Just got a 37% increase in company health insurance - I'm livid!

Folks:
As a small business owner these types of increases are killers. And I know that I am not alone. If our government does not get a handle on this health care cost runaway freight train we are all going to de-rail soon. I will now be paying almost $40k per year to insure myself and two other employees, and because of a major medical issue with one of the employees we cannot even move the plan.

My question is what can we DU'ers and other activists do about this? I'm about to have a stroke. Oh no, I can't - they will raise my rates!

I've heard alot of people talking about this. Small business owners seem to get the shaft when it comes to health insurance coverage. You talk about yourself and two other people. Now, that's a small business. I've heard people say they have 500 employees, and that they're a small business. Do you know if this is true? There has got to be a different rate for three people compared to 500.

An aside... The insurance angle also prevents wage increases, because even if you WANTED to give people raises, this stuff makes it almost impossible.. ..

This whole thing is insane..

It's almost to the point where, a major popular revolt might be the answer..an INSURANCE REVOLT..

If EVERYONE just refused to buy it, what would they do?? Could hospitals and doctors just refuse to care for 75-80% of the people??

and I have no solution. I am nowhere near 40,000 in income and cannot fathom having to pay that out in order that you and employees can afford health care.

The only solution is socialized medicine in this country. There is nothing else that would work, and we can look forward to years and years of total stonewalling and bucking by forces of corportations that will lose their profits if this happens to the lose of many lives, prematurely, due to lack of money to pay for it.

we may never ever see it, however.

It seems to me the right thing to do is to guarantee an equal access to health care by all citizens, rich or poor--it seems to me that health care for every person should be a right. It seems to me that every other place on this earth is working toward this right except for the US of America.

No one in the world, is striving to imitate OUR health care system.

NO ONE.

NO one is imitating this wonderful American approach to health care that exploits those who are poor and favors corporations , the landed gentry and those who are rich or wanting to become rich by being connected to the health care industry,.

It is simply outrageous that we need to be subjected to this.

and not the private company patchwork deal our party is calling for. We need single payer government heathcare.

2 foreign students (Canada and Bahamas). Most students single; a very few married. 1 older student married with 2 children; they pay $1000/month health insurance.

It came as a major shock to the other students. My brief comment 'Pay attention to what's going on. You, your parents, your family may be paying this much soon.'

Try not to tell students what to think but that they should pay attention to what's going on in the world.

We're going on Cobra, at $1000/month, due to my having surgery again. I will have to go on TennCare soon since we can't afford to keep paying that. I nearly went ballistic on a woman that just brushed it off because they only pay $100/month because her husband has a good job and they have no serious medical problems. Classic *I got mine, so screw* you attitude :mad:

We have always given full coverage to employees and their families, but we will no longer be able to afford it. We have to get the price down somehow, which will surely mean less coverage.

(No, I'm not really a doctor)

Facts like that need to be told - worldwide.

At the moment the conservative party and the business lobbies (including the Small Business Group) in Germany are pushing for replacing the government regulated healthcare with a completely free-market system.

The Myth told here - by politicians and the media - is that the regulated (neither single-payer nor purely government) healthcare is more expensive than a private solution would be; experiences like yours prove that incorrect.

i don t have to pay for no stinking health insurance!!! the presichimp sneered! fuck em if they can t afford it!! smirk smirked!!

24%. It will cause the loss of jobs if we cannot make some sort of change. We're shopping around - too bad for you that you're stuck with the one plan. Do you have any wiggle room within your plan? Increase co-pays, deductible, etc.?

Health care is a huge problem in this country. I do not know what to do, but we are in big trouble.

They've left you with three options: pay the extortion, cancel the plan completely and tell your employees they're out of luck, or fire the sick employee so you can find another carrier.

This is the best medical system in the world. Yep. And Santa will come down your chimney Xmas eve and the tooth fairy will leave you enough to afford the premiums when your teeth drop out due to neglect.

I lost my insurance in 1987. I figure I'd be enjoying the same health system they have in Botswana, only I know good care is available. It's just not available to me.

We all know this is a major problem. My question is what can we do about it. Ideas please!

I saw an ABC news story about some Asian country (can't remember which one) where the high cost of health care insurance gave the idea to a small business owner to band together with other small business owners to demand that the govt. go to universal health care. It worked. Business owners need to unite to tell the govt. that they can't continue to survive/hire people unless we get our tax $ to pay for universal healthcare instead of endless wars.

But we are getting nailed with a large monthly surcharge on top of our premiums to pay off an assessment for uninsured people in our state. What sucks is that only Small Business plans are being fucked over with this surcharge. The big carriers....nothing.

