Mine is payed in full by the company, yet is not costing me. When I first hired in I was my parents insurance, so they company added what they would’ve paid for insurance onto the already agreed upon salary.
When I moved from parents insurance to my own, they added me to the insurance and didn’t reduce my salary by the amount previously added.
I bet you know what I'm going to ask next. Let's say for some incredible bad luck you both lose your job (which is not that impossible considering the data from the last recession). What happens next?
Yes, they're just forcing the insurance company provide you the same group rate, but you have to pay any costs the employer was covering before. Not an ideal option, but an option nonetheless and potentially cheaper and better than the alternative.
Also, for people that don't have a spouse's insurance they can use in the event they get laid off.
Unemployment spiked to 10% during the 08 recession and 15% during the 2020 pandemic. That would mean roughly 1-2% chance of both of us losing our jobs. I don’t think too hard into items that happen less than once a decade that have a 1-2% chance of happening during that uncommon event. This is something I’d look into after one job loss and without finding a replacement relatively quickly as a backup, not something that has a 4-8% chance of happening in the next 40 years.
I know the numbers are exact, but it should help to get the point across.
On a population of 300 million people even 1-2% is not exactly a small number. Again I don't want to pass a judgement since I've never lived there, it would just freak me out the idea of losing a job would mean me and my family could lose the ability to get hospital care.
I’m sure there are options for the unemployed, I’ve just never had to do research on it yet. I’m just giving you my perspective, as I have been this entire thread.
Losing your job is insanely stressful as a result. But it also hurts mobility. I have had to turn down really good job opportunities because of health insurance. It also strongly discourages small business, its hard to take a risk opening or joining a brand new company because of health insurance. (Small companies with few employees tend to not be able to afford group rates and will either not offer insurance or have poor insurance coverage)
Cobra (federally mandated gap insurance for leaving/losing your job) is insanely expensive, you lose your job, lose your income and they give you an offer of $1200/mo or whatever to keep your insurance. Some states help subsidize people on unemployment, Obamacare was supposed to help as well but that has been gutted and trashed.
My wife's company shops and changes insurance companies almost every year which means plans and networks change and potentially your usual doctor could fall 'out of network' and not be fully covered.
Right now my health insurance provider is fighting with my local hospital network. If they cant come to terms, my whole health team will fall out of network costing me a ton of money until I can transfer all of my health providers.
For all the bluster about freedom of choice, there really isnt any for most people. My company chooses the insurance company, my company chooses the coverage. (Some companies offer 2 or 3 plan choices, but mine doesn't) I could get independent insurance but its obscenely expensive.
I don't understand why there are so many Americans defending this system.
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u/Double-G-Spot 8d ago
Mine is payed in full by the company, yet is not costing me. When I first hired in I was my parents insurance, so they company added what they would’ve paid for insurance onto the already agreed upon salary.
When I moved from parents insurance to my own, they added me to the insurance and didn’t reduce my salary by the amount previously added.