quote:Originally posted by HIFLYER:
Why would I want to pay for something I already have? You know companies will not give you the money they were paying now. This is where most people I talk to have the problem with what you want. They like their company health care and you want to take that away.
I like my company health care, too - until I possibly don't like my company anymore. Company sponsored health care is sometimes the only thing keeping people at their jobs, unhappy. And if you leave that company and are between jobs - waiting for another form of insurance to kick in - you better hope you aren't diagnosed with one of the pre-existing conditions that private health insurers love to exclude people for. Then, you're screwed.
So, personally, I'd like a plan that I can take with me to the next job, or the freedom to start my own business, knowing I already have insurance and won't have to worry about waiting on a trial period imposed by the next employer/insurer (or worry about developing a disease AND being excluded from care because said trial period for pre-existing conditions isn't up). What about that do you not get?
Employers are going to continue to shift more of the financial burden of the insurance to the employees. My own deductible is going up $100 next year (to $400); co-pays and the premium are going up, again, as well. Anyway, I've worked in HR before and have a clue about benefits and costs. Employers pay an obscene amount on their end for employee insurance and that's money they could use to expand or hire. So, you see, employers aren't exactly untouched by the high costs, either.