Employer provided health insurance

[RunInRed 12,159]

Do the Obamacare haters remember how they screamed at the top of their lungs how premiums for employer-provided plans would sky rocket in 2015? Well, the 2015 open enrollment season is upon us and the verdict is in ... and the predicted doom and gloom is nowhere to be found.

Personally, my premium increased a whopping $15 (or approximately 3.5%) a month. And my plan actually provides more coverage and better deductibles than prior years.

And I'm not the only one experiencing only modest premium increases. So just like death panels and rationed care, all the scare tactics and hyperbole have proven to be nonsense. Shocker.

Of course, rises of 3 or 4 percent per year are still nothing to sneeze at, but in the years before Obamacare took effect, most would have been giddy to have their family's yearly premium increases rise by only 3 or 4 percent instead of the more typical triple+ that.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

RIR....glad you came out OK but do you have stats to back up the rest of your claim about how successful Obamacare has been on a national scale. I hve seen info saying only about half of the previously uninsured have even signed up. The info/stats are all over the place so how does anybody know how it is doing?

https://www.google.c...iw=1277&bih=613

Edited December 19, 2014 by Proud Tiger

[cooltigger21 0]

Employer sponsored plans cannot change anything or else they become non qualifying under the rules of Obamacare. That being the case. they have no reason to change their rates much. Also the full effects of this thing have yet to be felt. We got the goodies like pre-existing condition and all the rest. To pay for this is going to require huge tax increases down the road. All of that hits after he leaves office.

[alexava 6,769]

Mine went up 22 a pay period,44 a month. Over last two years(12 last year 10this time). Both attributed to aca. No copay for preventative and kids on plan till age 26 will make that a wash. I think we will continue to see fundamental changes. I don't know if it's working or not but it didn't work to well the other way either.

[MDM4AU 280]

RIR, how much of an increase did your company get? Is your employer self insured? Is your employer a "small employer" (2-50 employees)?

[DKW 86 6,382]

Personally, mine was a Cadillac/Platinum Plan in 2010. It is now a hodge-podge of complication. You need a Associates Degree to be able to file.

The premiums went up.

The Deductibles went up maybe 30% in 2011 and lined up with something like a Gold Plan. Remember, i had more like a Platinum Plan before tho.

I still have Dental, although some fully paid for stuff is now 50% copay. Ex Implants and Bridges.

My Vision stayed much the same or got better.

We are told that our insurance will be better in about 1.5 years as my company was just sold. But make no mistake, what was a Platinum level plan is gone. In its place is an extremely complicated mess that essentially boils down to one thing: If you dont have claims, you are actually stockpiling about $800 per year in a FSA type account. But IF YOU HAVE CLAIMS, the overall cost is MUCH HIGHER. We are rewarded well for no claims, but when you need it, it will cost you much more out of pocket and will take on average 4 months to settle a claim.

Edited December 21, 2014 by DKW 86

[autigeremt 5,667]

Ours at AU will be totally transformed in 2016 because of the Cadillac Tax. It's perfect, RIR! We love it so much we make extra trips to the doctor to sooth our tummy pains.

[RunInRed 12,159]

RIR, how much of an increase did your company get? Is your employer self insured? Is your employer a "small employer" (2-50 employees)?

I'd say 20,000 or so employees here in the US. No, not self-insured.

[cptau 127]

Aetna is raising their rates in California an average of 10% on small business policy holders. Aetna and the state insurance commissioners do not agree on the reason for the rate increase.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aetna-rates-20141219-story.html

[MDM4AU 280]

RIR, how much of an increase did your company get? Is your employer self insured? Is your employer a "small employer" (2-50 employees)?

I'd say 20,000 or so employees here in the US. No, not self-insured.

Your employer isn't affected by the ACA changes that people experiencing the increases are. Your company isn't rated the same way.

