Heath Insurance Premiums: Employer paying $14,561, Employee paying $6,015

[dado potato]

Based on a survey of employers by the Kaiser Family Foundation,
All firms
Family health insurance coverage in the USA now costs
on the average $20,576 per year, of which $14,561 is paid by the employer, and $6,015 is paid by the individual employee.

153 million Americans depend on employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. Over the past decade deductibles have increased by 162%

Be well.

http://www.kff.org

[iris lilies]

What is your intent in posting this? Do you have an opinion on this matter?

[dado potato]

I am glad to be asked for my opinion.

The facts indicate that employees and employers are paying a lot for health insurance premiums (and also deductibles in the case of the insured).

Over the past 20 years, the cost of health insurance linked to employment in in the USA has increased significantly. In my opinion it is not sustainable.

[catherine]

I am glad to be asked for my opinion.

The facts indicate that employees and employers are paying a lot for health insurance premiums (and also deductibles in the case of the insured).

Over the past 20 years, the cost of health insurance linked to employment in in the USA has increased significantly. In my opinion it is not sustainable.

Which makes the case for unlinking healthcare from employment. Free employers from the bondage of having to factor its cost into wages. Enable them to hire more workers as a result. Unlock the employees' golden handcuffs, so they can become entrepreneurs if they care to.

Dump the layers of middlemen in the private insurance sector.

Take away the profit motive.

Increase cost transparency.

Focus on wellness instead of illness.

Single payer healthcare, baby.

[Yppej]

Exactly Catherine. Care not paperwork should be getting all these healthcare dollars.

[Tybee]

Which makes the case for unlinking healthcare from employment. Free employers from the bondage of having to factor its cost into wages. Enable them to hire more workers as a result. Unlock the employees' golden handcuffs, so they can become entrepreneurs if they care to.

Dump the layers of middlemen in the private insurance sector.

Take away the profit motive.

Increase cost transparency.

Focus on wellness instead of illness.

Single payer healthcare, baby.

Thank you!

Dado, those numbers are very close to our situation, think our portion is about 7000, or 18% of dh salary.

[JaneV2.0]

Agreed, Catherine.

Health care worked just fine when it was non-profit, just like high marginal tax rates worked just fine for the citizenry and the economy back in the fifties (and well beyond).

[ApatheticNoMore]

Single payer healthcare, baby.

Only one candidate who is entirely serious about that it seems. Go Bernie go.

Still need to get anything through congress though. And maybe the rest are just more honest about how hopeless they see the prospects of this ever happening, with congress, but more so with corporate power.

However there is the problem that if that can't be done because of corporate power, what the heck can? I can see having other priorities, choosing one's battles (if we really had such a candidate, not sure we do). But one is going to be fighting entrenched powers with some of the priorities regardless, or else be a lame nobody doing nothing worthwhile in office. But one such battle has the potential to leave one pretty wounded (both Obama and Bill Clinton paid for trying to reform healthcare and we didn't even get much good out of it. If they had done single payer, we might have single payer, but no guarantee they still might not have paid a political price, I don't know). p.s. I've been the middle man.

[LDAHL]

Why must a government plan be compulsory? Why not allow people to pay for care under other arrangements?

[iris lilies]

Why must a government plan be compulsory? Why not allow people to pay for care under other arrangements?
You WILL be part of the collective, dammit! You WILL submit to our authority.

[LDAHL]

You WILL be part of the collective, dammit! You WILL submit to our authority.

That which is not mandatory is forbidden.

[Teacher Terry]

Our country really needs single payer. We can do like some European countries where everyone is covered but you can also buy private insurance on top of that if you want to. When my son goes to Poland he got a expensive test for 100 versus a thousand here. Didn’t need a doctor to order it. You can walk into a clinic and order and pay for bloodwork off a menu. We pay a fourth of our gross income for HI.

[Alan]

Health care worked just fine when it was non-profit, just like high marginal tax rates worked just fine for the citizenry and the economy back in the fifties (and well beyond).
I believe health care has always been for-profit excepting those religious and charitable institutions in the game. I think it's the health insurance element you're referencing, and it only came into play because the government initiated wage freezes during WWII and employers had to be creative in their recruitment efforts by adding non-wage inducements.

It's actually ironic to see today's Socialist/Democrat politicians promote a return to the FDR era big government control platform that created the problem as a solution to the problem.

I also think history is pretty agnostic about that era's high marginal tax rates as they only affected a few hundred or so people. It's equally ironic to hear them referenced as a reason to impose them on everyone.

[LDAHL]

Our country really needs single payer. We can do like some European countries where everyone is covered but you can also buy private insurance on top of that if you want to.

But is it still single payer if you can opt to seek private care outside the government plan? Wouldn’t that just be a public option if other alternatives for patients and providers are allowed?

We (at least the fraction of the population who pay taxes) all have to pay for public education, but can also opt to pay for private education if we so choose.

[Yppej]

Don't some people in the UK seek healthcare outside the national healthcare system?

[rosarugosa]

Yppej: I believe that's true.
I get retiree medical coverage through my former employer. It's a PPO plan with $600 dedt, $3000 OOP max and 10-20% co-pay depending on provider type. I pay $950. per month premium, which seems a bit crazy, but I'm glad to have access to good care and the ability to pay for it.

[catherine]

I pay a total of $540 a month for Medicare + supplemental plan for BOTH DH and I. DH has been to multiple specialists and has had about a dozen procedures and has paid 0 in copays or coinsurance. Imagine if the whole country was in on that--with younger, healthier people pulled in, I might even pay LESS!

