Walmart Increases Heath Care

[Scott Campbell]

How can they fix it? The thing that I will see happening is drug companies will stop coming out with new stuff.

I think that's the culprit. All these new technologies and advances cost a lot of money. Healthcare was cheaper 30 years ago becuase we just had to let people die in many cases, where today there are viable though expensive options. I don't think you can blame either political party for what happened.

[Scott Campbell]

12k for healthcare?

Wow, that is insane. I think my mom pays like 99 a month for me? Seems far more reasonable.

$99/mo???

I think you're on the special Do Not Resuscitate plan.

Well, my understanding is I have a 1k deductible and coverage for prescirptions and whatnot.

1 g a month is crazy expensive. Who can afford that?

Deductibles are not the first thing I'd look at when evaluating a plan. I'd look at the maximum lifetime payout. Many of them are $1M. Some are $2M. After that, the insurance company is off the hook, and you're dead. Possibly literally.

Insurance is for catastrophies. And the difference between a $1K and $5K deductable may be painful, but it's not a catastrophy. Same thing with copays. You'll find a way to come up with that kind of money. A catastrophy would be the $300K bill that wipes you out completely, or worse (you can't pay, so you die) That's what I want insurance for.

[GrnBay007]

Since this topic was brought up, I'm curious what type of insurance plan people here get through their employer. I was at a party recently and I was really surprised how much people have to pay out of pocket each month for health care....and they were not working low paying jobs.

[the_idle_threat]

At a previous employer, it was about 50 bucks per 2-weeks pay period.

At my current employer, it's under 20 bucks every 2-week pay period. But there are several other plan options (HMO vs. PPO vs. coverage first), some of which are around the 50 dollar mark like the old plan I had.

[GrnBay007]

I was paying about $75 per two week pay period for a family plan but then a new plan was offered for $25. I waited a year to see how people liked it before I switched. Had it two years now and it's great. $10 per office visit and $15 prescription.

[GBRulz]

Deductibles are not the first thing I'd look at when evaluating a plan. I'd look at the maximum lifetime payout. Many of them are $1M. Some are $2M. After that, the insurance company is off the hook, and you're dead. Possibly literally.

Insurance is for catastrophies. And the difference between a $1K and $5K deductable may be painful, but it's not a catastrophy. Same thing with copays. You'll find a way to come up with that kind of money. A catastrophy would be the $300K bill that wipes you out completely, or worse (you can't pay, so you die) That's what I want insurance for.

Great point. Insurance is kind of doing a full circle for what it was originally intended to be for... catastrophies. People then became spoiled because they barely had to pay anything for office visits, they had low deductibles, etc. so of course insurance costs skyrocketed. Today, you are seeing people kind of go back to the "old" way of thinking...insurance is for castastrophies instead of covering office visits and drug costs. Mainly it's because it's what most can only afford, or perhaps is even offered to them.

It makes me sad to think about how many people have no insurance coverage at all and the problem is only getting worse. Something most definitely needs to be done, but I am not convinced that national healthcare is the answer, either.

[GBRulz]

Since this topic was brought up, I'm curious what type of insurance plan people here get through their employer. I was at a party recently and I was really surprised how much people have to pay out of pocket each month for health care....and they were not working low paying jobs.

I know several people who are paying 1k a month for insurance for their family.

I only need single coverage, but the company I work for has three different plans to choose from. I'm on the "medium" plan and I pay $26 a month. This also includes dental where I am free to see the dentist of my choice.
I'm lucky, the company i work for is very generous with benefits. These days, bennies are just as important as the salary IMO.

[GrnBay007]

These days, bennies are just as important as the salary IMO.

I agree.

[the_idle_threat]

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_is_the_government

[Fosco33]

As some of you know, I'm a healthcare consultant - focused on insurance and patient flow (throughput). I am also pretty anti Wally world - so I'm glad to see them implement some of these changes.

If you have questions, let me know. I'd respond to some of the previous posts but don't want to slant the debate with facts or experience :P