What percentage of your pay goes for health insurance??

NJ Rich · #61 02/03/10, 06:51 AM

It costs me 40% of my pension check every month. But..., we can not afford to be without the coverage. I had a spine operation in October. I couldn't have had it without insurance. Medicare doesn't begin to cover the costs of 8 days in the hospital and all the tests, x-rays; MRI's; surgery; etc................ I was at the point where I had to have the operation or being far more disabled than I am already was.

DoubleBee · #62 02/03/10, 06:58 AM

Ours used to be 0% because it was part of his union benefits. Since he's been out of work, the insurance ran out and we have exhausted Cobra.
I am now on Medicare and United Health Medicare Rx plan, and that is 17% of my monthly pay. (so much for "government run health care" being cheap) Hubby is using VA health care system, and thank god he's a veteran. Don't know what we'd do if he didn't have that to fall back on.

wwubben · #63 02/03/10, 07:09 AM

No one considered the amount their pay is reduced to receive company paid insurance.Most companies show your total compensation at least once a year.You should use this total compensation figure to get your percentage you pay for your insurance.It is huge and growing continually.

Snowdancer · #64 02/03/10, 08:03 AM

8.71% for medical & dental PPO plan

willow_girl · #65 02/03/10, 08:15 AM

Only 2 percent, because I have insurance through the government (Tricare) ... my husband is retired military.

If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be able to afford insurance at all! Or, rather, I'd still be working my last job, and paying about 25 percent of my gross for health insurance.

This was the job where I was told by the HR person that some part-time workers were spending most of their pay on health insurance for themselves and their families. Their take-home for 40 hours was less than $100 after deducting the insurance premium.

Curtis B · #66 02/03/10, 08:41 AM

I pay 6.8% of gross, that is a mid level management rate for the company. With the company I work for it is almost $600 a month a hourly employee. 95% of the hourly people can't afford it, it would come up to about 50% of their pay.

ErinP · #67 02/03/10, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilJohnson

I had no insurance for years. When the opportunity came up to enroll in Wisconsin's subsidized health insurance I jumped on it. It doesn't pay any vision or dental but it will pay for emergency. Last bill I paid 200 bucks out of a 600 dollar medical bill. For now I pay nothing for a monthly premium because I make so little money.

I wonder how many states offer such a thing...
I've never lived in one that did.

TheMartianChick · #68 02/03/10, 08:49 AM

Dh pays about 14% of his gross for basic health care through Blue Cross Blue Shield. This does not include, dental or vision care. The company pays the rest of the premium, but I cannot remember how much that is. This covers two adults and two children. We are still responsible for copays on medical visits and prescriptions.

I think that a lot of people don't realize just how costly insurance coverage is in some states. I once looked into the cost of health insurance in Florida, North Carolina and New York on that Esurance.com website and found out that there was NOTHING in those states that we could afford if we were to become self-employed.

Jenn · #69 02/03/10, 09:56 AM

0%- all paid for by US Army- and about 1/10% for family dental which covers half costs of everythign but 100% of checkups. Think when he retires we will pay about 1% of his retired pay to get continued full medical via Tricare

Pony · #70 02/03/10, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helena

0%..my husband's union pays 100% of preminums for excellent BS/BS !!We are very, very fortunate that this has been the case for 42 years now.

Don't know if anyone's asked this yet (this is a LONG thread!) but how much are your husband's union dues? Part of that expense must be considered as your part of the insurance premium.

We don't have insurance. 1.) I think the system is a total racket. 2.) We can't afford it.

Not that I haven't used insurance in the past, but now that I know from the inside how insurance companies work, I won't accept 3rd party payment. If a client wants to use her insurance for payment, I'll sign the paperwork, but I make sure she knows the risks involved. (Insurance companies tend not to write subsequent policies if you use your mental health benefit.)

I've gone so far as to take a person's co-pay as full payment if they don't want to use the insurance company.

If Nick gets this new job, I don't know what we'll do about the insurance coverage. We'll have to pray on that.

Me, I lean to not buying into the corrupt system.

Jenn · #71 02/03/10, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

We were foolish enough to go without heath insurance exactly once in our lives...
It took five years to pay off my healthy-as-a-horse husband's emergency appendectomy. Never again.
I've said this many times-- You aren't insuring yourself against health issues. You're insuring yourself against bankruptcy.

Hallelujah sister. I am rich enough to not want to lose my home and retirement savings because of an illness or accident. For this reason I will some how cover my kids when they are no longer on our policy. Do not choose to cover my sister: if she needs $1 million of health care I will let her die rather than give up all we have worked for- though I'll probably if asked give her a much smaller amount than that if it might save her. But my kids- I'd sacrifice it all- so I'll pay for health insurance to avoid that happening. If you're so 'poor' you won't have to give up home and have to go back to work in your 70s to pay hospital bills- well then no insurance just means you try your luck on medicaid and medicare disabled if you have a very bad medical expense. If you're willing to take govt aid at that time.

