Why the hell is my employer able to force me into a group insurance plan?

[HEyHEY]

Seriously, what the fuck is this... I don't wanna shell out 36 a month for something I won't likely need.

[skylarmae]

1. its none of my business, but 36 a month? Sounds like heaven!

I pay the bills for my aunt and her ins. is 302.00 GHI + $49.00 DEA + she has Medicare A & B (and she pays extra per month for the B).

What are we doing wrong down here... This is rhetorical, of course!

[AllegroRondo]

2. I dont think they can.

they must offer you the option to not take their insurance.

[boneygrey]

3. Your premiums subsidizes

someone like me who is likely to need it. Kind of like the thought, hey I don't have kids, why do I have to pay for schools?

[yvr girl]

4. I don't think they can

You should be able to decline it.

[leftofthedial]

5. why is employment even related to insurance?

makes zero sense.

[Warpy]

6. $36 a month?

The last time I priced health insurance for myself here in the US, it was $720 a month with a $2000 deductible and would cover only 80% of all my additional costs.

Do NOT let your conservatives chip away at national health. Allowing people to opt out of it is only the first step to underfunding it and restricting it to the destitute and then killing it completely. Look to your neighbors to the south to see what conservatives want to do to you.

[yvr girl]

9. I'm sure HEyHEY is talking about extended medical

We can't opt out of basic medical.

[zipplewrath]

7. Yer gonna have to be more specific

The employer isn't required to offer you a variety of health plans.
He can make participation "compulsory".
Under certain conditions you might be able to prove it wasn't
compensation and therefor avoid paying taxes on it.
You don't have to use it.

[yvr girl]

10. In Canada we have our Provincial medical which is compulsory

Then most employers have extended medical. Some companies offer a variety of plans, but not many. You can choose to cover just yourself, or your family as well.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

8. You should be able to waive the coverage

[napi21]

11. OF course you can opt out. You might want to think first though.

it's a lot more than that to obtain your own health insurance, and as to "likely not need", the best you can do is HOPE NOT.

Stupid, unexpected things happen all the time. Car accidents, attack on the street & in your home, an accident anywhere like falling down stairs, an injury while enjoying some sport...you get my drift.

My nephew (at age 19) was bungie jumping and having a great time. He'd done this many times in the past and just loved it. One weekend, something happened to his straps, he got tangled in them, and was severly hurt. He spent 3 1/2 months on a ventilator, over a year in the hospital, and they said he'd never be able to move again. That was 6 years ago, and he still has to navigate in a wheelchair, but he has a drivers license, a van with hand controls,and job. He was lucky, but he had health insurance...thank God.

None of us expect to have to use Insurance, HC, Auto, or HO, but we pay for it...just in case.

[Bridget Burke]

12. I thought you were Canadian!

So, who's charging you $36 a month?

[Hand]

13. It's like a Medicare supplemental.

Covers things like dental care, eyeglasses, prescription drugs, and in some cases "professional" services like acupuncture, massage therapy, etc., etc.

[Spinzonner]

14. So, it's OK to let you suffer and die

in case you do need the medical care ?