Looks as though I'm about to experience some "Change" in my benefits.

[adoniijahsooner]

We had a district meeting today, and before we took the boss man says there is a meeting next month, and that there will be big changes to our benefits. I work for Frito Lay, and I like the current plan, so what should I look forward too?:pop:

[SCOUT]

Our broker is seeing an increase in premiums that are roughly 30-40% higher than last year. This is of course over all of their clients. I do recognize that this is only anecdotal but it isn't a good sign.

We should be getting our renewal quote any day now.

[jiminy]

I was just looking over some preliminary information on the health insurance options for next year at my job. To keep the same plan I have now, I would have to pay twice as much in as I am now. To pay just a little more than I am now, I would have to go to a $750 deductible. Boo.

[sooner ngintunr]

Mine went up 20% in 2008. 20% in 2009. Just got my latest bill, up 30%. I'm just plain getting ripped. Funny thing is I could get ins from a different corp at my current rates (with even better coverage) problem is the waiting period for maternity benifits is 12 months. So its looking like home birth for us, **** a insurance corp dictating when we are allowed to have kids. This **** pisses me off so much. They know they have me by the balls and can legally completely price me out of their product.

It makes me ashamed of our leaders that we hav/had in this country for the last 10-15 years.

FWIW over the last 3 years even with us having a baby, they are still in the black for us. nttawwt.

[OklaPony]

We already got popped with an increase last month.

[sooner ngintunr]

I was just looking over some preliminary information on the health insurance options for next year at my job. To keep the same plan I have now, I would have to pay twice as much in as I am now. To pay just a little more than I am now, I would have to go to a $750 deductible. Boo.

up to a $750 deductible? oh yeah that would suck.:rolleyes:

[GKeeper316]

these premium increases pre-date the obama presidency by about 12 years...

because doctors think thier jobs should pay them a quarter mil a year, and nurses think what they do is worth 75 grand a year...

and insurance companies are more than willing to pay them.

medicine needs regulated... badly.

[XingTheRubicon]

Soooooo, the pre-existing condition changes and coverage for your children until they're 50 were enacted 12 years ago?


Way to go, Slick Willie...

[adoniijahsooner]

This does not look good. I have 5 children on my plan right now, so I pray they dont increase anything....it will be tough.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Ha ha ha, white folk....
I be screwed yo azz.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-06-08-Obama.jpg

[Leroy Lizard]

This does not look good. I have 5 children on my plan right now, so I pray they dont increase anything....it will be tough.

Plan on praying hard.

[GKeeper316]

Soooooo, the pre-existing condition changes and coverage for your children until they're 50 were enacted 12 years ago?


Way to go, Slick Willie...

thats not what i said... the premiums we spend on or personal medical coverage have been increasing at about 30-40% each year for the last 12 or so.

as long as insurance companies are allowed to charge whatever they want and we have no choice but to pay, you will see your costs go up. as long as doctors are allowed to charge whatever they want, and we have no choice but to pay, you will see your costs go up.

there are other reasons your costs are going up, not the least of which is drug companies spending billions to develop new drugs that have only marginal increased effect than whats already available, and then spending billions on tv ads convincing you you need this new ****, while at the same time selling these same drugs for less than 20% of what you pay for them to foreign countries with price controlled perscription laws, and passing that cost on to you, the american consumer... well... its bad, and getting worse.

[GKeeper316]

but, but, but... you pubs keep saying that business can do what they want free of government regulation, and then it comes back to bite you in the *** and you blame the president? the guy that tried to make this **** affordable for every american and was ostracized for it...

i just dont get where you guys' line of thought stems from.

[sooner ngintunr]

Obama didn't do dick to control cost, obviously he did just the opposite.

[GKeeper316]

Ha ha ha, white folks....
I be screwed yo in the azz.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-06-08-Obama.jpg

your own personal racism aside, this is one of the dumbest things ive ever seen on this board. if the republicans hadnt fought tooth and nail against a public option to act as a price control, your rates would be going down. the biggest mistake obama made in the health care legislation was letting the insurance lobby/republican party kill the public option.

so if you cried "socialism" at the thought of a public option... then this is your fault, and you now get to pay for it.

so quit your bitchin and start making more money.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Im not a racist, I hate all democrats equally.:D There're like whorns.

BEWARE THE POSSE

[StoopTroup]

If you'd said "Politicians" I could have agreed with you Flag.

