Politics and religion.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Blue Cross. Fairly well known. She will not go to the emergency room as the deductible is $1,500 -- which she cannot afford. When you make $9.00 an hour that is alot.

An HMO does not pay ANYTHING if you go to another physician. That is the difference between a PPO and an HMO. NO out of network benefits.

These are the people who fall through the cracks. They have a job. They do not qualify for government assistance. But for affordable insurance you have many co-pays -- that they cannot afford to pay.

You have excellent coverage if ER is only $35.00.

[jennielynn1970]

She does have a choice as to who she picks as a primary care physician, does she not? I mean, is there only one primary? Will they allow her to change her primary to one that has better office hours?


Our school district offered us a choice (after BC/BS split) of keeping our traditional coverage (with deductibles) or a PPO. Every family is different, and certain coverages work better for certain people. I chose the PPO. I get the doc for $10, and the ER for $35. When I started at BASD, my copay per paycheck was $9.00 (a steal). Since then it has gone up to $20 (this is after 11 years). Up until this school year, it didn't matter if you were one person, or a family of 8, you got the healthcare for the same copay deduction from your paycheck. You'd be amazed at the amount of teachers who complained about having the copay per paycheck go up. I was part of the bargaining committee, and I wanted to tell them to go look at private companies and see how much those people pay for their insurance. (You can't please everyone, and some of the teachers I work with are the whiniest people I've ever met...)

Our medical insurance is bargained for, and everyone of our teachers is covered by the insurance, whether you have coverage through your spouse or not. Some people get ticked off by that, although it's a fairly small group that has that issue, but they still are not given the choice as to whether they want the insurance or not (this copay that is deducted from our paycheck includes prescription coverage.. $10 per Rx for up to 90 days a Rx, and also dental coverage). So, yes, we do have good coverage, and at a very reasonable cost to the employees.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Yes, you do have exceptional coverage. And a very low premium contribution for employees. However...someone somewhere is paying the rest of the premium.

No, in an HMO you do not have Primary Care Physicians. You select a clinic. That is the end of the selections you have.

She does not speak English which limits her options.

You should know you really have exceptional coverage -- that is pretty much unheard of outside of public employees or some very large employers.

Your plan would be just unaffordable for the average employer.

[jennielynn1970]

Yes, you do have exceptional coverage. And a very low premium contribution for employees. However...someone somewhere is paying the rest of the premium.


You should know you really have exceptional coverage -- that is pretty much unheard of outside of public employees or some very large employers.

Your plan would be just unaffordable for the average employer.

The "someone" paying the rest of the premium would be our school district.
This would also mean that it's being paid for, in part, by taxes.

I know we have exceptional coverage. I worked elsewhere before becoming a teacher. I know how much it costs for coverage if your employer doesn't pay for the bulk of it like the employer I have now. Like I said, I helped with the bargaining for it. I was on the exec. committee of our union.

What I'd like to see is the people I teach with realize that as well when all they do is bitch and moan about a higher copay being deducted from their paycheck.

[Puckstop31]

The "someone" paying the rest of the premium would be our school district.
This would also mean that it's being paid for, in part, by taxes.

I know we have exceptional coverage. I worked elsewhere before becoming a teacher. I know how much it costs for coverage if your employer doesn't pay for the bulk of it like the employer I have now. Like I said, I helped with the bargaining for it. I was on the exec. committee of our union.

What I'd like to see is the people I teach with realize that as well when all they do is bitch and moan about a higher copay being deducted from their paycheck.

I like you a little bit more everytime you post Jen. LOL We still disagree on a lot of stuff, but seeing you post this...

Very little makes my blood boil more than issues surrounding our public schools. The ingratitude of people "in the system" just amazes me. School districts going on strike because they are "only" getting a 3% raise. Or because they might have to pay 3% of their health premium. Or raising property taxes so they can build a million dollar FOOTBALL stadium.

You want to see the public school system excel? Do away with the unions. Let the great teachers excel... Let the bad teachers pound sand. Let parents choose what school their kid goes to. Allow teachers to kick disruptive students out.

But if I could change only one thing? Stop funding schools with property taxes. Increase the sales tax. My home should be MY home. I should not be renting it from the government.

[Edwina's Secretary]

The "someone" paying the rest of the premium would be our school district.
This would also mean that it's being paid for, in part, by taxes.

What I'd like to see is the people I teach with realize that as well when all they do is bitch and moan about a higher copay being deducted from their paycheck.

You should talk to your employer about publishing a benefits statement. There are lots of good vendors out there who prepare them. It is a way to show employees the value of the benefits they recieve but don't pay for directly.

Most employer pay an additional 40 cents in benefits for every dollar in direct pay. Employee tend to think if they don't pay for it, it is "free."

I would guess that plan you negoitated costs around $800 per month or more for single coverage. You pay $20 I think (I am not sure how often you are paid.)

Most employers today require employees to pay 20 - 25% of the cost of the premiums.

Unfotunately most employees only realize the value of their benefits when they lose them and have to go COBRA!