic) plan *and* a HMO type plan. In fact, we couldn't have more than one health insurance provider. MA law allowed the insurance companies to require 100% employee participation in a single plan, (Harvard, Tuffs, Blue Cross, etc.) and the only exception was for employees that were covered by their spouses plan. This was (and maybe still is) a significant problem for a small business, and often made the health insurance provider a major consideration for a potential new employee, rather than the job responsibilities, pay and benefits. Their current family doctor may not have been a participant in the particular program the company was enrolled in and therefore would have to change doctors in order to accept employment. This is my biggest beef with having a business also being a health care administrator. My other beef is the demise of major medical, catastrophic coverage. I don't think it is available in MA unless the company is large enough to self-insure. The popularity of HMOs and PTOs whereby a small co-pay is all that is required for a doctor office visit is a contributing cause of the health care crisis we have and the blame for that is squarely on us, the consumer. We want cheap, and we got expensive. It would be far better to have insurance for a major illness or injury and have to pay for a doctor's visit to confirm that little Johnny indeed, has a cold. I've written about this before. My company paid 75% of each employee's health insurance premium under a Blue Cross HMO plan. At one point I did an analysis that indicated it would be less expensive to pay 100% of the cost for a Major Medical type plan, then reimburse every employee for their non-emergency, regular doctor visits for them and their kids for check-ups and colds. Of course, this was not allowed. Eisboch |
#4
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
On Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:19:44 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote: "D K" wrote in message m... Frogwatch wrote: My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. I offer two plans through Aetna. The standard plan that most people have and a "catastrophic" plan that has a $10,000 deductible. Only two are on Plan B. The rest opt for the standard plan. I pay 50% of their premium in either case. 100% dental, LTD, and a $15K life insurance policy. Not bad for a small company. Premiums will be up nearly 15% this year. I haven't stayed current with the insurance programs here in MA, but when I was active in the company we couldn't have split plans. As a small business, we couldn't have a major medical (catastrophic) plan *and* a HMO type plan. In fact, we couldn't have more than one health insurance provider. MA law allowed the insurance companies to require 100% employee participation in a single plan, (Harvard, Tuffs, Blue Cross, etc.) and the only exception was for employees that were covered by their spouses plan. This was (and maybe still is) a significant problem for a small business, and often made the health insurance provider a major consideration for a potential new employee, rather than the job responsibilities, pay and benefits. Their current family doctor may not have been a participant in the particular program the company was enrolled in and therefore would have to change doctors in order to accept employment. This is my biggest beef with having a business also being a health care administrator. My other beef is the demise of major medical, catastrophic coverage. I don't think it is available in MA unless the company is large enough to self-insure. The popularity of HMOs and PTOs whereby a small co-pay is all that is required for a doctor office visit is a contributing cause of the health care crisis we have and the blame for that is squarely on us, the consumer. We want cheap, and we got expensive. It would be far better to have insurance for a major illness or injury and have to pay for a doctor's visit to confirm that little Johnny indeed, has a cold. I've written about this before. My company paid 75% of each employee's health insurance premium under a Blue Cross HMO plan. At one point I did an analysis that indicated it would be less expensive to pay 100% of the cost for a Major Medical type plan, then reimburse every employee for their non-emergency, regular doctor visits for them and their kids for check-ups and colds. Of course, this was not allowed. Eisboch Exactly as I'd pursue it, but the same is true in Washington. Can't do it. |
#5
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
On Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:19:44 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote: At one point I did an analysis that indicated it would be less expensive to pay 100% of the cost for a Major Medical type plan, then reimburse every employee for their non-emergency, regular doctor visits for them and their kids for check-ups and colds. Of course, this was not allowed. Colds? No plan should pay for colds. There is nothing a doctor can do for one. Casady |
#6
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
"Richard Casady" wrote in message ... On Thu, 5 Feb 2009 04:19:44 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote: At one point I did an analysis that indicated it would be less expensive to pay 100% of the cost for a Major Medical type plan, then reimburse every employee for their non-emergency, regular doctor visits for them and their kids for check-ups and colds. Of course, this was not allowed. Colds? No plan should pay for colds. There is nothing a doctor can do for one. Casady That's the problem with HMOs. Parents tend to take the kiddies to the doctor for every ailment, even if it's something that can easily be treated at home. If it cost $75 to $100 bucks and was not covered by HMO type insurance, this practice would stop. Instead, it costs anywhere from $5 bucks to $15 as a co-pay for the doctor to tell you to give the kid a Tylenal. It's the reason I favor a return to the Major Medical type insurance programs. Eisboch |
