Health insurance

[Bradley]

My employer, an independent ophthalmologist located in New Jersey, does not provide health insurance for me (licensed optician), but rather makes group rates available through a group plan he sponsors. I have just received notification from that plan (Amerihealth) that the new monthly rates for my wife and I are jumping from $756 to $1072 as of March 1. I have two questions for those who may care to respond: 1) do your employers provide you with some form of health care, and 2) does anyone know if there is a professional group plan available for opticians?
Thanks in advance for any responses.

[Happylady]

My employer does not provide health insurance for me but I have it through my husband.

[AWTECH]

This is the probably the number one problem for businesses in the US. You see what the incease is for you. And for companies that provide health insurance they too have these same increases. The only solution is for the individual is for their pay to increase or they are effectively taking a pay cut. (Sort of)

My next point I have has to do with the concept we have come to expect in America and that is that our health insurace is our employers responsiblity. Should it be? If so why then wouldn't the employer be responsible for our car insurance? (If our cars an not insured most of us can't get to work, which is the only logic I can think of for the employer paying for the health insurance.)

This is a major problem and as Happylady points out she has coverage through her husband and her employer if they provide 50% health insurance payment coverage then he is saving by your example over $350 per month by having Happylady vs. an employee who requires health insurance.

So now you have empolyers looking for employees like Happylady who will not require the health insurance expense for the business.

On the other hand if you need health coverage and your employer provides 50% coverage and you are looking for another job that doesn't offer the coverage, well what ever prompted you to look may now require rethinking. It is a great way to keep employees since more and more companies and limiting their participation in heath coverage expenses.

I think many companies will be changing their policy of participating in any meaningful way. The health savings plans that are tax deferred are going to be more popular.

The problem is with the way heath care is handled today. The patient is not the customer! the insurance company is the customer and insurance companies business is to collect premiums and minimize the payment of claims. Not exactly an ideal situation. The individual has no power under the current health care system.

[rbaker]

In today’s workplace you are responsible for your own benefits whether they be health insurance, disability or pension plan. The cost of these necessary benefits should be included in your base salary requirements when you negotiate for the position.

[fjpod]

My employer, an independent ophthalmologist located in New Jersey, does not provide health insurance for me (licensed optician), but rather makes group rates available through a group plan he sponsors. I have just received notification from that plan (Amerihealth) that the new monthly rates for my wife and I are jumping from $756 to $1072 as of March 1. I have two questions for those who may care to respond: 1) do your employers provide you with some form of health care, and 2) does anyone know if there is a professional group plan available for opticians?
Thanks in advance for any responses.

FWIW, from an employer,

We are a three OD practice. We employ about 20 people. Some full time, some part-time. We employ 3 LDOs. We do offer health insurance to full timers. We currently have 7 staff members on health insurance. (No doctors, oddly enough as we are all lucky enough to have spouses who get insurance for free through their jobs.) Let me tell you, it is hard to offer this. We give it "free" to the employee only. Family coverage costs the employee some.

All staff benefits cost money. We do have to figure the cost of insurance into the total number we pay someone. We find it necessary to offer it to attract some good quality staff.

Personally, I think that all employers should offer it to full time employees and pay for at least part of it. I also feel that the OMD you are working for is foolish, because he could be taking a tax deduction by paying for your insurance, whereas you probably can't. In other words, in real dollars, it would cost your employer half as much if he paid for it rather than you.

[For-Life]

Everytime I bring up Universal Health Care coverage by the governement people ask me why their tax dollars should pay for someone else. Worse off they tell me that by doing this the employer can hire more people. But now it looks like the employer is stuck with the brunt of the health care dollars.