[GKeeper316]

Im not a racist, I hate all democrats equally.:D There're like whorns.

**** you for comparing me to a whorn

[StoopTroup]

Funny how some folks go straight after the Doctors and Nurses instead of the folks that really make huge dough for doing nothing.

[Flagstaffsooner]

**** you for comparing me to a whorn
Well, don't act silly, silly.:)

[StoopTroup]

Some folks around here get down right nasty even with the slightest insinuation Flag. Easy Bro. Next thing you'll be telling me it's Kevin Wilson's fault that Chiropractors aren't considered real Doctors. :D

[GKeeper316]

Funny how some folks go straight after the Doctors and Nurses instead of the folks that really make huge dough for doing nothing.

so you think doctors should make a quarter mil a year while people go untreated because they cant afford to pay said doctor?

[StoopTroup]

so you think doctors should make a quarter mil a year while people go untreated because they cant afford to pay said doctor?

Some of them yes. And some should make 40 million.

[StoopTroup]

Some shouldn't be allowed to treat an amoeba.

[olevetonahill]

your own personal racism aside, this is one of the dumbest things ive ever seen on this board. if the republicans hadnt fought tooth and nail against a public option to act as a price control, your rates would be going down. the biggest mistake obama made in the health care legislation was letting the insurance lobby/republican party kill the public option.

so if you cried "socialism" at the thought of a public option... then this is your fault, and you now get to pay for it.

so quit your bitchin and start making more money.

I aint racist, I hate the white 1/2 of him also.:P

[Flagstaffsooner]

This be a friendly throwing around of dog turds.;)

[StoopTroup]

I aint racist, I hate the white 1/2 of him also.:P

Do you hate his Kids too? :D :pop:

[olevetonahill]

Do you hate his Kids too? :D :pop:

Whats his kids got to do with anything ?:confused:

[StoopTroup]

Whats his kids got to do with anything ?:confused:

Nothing. I just thought I'd throw that out there like some crazy *** hillbilly. :D

[olevetonahill]

Nothing. I just thought I'd throw that out there like some crazy *** hillbilly. :D

:eek: :eek: :eek: :D

[AlbqSooner]

This be a friendly throwing around of dog turds.;)

Horse turds are much more aerodynamic. If ya get em fresh, they splat better than dog turds too.

[tulsaoilerfan]

We had a district meeting today, and before we took the boss man says there is a meeting next month, and that there will be big changes to our benefits. I work for Frito Lay, and I like the current plan, so what should I look forward too?:pop:

Did ur benefits change last year? Our insurance here in the Tulsa Zone changed but i wasn't sure if it was nationwide or not; my district meeting is tomorrow so i will post here if i hear anything

[adoniijahsooner]

Did ur benefits change last year? Our insurance here in the Tulsa Zone changed but i wasn't sure if it was nationwide or not; my district meeting is tomorrow so i will post here if i hear anything

I just started in march, so I wasnt with the company last year. From some of the guys reaction, I dont think they changed last year though. Hey, they have any opening up there? I am down here in the Fort Worth Zone...ready to get away from Texas and come home.

[StoopTroup]

I just started in march, so I wasnt with the company last year. From some of the guys reaction, I dont think they changed last year though. Hey, they have any opening up there? I am down here in the Fort Worth Zone...ready to get away from Texas and come home.

BOOMER ! ! !

[SCOUT]

thats not what i said... the premiums we spend on or personal medical coverage have been increasing at about 30-40% each year for the last 12 or so.

as long as insurance companies are allowed to charge whatever they want and we have no choice but to pay, you will see your costs go up. as long as doctors are allowed to charge whatever they want, and we have no choice but to pay, you will see your costs go up.

there are other reasons your costs are going up, not the least of which is drug companies spending billions to develop new drugs that have only marginal increased effect than whats already available, and then spending billions on tv ads convincing you you need this new ****, while at the same time selling these same drugs for less than 20% of what you pay for them to foreign countries with price controlled perscription laws, and passing that cost on to you, the american consumer... well... its bad, and getting worse.

While your angst is noted, your numbers are pretty far off. There have been no where near this rate of increase over the past 15 years, especially if you meant each year over year.

Your blame of medical professional pay is interesting and probably a small contributor, but the biggest cause of expensive healthcare is indeed government regulation through medicare and medicaid. Those prices are fixed and well below a market price. The remaining costs are spread to those who pay for their own insurance. Insurance companies have to cover those costs through premium collections. Their profits are actually fixed.