[sweetana3]

yppej, yes,you can buy private health insurance in the UK. Here is one article about the pros and cons. Basically, you pay for really faster service and the ability to get some services not provided by the National Health Service.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/insurance/health/pros-cons-private-medical-insurance/

[rosarugosa]

Wow Catherine, that is amazing, and great to hear some real numbers from people in a similar demographic! My employer pays a contribution towards a supplemental plan once we are medicare eligible, so that could work out pretty well for us.
I pulled some paperwork to get actual numbers, and my premium went down in 2019 for some reason. I'm paying $918.56 per month for two people, and this also includes a decent dental plan.

[ApatheticNoMore]

My ACA plan went up to $450 a month as of 2020. Thank goodness I'm getting employer health insurance so don't have to deal with that mess anymore. I'm in my 40s.

Short of getting Medicare For All, I wouldn't wish getting health insurance outside of employment before 65 on anyone except a worst enemy. Lock me in golden handcuffs for life and throw away the key, pretty pretty please, I should be so lucky.

And btw also almost no doctors take ACA insurance in my experience (so I'd recommend an HMO, actually I'd recommend Kaiser probably if one was doing the ACA any had that option, but that's not cheap either). And that not cheap part, yea really I think at some point in life I'll end up uninsured the way things are going, if I should be laid off someday or what have you.

[Teacher Terry]

My sister in Chicago is paying 600/month just for her for Medicare and supplement.

[ApatheticNoMore]

My sister in Chicago is paying 600/month just for her for Medicare and supplement.

chooses too, because she could almost certainly get a Medicare advantage plan if she went that route for less. In fact that's precisely why people go that route. Whether things should be that way or not, almost certainly not, regular Medicare should be cheaper (and that's what improved and expanded Medicare for All, ie the actual bills in the House and Senate that obviously aren't going anywhere now, would do). But I'm just saying I don't think it's people on current Medicare that are bereft of affordable choices.

But the ACA plans, yea getting costly, and I hate those things, because compared to employer coverage, almost no doctors take them for one thing, I've had doctors I've seen in the past specifically tell me "we don't take ACA plans". I hope my current employer coverage turns out better (well it can't get worse at any rate, deductibles and stuff much better).

[Yppej]

I was watching 90 Day Fiance and South Africa also has private hospitals people can stay at if they pay extra out of their own pocket.

[JaneV2.0]

I believe health care has always been for-profit excepting those religious and charitable institutions in the game. I think it's the health insurance element you're referencing, and it only came into play because the government initiated wage freezes during WWII and employers had to be creative in their recruitment efforts by adding non-wage inducements.

It's actually ironic to see today's Socialist/Democrat politicians promote a return to the FDR era big government control platform that created the problem as a solution to the problem.

I also think history is pretty agnostic about that era's high marginal tax rates as they only affected a few hundred or so people. It's equally ironic to hear them referenced as a reason to impose them on everyone.

People--in my memory--used to be able to pay doctor's bills out of pocket because insurance was uncommon and insurance companies weren't yet able to pad costs endlessly. Doctors mostly priced their services fairly. Hospitals in my area were non-profit. I would prefer a system wherein I paid my (hypothetical) doctor directly, and had reasonably priced coverage for anything catastrophic. I would like to see insurance companies pushed mostly out of the picture.

[Alan]

People--in my memory--used to be able to pay doctor's bills out of pocket because insurance was uncommon and insurance companies weren't yet able to pad costs endlessly. Doctors mostly priced their services fairly. Hospitals in my area were non-profit. I would prefer a system wherein I paid my (hypothetical) doctor directly, and had reasonably priced coverage for anything catastrophic. I would like to see insurance companies pushed mostly out of the picture.
Why would your doctor not now allow you to pay out of pocket? It seems that would be easier for them.

I'm not sure what you mean about insurance companies padding costs. I do think doctors business insurance has forced them to add un-necessary tests/consults/etc., to their services but that is mainly to protect them from litigation. Republicans used to talk about tort reform to help address that problem but Democrats called them names and the sissies stopped.

[Yppej]

Insurance companies add a layer of administrative costs that pads the price of service.

[catherine]

Also, to Jane's point, when NO ONE is paying the bill, EVERYONE is paying the bill. Back in the old days, the time that Jane is talking about, if a person was paying the doctor directly out their own pocket, the costs were commensurate with what a person is able to pay. When it got to "Well, who cares, because insurance is covering it?" Big Pharma could raise prices on drugs, and hospitals could be capricious with fees and prices. THEN of course, managed care organizations were called in to save the day, but they added a level of complexity and more external costs--and all of a sudden it's a quagmire. I agree that malpractice insurance adds yet another layer, but that's just one piece of the puzzle.

[LDAHL]

Don't some people in the UK seek healthcare outside the national healthcare system?

Yes, but that’s not a single payer system.

[Teacher Terry]

My sister doesn’t want the advantage plans because you can’t go out of network without a referral if you need a certain specialist that may not be available in your network. Advantage plans have denied referrals and people have died.

[catherine]

My sister doesn’t want the advantage plans because you can’t go out of network without a referral if you need a certain specialist that may not be available in your network. Advantage plans have denied referrals and people have died.

There's a difference between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplemental. You can take the Supplemental plans wherever you go, which for us has been great, since our time over the past couple of years has been split between NJ and VT.

[Teacher Terry]

Catherine yes she is paying for the supplemental for that reason.