Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
From experience, it's just a bad idea. Sure, you may be able to get the employer to pay part of it. But, if you leave that job, your health insurance becomes ridiculously expensive. It's also a confusing hassle to then replace the insurance while navigating unemployment.
I think it makes much more sense to simply pick out health insurance independent from your employer from the get go.
What say you?
I think it makes much more sense to simply pick out health insurance independent from your employer from the get go.
What say you?
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
That's the point... it keeps you from leaving (bwahahahaha goes the evil employer.)
-
- Posts: 988
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:49 pm
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
I don't understand. Are you making a policy argument or are you suggesting that folks in the US even have a choice? If the former, you need to flesh it out some more; as policy arguments go, that's non-existent. If the latter, it's largely an employer-based system. If you don't have an employer, and you can't pay for it yourself, you need to find an employer, so...it's a bad idea compared to what? Not having insurance?
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
It's not the only stupid thing...
Having a "cost-sharing" structure (e.g. deductibles and oopmax) that have a one-year-clock that resets every year is insane. Encourages you to try to plan your medical care around the benefit-year instead of what is best for your health. It also encourages the "all-you-can-eat" mentality once you blow thorough your oopmax for a certain benefit year.
It's also stupid how byzantine the tax-deductiblity of health insurance and health care is determined. Pay for the plan for yourself? Not tax deductible. Paid through a group plan from an employer? Sure, the employer can deduct it, and the employee can deduct payroll premiums. What about tax deductiblity of your cost-sharing payments to health care providers? Sure, if you have a high deductible plan and an HSA... also sure if you have a non-HDHP but you happen to guess correctly about your medical needs and fund an FSA.... Otherwise, no. And you can do a limited purpose FSA on the HDHP plan anyway.. What a clusterfuck of bullshit.
Having a "cost-sharing" structure (e.g. deductibles and oopmax) that have a one-year-clock that resets every year is insane. Encourages you to try to plan your medical care around the benefit-year instead of what is best for your health. It also encourages the "all-you-can-eat" mentality once you blow thorough your oopmax for a certain benefit year.
It's also stupid how byzantine the tax-deductiblity of health insurance and health care is determined. Pay for the plan for yourself? Not tax deductible. Paid through a group plan from an employer? Sure, the employer can deduct it, and the employee can deduct payroll premiums. What about tax deductiblity of your cost-sharing payments to health care providers? Sure, if you have a high deductible plan and an HSA... also sure if you have a non-HDHP but you happen to guess correctly about your medical needs and fund an FSA.... Otherwise, no. And you can do a limited purpose FSA on the HDHP plan anyway.. What a clusterfuck of bullshit.
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
I've never had a traditional employer, I've always worked contracts or in jobs that didn't have health care (kitchens mostly) so I have no experience with anything other than buying my own issurance and... it was always fine until the ACA came along.
I miss the high deductable plans that could be coupled with an HSA, since that's what I used up until the ACA and it was great (I wasn also single back then, which made it cheaper). In the beginning the ACA was pretty good for contract employees, I paid for my family me +4 for nearly the same price as just me. But as everyone else has discovered as well prices keep going up. This year I can't afford anything in the ACA realm* so I went with a healthsharing plan instead of insurance, so far I actually like it much better for most of reasons that chicago81 mentions.
* Not entirely true, I couldn't find anything that made any **economic sense** to me would be a better way to put it.
I miss the high deductable plans that could be coupled with an HSA, since that's what I used up until the ACA and it was great (I wasn also single back then, which made it cheaper). In the beginning the ACA was pretty good for contract employees, I paid for my family me +4 for nearly the same price as just me. But as everyone else has discovered as well prices keep going up. This year I can't afford anything in the ACA realm* so I went with a healthsharing plan instead of insurance, so far I actually like it much better for most of reasons that chicago81 mentions.
* Not entirely true, I couldn't find anything that made any **economic sense** to me would be a better way to put it.
-
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:00 am
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
Just dont get health insurance. Doctors aren't going to help you anyways.
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
They are if you need a bone mended?James_0011 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2017 4:09 pmJust dont get health insurance. Doctors aren't going to help you anyways.
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
To random of a statement. Depends on the employer and what type of insurance they provide.
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
Just to clarify: if you're self-employed, your medical insurance premiums (and those of your spouse/dependents) are deductible in much the manner of an IRA. That is, they don't reduce your Schedule C income for calculation of the self-employment tax, but they do reduce your adjusted gross income. I know that's not your point; I just wanted to alert anyone who might be missing this deduction.
-
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:00 am
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
The emergency room is the only thing thats legit in my opinion. But I still will probably go without health insurance once I'm ere - right now my employer pays for it, and I would like to retire in a foreign country where medical costs are cheaper anyways.TopHatFox wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2017 5:37 pmThey are if you need a bone mended?James_0011 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2017 4:09 pmJust dont get health insurance. Doctors aren't going to help you anyways.
-
- Posts: 2283
- Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
...
Last edited by classical_Liberal on Fri Feb 05, 2021 12:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Tying your health insurance to your job seems really stupid?
The employer-based health insurance system is a consequence (probably unintended) of a tax break put into place in the mid 1900s. Hard to unwind when it's so integral to the system now.