Your prescription drug attack is equally anticipated but ignores some vital points as well. For example, how many new drugs has Lichtenstein, or Canada for that matter, contributed to the world market in the last 50 years?

Look, there are many problems with the healthcare system, both service and insurance, but making sweeping political statements is not the answer. Neither is government takeover in my opinion.

I have detailed my suggestions on this site before. If you are interested, you can look em up.

[bluedogok]

We are a much smaller operation (30 in Indy, 10 in Austin, 3 in San Antonio) so we don't have the big pool. Ours changed a bunch last year, our premiums went up slightly but we changed from a co-pay system to the old fashioned split (70/30) with a big deductible (5,000). So it is effectively only catastrophic coverage now.

[GrapevineSooner]

While your angst is noted, your numbers are pretty far off. There have been no where near this rate of increase over the past 15 years, especially if you meant each year over year.

Your blame of medical professional pay is interesting and probably a small contributor, but the biggest cause of expensive healthcare is indeed government regulation through medicare and medicaid. Those prices are fixed and well below a market price. The remaining costs are spread to those who pay for their own insurance. Insurance companies have to cover those costs through premium collections. Their profits are actually fixed.

Your prescription drug attack is equally anticipated but ignores some vital points as well. For example, how many new drugs has Lichtenstein, or Canada for that matter, contributed to the world market in the last 50 years?

Look, there are many problems with the healthcare system, both service and insurance, but making sweeping political statements is not the answer. Neither is government takeover in my opinion.

I have detailed my suggestions on this site before. If you are interested, you can look em up.

Not to mention, increases in malpractice insurance premiums.

[Frozen Sooner]

#1 driver of insurance premiums is stock market performance. Just sayin'. Insurance companies barely GARA about underwriting profit and loss (within reason) as long as their investment fund is going up.

[Collier11]

these premium increases pre-date the obama presidency by about 12 years...

because doctors think thier jobs should pay them a quarter mil a year, and nurses think what they do is worth 75 grand a year...

and insurance companies are more than willing to pay them.

medicine needs regulated... badly.

Dont see how anyone could argue that DR's make too much money, they ****ing save lives man. Without DR's we'd have Vet sewing up gaping wounds with bailing wire and pouring battery acid on your herpes for $5 out behind the shack on the hill :D

Butt seriously, how can you possibly argue that they are paid too much? Its the insurance agencies who deny access, overcharge, etc...

[Sooner5030]

Insurance? Where we all pool our risks together in case something catastrophic occurs?

I remember back in the 80’s I paid out of pocket for my checkups but was completely covered when I broke my arm. That is f-cking insurance.

Right now we pay for health care……or care as I would put it. Little Johnny needs his Ritalin which causes mommy to need her Prozac which causes live-in boyfriend to need his pills because everyone else has theirs. We’re a therapeutic society and it is bankrupting us.

When we pool healthcare costs we change behavior because we change the factors in the decision making process when we choose to visit the doctor. If it’s someone else’s money (ie my rate stays the same regardless of how many visits) it is a lot easier to make the decision to visit the doctor for every little sniffle.

[adoniijahsooner]

BOOMER ! ! !

Sooner!!!!

[Okla-homey]

Its pretty simple. Obamacare requires health insurance companies, as of midnight last night, to insure people, who they would not have the day before. This group of formerly uninsurable people includes people with expensive to treat pre-existing conditions, and people who were dropped for exceeding their annual or lifetime benefit cap.

Since those formerly uninsurables are going to be loss leaders for insurance companies, which are publicly held companies who must post profits in order to stay in business and keep their shareholders from jumping ship, they have to charge everyone else more to make up the difference.

I don't think this was an unintended consequence of Obamacare either. I think it was done, by design, to cause enough eventual voter angst, to make a public option politically possible at some point in the future.

[soonervegas]

I pay the 1st $3000 out of pocket and this is before any changes coming next year. (Which I never go over)

I am interested to see how the government is going to tax me in the coming years on a benefit I never use.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

so you think doctors should make a quarter mil a year while people go untreated because they cant afford to pay said doctor?

I don't care what the doctor makes. I want to decide what you make.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Ha ha ha, white folk....
I be screwed yo azz.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-06-08-Obama.jpg

^^^ This!!!


Welcome to OBAMACARE!!! We passed it on, higher premiums that is!!!

