"Employers to shrink insurance benefits" (eventually to nothing)

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

How many asshats still oppose Universal Health Care?
Just the asshats that still have someone else paying for their medical insurance, most likely.

Employers to shrink insurance benefits

Poll:Companies seek to shift more of the costs to workersBy Bruce Japsen | Tribune reporter
March 5, 2009

Employers are studying ways to push more health-care costs on to their workers in 2010; some are even thinking about cutting benefits altogether.

Two in three employers are looking to reduce health-care subsidies next year, which likely will boost out-of-pocket costs for workers across the country, according to Hewitt Associates, a Lincolnshire, Ill.-based benefits and outsourcing firm. Meanwhile, 4 percent said they are taking steps "that will enable them to discontinue providing health-care benefits altogether," Hewitt said.

Hewitt, which helps companies manage health benefits, polled more than 340 large firms in January that represent more than 5 million employees.

The underlying reason for the dramatic change in benefit offerings is the economy, Hewitt said. While these companies said the state of the economy had little influence on health-care programs in 2009, 52 percent said the economic downturn will greatly affect their health-care programs in 2010.

...This year, the combined average premium and out-of-pocket costs for health-care coverage for a worker is projected to rise nearly 9 percent, to $3,826 a year, Hewitt said. Companies, meanwhile, are expecting to see their health insurance costs rise 6.4 percent, to an annual tab of $8,863 per employee.

For workers, annual contributions to premiums are projected to rise nearly 8 percent, to $1,946. That is about 22 percent of the overall company premium and will rise in 2010 based on Hewitt's new survey...

Will some idiots pop up saying that the US has a better health care system where 1 out of 4 or 5 don't have health care,
and where that number is going to grow in leaps and bounds??

Are there any asshats here who think that we must sacrifice in order to keep Insurance Company CEOs rolling in riches?

Any numbnuts who still believe the crap that the uninsured just need to eat right and excercise, and if they'd only
do that, they wouldn't be such leeches?

Will we get Universal Single Payer Health Care? Or will we allow more and more people to go bankrupt over health care costs?

For those who are so in love with insurance companies, you can still pay for private insurance if you want, even in countries where you don't have to do that.

[FreakinDJ]

1. They have been cutting Health Benefits for over 10 years

Already in the Death Throws

[RC]

2. Blue Cross Blue Shield ND sales leaders rewarded with trip to Grand Cayman Islands resort

This Blue Cross Blue Shield is a NON-Profit health insurance company. So what is with these trips they have been paying for for the last 18 years?
I sure would like to get pay raises and bonuses like these guys do also, especially when BCBSND is losing money...




"Policyholders, he added, many of whom face possible premium increases of 15 to 20 percent, don’t understand six-figure bonuses to executives when the company had a loss of $9 million last year from payouts exceeding premiums"
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/233138/


"At a time when Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to increase premiums up to 18.3 percent, reports surfaced Wednesday that the health insurer is spending up to $227,500 to send 35 of its employees to the Grand Cayman Islands.

The expenditure seems curious in light of the “dire” financial projections Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota made last year, when it once predicted a possible loss of up to $23 million, said North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm."
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/233005/


Blue Crose Blue Shield says administrative law judge rules in favor of rate hike
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/232789/

[busymom]

3. I'm not in love with insurance companies

and I don't think we should keep CEOs rolling in the riches while people go without insurance, but I'm very hesitant to say that single payer is the way to go either.

The US system is in disarray and we need to figure out how to fix it.

Ultimately, the cost is going to fall to all of us in the from of higher taxes and premiums...that is for sure.

Single payer isn't free, of course! LOL When I worked in Germany, I was employed in a working class position earning $15/hour. That was 15 years ago. The same job in the USA pays a mere $6.50/hr..and it's 15 years later. Thank goodness I finished my college degrees, etc. At that time, in Germany, I paid roughly 40% of my salary to the tax man for taxes and the single payer health insurance plan offered by the government.

Again...I was considered a low-paid worker...but I still had to give up that money.

It will come here too. I hope we are all willing to fight for higher wages to offset what will be need to paid in taxes by all of us!

[trotsky]

4. Be careful.

You're talking about rational analysis, plusses and minuses, shades of gray. That kind of crazy talk will get you lumped in with the "asshats" and/or "shills" in the OP's black-and-white worldview. I agree with you - the current system is terrible but there are many problems right now that won't simply go away by flipping a switch to universal health care and/or single-payer.

[busymom]

5. Thanks LOL

I've already been graced with the label. It is so weird to me that a forum of supposed progressives doesn't allow for the discussion of the multiple shades of gray on issues. How are we any better than the GOP then? There is a lot of black/white thinking going on and any deviation from the standard line results in being lumped in with Rushbo....freaky!