I cannot afford it. It means a pay cut after not getting a raise in 2 years. Half my salary already goes to rent.

In order to afford any health care, I have to reduce my coverage now.

Someone explain to me why this happens, and why there is such resistance to controlling this, or dealing with it.

Someone please explain to me my options if the bill is approved by congress. Can it help me?

Thanks.

I would love to pay what you're complaining about.
Just curious, what do you do for a living?

The average policy cost for a family of four is now $13,000 a year.

Elly, I don't know if the new plan will help you, but I hope that you can figure out a way to cut back on something so you don't have to reduce your coverage.

When I was younger and had to chose,after I wrote down just my annual checkups which I had to have to get scripts from my doctor, birth control and thyroid. I found that I could not afford to be without it. I remember eating some really odd foods that year so I would have the coverage until I received an salary increase.

Thanks. I already lead an austere life (regarding $$$) and have cut back on clothes and food. (Extravagant things, like Greek yogurt, which is $4 a tub!) I shop only in consignment stores, if I have to get clothes, shoes, etc.

I think like my auto insurance, I have to increase my deductible in order to afford it at all. Financially dangerous situation, but I have little choices in the matter.

I work for a non profit, and the people in charge of it are not interested in the well being of their employees. The only reason they cover so much of the cost is because there is more executive staff that benefits from the arrangement than there are schmucks like me. They make 50% to 500% more than I do. The issues here are that I am not paid enough for my work to absorb increases, that no raise in the last 2 years means making less money than 2 years ago (considering cost of living changes), and Horizon BCBS increased their premiums 27%.

My basic expenses - no vacations, no trips, no extravagant gifts for friends - are over 65% of my take-home salary. No cushion for emergencies. So $25 a week ($1300/year) is alot for me in the long run.

The good thing is, generic medicines are $10 copay, so I can stockpile them to cheaply end it all if I need to down the line :)

Some things to consider.

Dental. If the plan has dental, it's often beneficial to pay out of pocket for cleanings and check-ups than pay the premium for dental. Of course if you need more than routine dental care, you have to consider that too.

Pregnancy. If the group is not a child bearing group, ask HR to look at the option of suspending the pregnancy and prenatal coverage. Often times an agent won't offer that because it cuts their commission.

Copay. Ask for a higher copay, and then visit your doctor and explain your situation. Be direct and ask for a lower cost (out of pocket) office visit. It works! We increased our small group copay to $50. I negotiated with my doctor to keep our office visit (out of pocket) to $25. :)

Vision Care. Cancel it! It's often cheaper to pay out of pocket than a monthly premium. Again, talk to your doctor and ask for the lowest possible rate!

Life insurance. This may be risky if you have dependents.

Accidental death/injury. Again, it may be risky to cancel.

Hope some of my suggestions are helpful.

But do see your doctor. Explain your financial situation and ask for consideration.

Elly, hope you do ok.

But do see your doctor. Explain your financial situation and ask for consideration. So doctors should provide, and Elly should accept, charity as a solution to this health care crisis we're in? Don't get me wrong, I've had to ask for "consideration" from my doctors, myself, so I'm not scoffing, but I do think this system we have is ridiculously unfair. We need change NOW!

I feel your pain, elly.

It's also ridiculous to have to speculate what medical/dental/visual "services" one might need in the coming year, gambling that you won't need any of the "options" during the year in order to save a buck on the premiums.

I agree. Health care is far from fair, and especially in Elly's case where her peers outweigh her salary and can easily afford the excess.

However, just because health care is broken, doesn't mean that individuals can't take action on their own to cut costs on their end. That would be silly to scoff at that idea! I agree. :)

I've never heard of a plan that allows individuals to alter the specifics of the group plan.

True for the most part. But our group, paid by me, the employer, has no pregnancy benefits or prenatal care because we have nobody in that category and less than 10 employees on the group plan.

And yes, individuals CAN and do ask for a discount office copay and get it, regardless of their group plan.

You have to shop, ask questions, make demands. Get aggressive for a change!

How much savings, Brushworks? Five, ten bucks on a copay? Oh, please! Doctors, too, negotiate with the insurance companies for their fees, so why should they accept less from certain individuals? They do, and I appreciated it.

Last year I negotiated a 75% reduction - something like $1800. - in my balance at my oncologist's office. What was the cost? I must pay in full as I go now. So with a $2500 deductible on my $13,000. a year insurance premium, I must now pay in full at the time of service for every scan. That means, in my case, that I would have to have $2500 in cash to pay for my next scan. I cannot possibly pay that on our annual income of $34,500, so I have already skipped my last scan. I have no other choice. There is no fat to cut in this household's budget.

What will happen if someone in your office gets married and wants pregnancy benefits?

Please explain what a discount office copay is? Only copay discount that most group insurance may give if you use a mailorder pharmacy for a three months supply. Some you only have to pay 2 copays.

LOL

Everyone is in the same boat as you, Elly, you're not alone in this. You have expressed a plan here: The good thing is, generic medicines are $10 copay, so I can stockpile them to cheaply end it all if I need to down the line. This is not good at all. Talking with someone will help lift your spirits, but the Hot Topic forum isn't go to be the place or the people you need to talk with--I'm just sayin'. Okay?

You might want to consider this. You're actually not offering insurance correctly under the law and could be sued for it, even if it's a male who does the suing. You are also insuring that you have no interest in female applicants by offering coverage without full family benefits and could be sued by an applicant as well...male or female!

My basic expenses - no vacations, no trips, no extravagant gifts for friends - are over 65% of my take-home salary. And I am glad other people can handle my situation.

Everyone, thanks for your input in trying to help, as opposed to telling me how lucky I am. I took an HMO option which is less coverage than before, but I have no choice.

No choice.