Jolly · #72 02/03/10, 10:30 AM

8%, $500 Deductible, standard 80/20 payout.

Joshie · #73 02/03/10, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wy_white_wolf

Health Insurance - 4.03%, company sponsered so I don't know the total cost

Federal withholding (income tax) - 14.58%
Social security - 5.96 %
Medicare - 1.39%

The federal guberment gets 21.94% total out of my check.

Which do you think I'm more worried about.

I'm with you there.

I'm out on medical leave. I pay about $550/month for benefits, including disability insurance. Of course, in their wisdom, the short term disability doesn't think I'm disabled even though my PCP and neurologist won't let me work. Heck, I can't speak well or walk well. Want me to be your nurse?

HermitJohn · #74 02/03/10, 10:40 AM

Since I refuse to buy a very expensive lottery ticket that some greedy private company will abide by their promises and pay for my major medical expenses when needed, guess I will go in for faith healing!

Just look what its done for Oral Roberts. He believed he would die when it was his time and he did..... I have simular strong faith that I will eventually die also. There, all worked out and it didnt cost me a penny.....

Joshie · #75 02/03/10, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pony

Don't know if anyone's asked this yet (this is a LONG thread!) but how much are your husband's union dues? Part of that expense must be considered as your part of the insurance premium.

We don't have insurance. 1.) I think the system is a total racket. 2.) We can't afford it.

Not that I haven't used insurance in the past, but now that I know from the inside how insurance companies work, I won't accept 3rd party payment. If a client wants to use her insurance for payment, I'll sign the paperwork, but I make sure she knows the risks involved. (Insurance companies tend not to write subsequent policies if you use your mental health benefit.)

Me, I lean to not buying into the corrupt system.

The insurance companies are not the ones who are corrupt. The purpose of health insurance is not to pay for your health care. Its purpose is to prevent you from losing your life savings if you were to become ill.

What would you do in my circumstances? We had a daughter born at 22 5/7 weeks. She was vented for nine weeks and hospitalized for 14 weeks. She lived but had significant health issues until the last year or two. She'll be 12 in March. She still uses oxygen when ill, has severe asthma, and takes daily antibiotics to combat chronic sinus infections. She's had surgeries for a g-tube which saved her life and our insurance purchased a wheelchair (~$2000) when she was five because she gets tired when she walks a log time.

I'm 45 years old. Have had significant health problems over the last few years. Over the last year, I developed many more problems. I have difficulty walking, talking, and staying awake. Doctors discovered I have seizures and narcolepsy. I'm soon scheduled for a spinal tap because they think I have a disorder that is fatal without treatment but might be curable.

I would be dead if we didn't have health insurance. My daughter would too. This is because even if every person in our family gave us every cent they had it would not have covered the costs associated with our health problems.

These issues don't even address the health issues my son has. He has also utilized mental health insurance through several different health insurance companies. Funny thing is that my DH is 26 years my senior and he's the healthy one in our family. He has to take care of me when I assumed I'd have to take care of him.

I do not blame our health care providers. They deserve to have their expenses covered and they deserve to make a profit. Drug companies, especially, take huge financial risks when they develop new drug treatments. They should make big bucks on the drugs that come to market to offset the many more drugs that do not make it to market.

I say that we cannot afford NOT to have health insurance.

mnn2501 · #76 02/03/10, 10:59 AM

27.84% of my salary goes to health insurance and another 16.6% goes to deductables and copays -- both of us are in our 50's and diabetic (DW's insulin dependant, I'm not) and I have High blood pressure also.

mnn2501 · #77 02/03/10, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9acres

I am now on Medicare and United Health Medicare Rx plan, and that is 17% of my monthly pay. (so much for "government run health care" being cheap) .

I'd dance a jig naked on the freeway in winter if I was told I'd only have to pay 17% - thats C-H-E-A-P

CherieOH · #78 02/03/10, 11:14 AM

We would buy health insurance if they would let us, but they won't. They don't say why they turn us down, but we assume it has something to do with our age, medical history and maybe our weight. Neither of us see a doctor except for an annual check up, but I do take a couple of cheap generic prescriptions to control hypothyroidism and hypertension. Not sure why that's such a big deal to the insurance companies, but it is.

As for percentage, well....dh lost his job over a year ago and his unemployment check just about covers the COBRA payment. So for now we're paying over 100% for health insurance, using up our life savings for everything else. So much for retirement. In a couple of months, we'll no longer qualify for COBRA and have no insurance at all. At age 63, that's scary. We're not elible for Medicare yet. We are responsbile people and would buy the insurance if they would just let us have it.

ronbre · #79 02/03/10, 11:59 AM

between 1/3 and 1/2...used to be more

fishhead · #80 02/03/10, 12:05 PM

I pay 4 times as much for health insurance as I do in taxes. Despite doing everything right (weight control, regular exercise, no smoking, limited alcohol, etc.) according to my doctor I was "rationed" by my insurance provider. They denied me coverage PERIOD. The only reason they insured me later is because I got it through my job. When I lose this job they will "ration" me right out of insurance again.