Pray you don't need surgery. Most carriers won't cover the cost of an "assistant surgeon" any more. I had surgery in December and had to pay 100% of the cost of fees charged by the assistant.

You can try dumping your business plan and going individual, but you'll get waxed for any pre-existing conditions.

Our business also had a 50% increase in liability insurance. What's funny about this is that it's based on salaries (which are down). I cringe to think what we would be paying if our business was enjoying the profits we had during the days of Clinton's Penis.

Add to that a blanket liability policy to protect us from the new tort laws.

I've been fighting this for years. I'm beginning to think that the only thing that will make this an "issue" is if the big corporations cancel health insurance and let employees buy their own. If more of the regular joes and janes see what this shit cost maybe we can get enough people with torches and pitchforks to storm Congress...

The simple fact is that Small Business in this country is getting fucked over like never before.

I talking from experience here. I've worked on both sides of the spectrum (For 2 major healtcare insurance companies and for a large group of Oncologist and Hematologist). And let me tell you that both are in on the game. Both want to blame the rise in cost on the pharmaceutical companies. But let me tell you first had that the doctors are getting "schmoozed" by the pharmaceutical companies (They always paid for our companies Christmas parties). I could list the things I saw go on but I would be here forever.

As for the managed care companies, well they behave like Republicans, just plain ole corrupted thieves. Here's how it goes. Employees pay or have money taken out of their check to pay for healthcare. The company they work for pays the premiums to the healthcare company that they have a "contact" with. The healthcare companies sits on the money (invests it). When the employee goes to the doctor he/she has to pay a co-pay, deductible, etc. When the doctors office submits the claim to the healthcare company. It is standard policy to "ALWAYS" reject the claim by coming up with some excuse as to why it should not be paid (procedure was not approved, wrong ICD9 or CPT code was used or some cockamamie story). Most doctors have to submit the claims 2 or 3 times before everything is said to be right. But by then it's too late. Because it's pass the filing deadline. Meanwhile, the healthcare insurance company is sending the patient/employee an EOB (Explanation of Benefits) telling him/her that they still need to pay the doctor for procedures that they are not going to pay for whatever reason. The cycle goes round and round. And guess who's getting screwed the most. YES YOU!

LIKE I SAID, "BOTH HEALTHCARE COMPANIES AND DOCTORS ARE THIEVES"!

PS. For those who don't know Oncology deals with cancer and Hematology deals with Blood disorders.

Insurance companies, doctors and hospitals are working together to increase each others profits. Regular, everyday health care hasn't gone up that much in cost. But many hospitals have WRITTEN POLICIES that they will attempt to revive a premature baby that appears to weigh as little as 500 grams - thats a bit over ONE POUND. It's not up to the parents. It's not even up to the doctor. We had a horrible case here in Houston where despite the parents request for compassionate care (keeping them warm and hydrated) only for their 16 week premature baby, the hospitals policy was to keep that baby alive at any cost. She did survive, at a cost of over one million dollars, and she is blind, deaf and unable to walk. Initially the parents won a "wrongful life" lawsuit against the hospital, but it was overturned on appeal.

Hysterectomies are done on women in their 80's. Bypass surgeries are done on smokers in their 70's. Prescriptions are written for newer supposedly better medications when older generic medications may work just fine. There is nothing to encourage a doctor try a generic drug first. On the other hand, doctors sometimes have their hands tied about the tests that they can run to accurately diagnose their patients. The whole system is fucked and the word has gotten out. Our best and brightest are no longer into medicine as doctors and nurses and we have shortages for both. The bottom line is that we're paying more for what in many cases is worse care.

That is exactly the routine I'm seeing for some of our medical claims! What a scam.

and pay over 300 a month for shit insurance. Last year I had to have eye surgery, and even with the insurance, I paid over $4000 out of pocket.
And if I had needed surgery or other treayment for an unrelated problem, the deductible is set back to 0 and I would have paid out of pocket again. They have the right to make me pay for up to $15,000 A YEAR of my medical expenses... this is all I can get for $317 a month. When are people going to demand that this shit stop?????? If we eliminated the middle man insurance company, it would save billions.

Federal employees including all the members of Congress get excellent low cost coverage while we poor schnooks get the shaft. I think it is an outrage and disgrace that is allowed.

John Kerry is collecting health care stories right now. He sure got mine! $9,000.00 a year FOR WHAT!?

Don't have $10,000 a year for the premiums. Hell, the way the Bushit economy is going, I might not even make $10,000 this year. If something happens, I will be forced to use the VA.

I can't tell you how many people I know that either have inadequate insurance or no insurance at all. One friend was forced into bankruptcy because of over $200,000 in hospital bills. I wonder what the total costs of this crisis is to our country each year? It has to pale in comparison to the cost of a national health care plan.