We were informed today that our joint health insurance is going up $100/month next year.
I’m not sure about Amy, but I haven’t received a raise since 2007. Not only have I not increased my income, but I’ve recently seen a significant decrease as my company attempts to stay afloat.
I wish I could understand how a company justifies a nearly 100% increase in rates when the economy is so bad. Well, I mean… you justify it by saying “we’re not making enough money, time to raise rates”. If we tried that here in my office we’d be handsomely rewarded by customers going elsewhere, then bankruptcy. Fortunately for the insurance companies, there’s nowhere else to go. That’s not true, we could go out on our own, but without an employer advocating and leveraging for a larger pool of people, we can look forward to paying even more. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel!
Most of us have weathered the storm by doing more work with less people or less pay – cutting back on the overhead. That’s part of the story behind major corporations reporting record earnings although I suspect that’s little succor for anyone currently unemployed, worried about being unemployed or struggling to pay the bills.
There probably is an intellectual justification for the rate increase, but I’d rather not hear it. It doesn’t make the reality any easier to swallow. It’s not that we won’t be able to pay this new cost, but we’re helplessly standing by while someone nibbles away at our quality of life. I wish I was successful enough that $100 didn’t matter, but I’m not. Is that my fault? It would be one thing if I felt I were getting anything out of this but really I just pay and pay and pay and never go to the doctor, never take any pills…. kinda makes me wish I were sick or something.
One response to “here’s to your health”
RANT WARNING. I haven’t received a COL increase in 3 years. I think the rate increases could be a reaction to the health care legislation. A kind of last ditch effort to raise the rates out of fear that their profits will be cut once the legislation is enacted. I’m neither for nor against the health care reform, simply because I’m not educated enough about what it actually means. I think that the cost of providing healthcare has become completly unmanageable and the health care system is completely out of control. I am all for better management of how health care dollars are spent and I am a supporter of wellness-driven healthcare. I see first hand how the basic choices people make in terms of health and self-care turn into dollars and cents. As a person working for a nonprofit, we are completely at the will and whim of the state and federal governments and how they choose (or not) to dole out the meager dollars. We live in a state that continually votes down income tax or sales tax. Therefore, we have astronomical property taxes and can’t fund state programs. As much as I don’t want more money taken out of my paycheck, I support more taxes in this state. The money has to come from somewhere. Slot machines anyone? We keep voting those down too. We are also at the whim of the insurance companies who to my knowledge haven’t raised their reimbursement rates in some time. I don’t know what the answer is. I do believe that health insurance is crucial and I will never go without because I know that one accident or injury could wipe out any/all savings and then some. I can hear your voice, Ben, saying “what are the chances of that?” I’m not taking that risk. I know we aren’t “poor” in the traditional sense of the word and I am a great one for crying it. But I definitely feel the pinch and the realistic fear of one of us being unemployed in the new year is haunting.
On a happy note, I am going to start my holiday baking this weekend! I have decided that to beat the economy and work blues, this year I am implementing my own holiday baking extravaganza and every weekend between now and Christmas I am going to bake cookies and other goodies and enjoy the holidays. My house is decorated for the holidays, Ben and I have our health, our family and friends, and Santa’s comin’ to town. There really isn’t anything more important than that.