[aubfaninga 16]

Just throwing out there. I work for a large nationwide company that uses United Healthcare. For the second straight year we were fortunate enough to have no increase to our premiums plan wide. I personally use a high deductible plan and the only change I had was they increased the $500 contribution into my HSA to $750.

I lovingly mailed a copy of my enrollment form to my friend who is an avid ACA and Obama hater. He called me an idiot and that I should have known we will not see the effects until... wait for it..... "NEXT YEAR".

[augolf1716 18,445]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

[autigeremt 5,667]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

[alexava 6,769]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

the IRS probably thinks he has been dead for years now.

[TitanTiger 17,243]

Mine went up about $5 a month, but the coverage is less than what I had last year. Higher deductibles, lower percentage covered by co-insurance.

Piggybacking on what MDM4AU said...I work with some other people that are with a much smaller company. Theirs jacked up big time.

[TexasTiger 8,953]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

I'm guessing Medicare. But no supplement?

[meh130 888]

RIR, how much of an increase did your company get? Is your employer self insured? Is your employer a "small employer" (2-50 employees)?

I'd say 20,000 or so employees here in the US. No, not self-insured.

I'm surprised any employee would know if their employer self-insured or not. All self insuring companies have their plans managed by one or more major insurance companies. My previous employer self-insured and it was not public knowledge.

I also do not know the crossover point where self insurance makes sense. My previous employer had over 60,000 employees.

Delta Air Lines is one company which publicly disclosed it self-insured. Delta has about 80,000 employees.

The stats say 60% of large employers self insure, and 80% of union sponsored plans are self insured, totaling 100 million workers, out of 140 million total U.S. workers.

[RunInRed 12,159]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

the IRS probably thinks he has been dead for years now.

I laughed!

[RunInRed 12,159]

RIR, how much of an increase did your company get? Is your employer self insured? Is your employer a "small employer" (2-50 employees)?

I'd say 20,000 or so employees here in the US. No, not self-insured.

I'm surprised any employee would know if their employer self-insured or not. All self insuring companies have their plans managed by one or more major insurance companies. My previous employer self-insured and it was not public knowledge.

I also do not know the crossover point where self insurance makes sense. My previous employer had over 60,000 employees.

Delta Air Lines is one company which publicly disclosed it self-insured. Delta has about 80,000 employees.

The stats say 60% of large employers self insure, and 80% of union sponsored plans are self insured, totaling 100 million workers, out of 140 million total U.S. workers.

By that definition, I'll cede your point. I suppose it's possible my company self insures and "outsources" management of their plans to multiple third parties however, I highly doubt that to be the case ... but you're right, I don't know ... could be wrong.

[japantiger 3,748]

At my company their used to be a variety of plans (4) and options on health savings accounts. Now there are two plans...both cost more than the previous low cost alternative. My premiums are up 19%; co pays doubled and the Dr. and hospital network is smaller and deductibles doubled. There is really only one traditional plan left. The other plan is a hodge-podge of mostly alacarte options that appears to be designed for the very young. It looks like the company is doing what it can within the law's framework. However, in my company of over 100k employees, we have fewer options, higher costs, higher deductibles.

[augolf1716 18,445]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

the IRS probably thinks he has been dead for years now.

:'( :'( that hurt my feelings

[augolf1716 18,445]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

I'm guessing Medicare. But no supplement?

Nope pay out of pocket for everything...meds, Dr. visits so on and so on

[augolf1716 18,445]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

the IRS probably thinks he has been dead for years now.

I laughed!

And now it hurts 2 times :(

[TexasTiger 8,953]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

I'm guessing Medicare. But no supplement?

Nope pay out of pocket for everything...meds, Dr. visits so on and so on

The ultra rich don't need insurance.

[augolf1716 18,445]

Well mine didn't go up but it shouldn't.... I have no insurance

Paying the fine?

I'm guessing Medicare. But no supplement?

Nope pay out of pocket for everything...meds, Dr. visits so on and so on

The ultra rich don't need insurance.

Ding ding yep that's me but you left one ultra off TT that would be ultra ultra.....