I work for a non profit, and the people in charge of it are not interested in the well being of their employees. The only reason they cover so much of the cost is because there is more executive staff that benefits from the arrangement than there are schmucks like me. They make 50% to 500% more than I do.

I was sticking up for her and looking out for her best interest.

I work for a non profit, and the people in charge of it are not interested in the well being of their employees. The only reason they cover so much of the cost is because there is more executive staff that benefits from the arrangement than there are schmucks like me. They make 50% to 500% more than I do.

I was sticking up for her and looking out for her best interest.

Churches are supposed to be non-profits also.

Hey, fight it out with Elly, she bought it up. I was just agreeing with her.

Churches are supposed to be non-profits also.

Yep, some are a bunch of crooks, that's beside the point.

Having spent my 20's and 30's doing volunteer work with a group that helps all sorts of non profits I too have contempt for the way many of them are run. Many of the ones I worked with paid large salaries to a few well connected people and the actual day by day employees were treated like slaves. There are a few, very few, that actually are working non profits where everyone benefits.

One way the non profits benefit there upper employees and these do not have to be management is to cover most of their expenses. If you supposedly need to be on call all night submitted the telephone bill as an expense. If caught by IRS no problem it was an innocent mistake.

Try to find out what salaries the non profits pay to the lowest paid employee vs the higher paid ones and you will see that Swanz has a very valid point.

A few at the top making out while the rest of the pyramid structure gets a raw deal. Kind of sounds like the direction the whole country has been going for some time.

I have worked in not-for-profits (in the arts) for most of my life and am involved with an animal rescue not-for-profit and my DH has always been an executive in not-for-profit organizations so I feel I can speak about this with some knowledge. If Elly doesn't like where she works, she should try to find another job - I am sure there are some arrogant executives in not-for-profits, but they are not all that way. Finding a job in the for-profit sector is not necessarily the solution to Elly's problem.

I remember back in the early 90s giving a substantial sum to United Way. The prez then went on a million dollar plus spending spree in Europe. I swore any money I gave in future would be local and where I could hold folks accountable and see the results.

Being a snob I considered any expense I incurred for the organization as my expense and a donation along with my time and never passed it on. It is up to each individual how they handle donations of any sort but being reimbursed takes away from the organization and should be inclued as payment for services.

I've seen people having to make the choice between an HMO, which was more affordable (and having to give up their current doctor) and a PPO plan with higher co-payments and/or higher deductible.

I have no advice, just sympathy.

Our health system stinks.

Disclaimer: My only association with AAA is as a long time member who has been "saved" more than once by my AAA card.

lol. Hardly. My positions were never in "management" (In other words, I was in Elly's position in all three museums I worked for). Remember the salary quoted above is the average of executive compensation for the BIG non-profits. My Dh's NFPs were smaller ones, not ranked in the median compensation listed above.

Also, I think you are making too big a deal about reimbursement for expenses - in my experience (and in my DH's experience) they have always been handled the same way as in a for-profit. In my volunteer experience (which I admit is mostly with animal rescue), I have never requested or deducted reimbursements either from the organization itself or the IRS.

But, if I get one of their Prescription, whatever-it's-called, Cards, at a cost of about $30, good for one year, then the cost goes down to like $10.

So, $40 rather than $130.

What is that all about? Anybody know?

Hay

Unfortunately, other than leaving for better benefits there is nothing you can do right now. Any HC legislation will not be in effect for a number of years, so it won't help you out now.

Better get on the rooftop, Swanz!..:)

You might want to consider this. You're actually not offering insurance correctly under the law and could be sued for it, even if it's a male who does the suing. You are also insuring that you have no interest in female applicants by offering coverage without full family benefits and could be sued by an applicant as well...male or female!

Igloo,

I appreciate the insight, but I am perfectly safe and legal. My employees do not fit the need for pregnancy benefits. trust me. :) Any wife has no ovaries.

The drug companies don't get enough money is the reason :)

Cindy, thanks for the math. Now my company sucks more. Again, that cost for me would be akin to someone making, say, $80,000/year, $100 week more. Right?

2 years ago, the Director of the NFP I work made $126,000. With an only 3% raise, that would put him/her at over $130,000.

Jerzeegirl, because I manage the education department at a NFP, I make less money than anyone else, managers, admin, executive staff or otherwise. The former bookkeeper (paid hourly), who handled a miltimillion dollar budget, and who got on-site housing, makes more than I do. It too have worked for other NFP, but the parity was not so blatantly unfair. But that's another story.

Nik, thanks for the reminder.

Maifleur: You wrote, Reembursements for expenses in include in salaries because they are not expenses for you but for the organization therefore they will never show up as compensation.
Being a snob I considered any expense I incurred for the organization as my expense and a donation along with my time and never passed it on. It is up to each individual how they handle donations of any sort but being reimbursed takes away from the organization and should be inclued as payment for services.

I don't understand. Can you explain, or be more specific?

Swanz, thanks, but I have been and am looking for another job. I've applied for positions that fit well, but I am 56 and my resume is strong. Possibly they want younger people with less experience for less money? Again, a whole other problem.

Thanks again.

For the average volunter depending on the non profit and what you were doing you could submit receipts for expenses such as mileage to pick up items for events. Some rather than submitting expenses use the receipt on their taxes as a donation to a non profit.

Personal choice I never requested to be reimbursed. I also did not use on my taxes.

I have noticed that just about everywhere lately!

Grocery stores are hiring students or recent grads, not out of work older folks.

Look around Home Depot and Lowes. The age of new hires vary between 20 and 35.

Age is a determining factor in finding work today, and the sectors hardly fit someone laid off from a trades, hands on work, job.

A store manager told me that she would rather train a newbie, than retrain someone out of work. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.