#7
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
Eisboch wrote:
"D K" wrote in message ... Frogwatch wrote: My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. I offer two plans through Aetna. The standard plan that most people have and a "catastrophic" plan that has a $10,000 deductible. Only two are on Plan B. The rest opt for the standard plan. I pay 50% of their premium in either case. 100% dental, LTD, and a $15K life insurance policy. Not bad for a small company. Premiums will be up nearly 15% this year. I haven't stayed current with the insurance programs here in MA, but when I was active in the company we couldn't have split plans. As a small business, we couldn't have a major medical (catastrophic) plan *and* a HMO type plan. In fact, we couldn't have more than one health insurance provider. MA law allowed the insurance companies to require 100% employee participation in a single plan, (Harvard, Tuffs, Blue Cross, etc.) and the only exception was for employees that were covered by their spouses plan. This was (and maybe still is) a significant problem for a small business, and often made the health insurance provider a major consideration for a potential new employee, rather than the job responsibilities, pay and benefits. Their current family doctor may not have been a participant in the particular program the company was enrolled in and therefore would have to change doctors in order to accept employment. This is my biggest beef with having a business also being a health care administrator. My other beef is the demise of major medical, catastrophic coverage. I don't think it is available in MA unless the company is large enough to self-insure. The popularity of HMOs and PTOs whereby a small co-pay is all that is required for a doctor office visit is a contributing cause of the health care crisis we have and the blame for that is squarely on us, the consumer. We want cheap, and we got expensive. It would be far better to have insurance for a major illness or injury and have to pay for a doctor's visit to confirm that little Johnny indeed, has a cold. I've written about this before. My company paid 75% of each employee's health insurance premium under a Blue Cross HMO plan. At one point I did an analysis that indicated it would be less expensive to pay 100% of the cost for a Major Medical type plan, then reimburse every employee for their non-emergency, regular doctor visits for them and their kids for check-ups and colds. Of course, this was not allowed. Eisboch We can offer two. Larger companies can offer more than two. The normal plan is a PPO, the "catastrophic" plan is an HMO. Both are with Aetna. Plan "B" has less than half of the premium with a $10K deductible. |
#8
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
On Wed, 4 Feb 2009 11:38:26 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote: My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. There is no way an individual policy could provide the coverage at the same cost as a group policy, no matter the number of employees. I've been tracking this for close to 20 years and have to deal with it at the end of each year. Your approach to your employees is short-sighted, akin to oxen tilling your fields. You must have easily replaceable employees who you don't care about personally. Not a surprise given your political views. |
#9
posted to rec.boats
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Small business health insurance
jps wrote:
On Wed, 4 Feb 2009 11:38:26 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch wrote: My thoughts on the concept of health insurance: I really do not think the health probs of my employees is my business except I want them to get work done. I got no problem if thye get sick and take weeks off as long as they make it up or work at night or weekends or any other time. There are timetables for stuff that have to be met though. I do offer to pay the premium on an 80/20 policy ($1000 deductible) from IEEE but only one guy takes me up on that, the rest get their insurance through spouses. Frankly, I do not think their health insurance is my business at all because I cannot get a policy that will meet the needs of every employee. They are more likely to get a policy that meets their needs on their own, I also cannot get any better rate for them than they can get themselves. Consequently, having me buy a standard policy for them simply adds cost and gives them a policy that is less beneficial than they could get for less on their own. There is no way an individual policy could provide the coverage at the same cost as a group policy, no matter the number of employees. I've been tracking this for close to 20 years and have to deal with it at the end of each year. Your approach to your employees is short-sighted, akin to oxen tilling your fields. You must have easily replaceable employees who you don't care about personally. Not a surprise given your political views. Indeed. Workers are just chattel to "bosses" like froglegs. |
#10
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Small business health insurance
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