Please vote Tea Party or Replublican to get this obamanation repealed!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

these premium increases pre-date the obama presidency by about 12 years...

because doctors think thier jobs should pay them a quarter mil a year, and nurses think what they do is worth 75 grand a year...

and insurance companies are more than willing to pay them.

medicine needs regulated... badly.

And how do you propose to do this? What would you pay people in an education intensive professional that is consistently understaffed/underemployed?

Less people and more demand = more salary?

Please don't say import people, the UK is finding out imported doctors doesn't work and they now have a significant issue with home grown terrorism.

[tulsaoilerfan]

I just started in march, so I wasnt with the company last year. From some of the guys reaction, I dont think they changed last year though. Hey, they have any opening up there? I am down here in the Fort Worth Zone...ready to get away from Texas and come home.

Ok, nothing said today about it, so i'm not aware of any changes; right now to the best of my knowledge Tulsa has enough help, but that can change this time next week :D

[adoniijahsooner]

Ok, nothing said today about it, so i'm not aware of any changes; right now to the best of my knowledge Tulsa has enough help, but that can change this time next week :D

thank you

[OUthunder]

Our company went to a High Deductible Plan. So far it's costing us out the ***. For our family of 5, we're paying about $1200 month for nothing. Just got an er bill from when the 8 year old got sick earlier this year. Insurance paid 20% we get to pay 80%.

Before the anti-christ was elected, that cost would have been reversed.

[Blue]

Our company went to a High Deductible Plan. So far it's costing us out the ***. For our family of 5, we're paying about $1200 month for nothing. Just got an er bill from when the 8 year old got sick earlier this year. Insurance paid 20% we get to pay 80%.

Before the anti-christ was elected, that cost would have been reversed.

Gotta love class wars and socialism. Everybody will be equally poor soon enough.

[Soonerwake]

there are other reasons your costs are going up, not the least of which is drug companies spending billions to develop new drugs that have only marginal increased effect than whats already available, and then spending billions on tv ads convincing you you need this new ****, while at the same time selling these same drugs for less than 20% of what you pay for them to foreign countries with price controlled perscription laws, and passing that cost on to you, the american consumer... well... its bad, and getting worse.

There is our first problem. And, it's not just the tv ads. It's billions in "free" samples, lunches for entire medical offices, etc. And, they are allowed to push the development of a generic back to sometimes more than 20 years after the drug is first unveiled. Plus, drug companies profit margins are generally double other Fortune 500 companies. Someone is making so serious dough...just not me....:(

[GKeeper316]

not to mention private insurers administrative costs are anywhere from 40-60% of your out of pocket cost, whereas medicare/medicaide admin costs are somewhere around 17-20%

still think killing the public option was a good idea, pubs??

[GrapevineSooner]

There is our first problem. And, it's not just the tv ads. It's billions in "free" samples, lunches for entire medical offices, etc. And, they are allowed to push the development of a generic back to sometimes more than 20 years after the drug is first unveiled. Plus, drug companies profit margins are generally double other Fortune 500 companies. Someone is making so serious dough...just not me....:(

Since June of 1999, Merck's profit margin has been 6.63% (http://ycharts.com/companies/MRK/profit_margin). Obviously, they're just one of the big name drug manufacturers. And I only Googled them because they were the first company to pop into my head when I ran across this post.

[SCOUT]

not to mention private insurers administrative costs are anywhere from 40-60% of your out of pocket cost, whereas medicare/medicaide admin costs are somewhere around 17-20%

still think killing the public option was a good idea, pubs??

A link is generally a good idea.

Here is a good article about private and government administrative costs.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/administrative_costs_in_health.html

BTW your numbers are not even close.

[XingTheRubicon]

^^^^^shocker^^^^^

[GKeeper316]

ok so my numbers were a bit off, but that doesnt make me any less wrong about administrative costs...

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/why-does-us-health-care-cost-so-much-part-ii-indefensible-administrative-costs/

[PDXsooner]

Man, I'm just glad the Republicans aren't in charge. Seriously, what random wars would be driving us even further down the drain? Let's be thankful the Nation stepped up and avoided that abortion that would have been one sniper shot away from leading our country. What's her name again?

[GKeeper316]

Im not a racist, I hate all democrats equally.:D There're like whorns.

BEWARE THE POSSE


and, uh... just so you know... switzer's a life-long democrat. so i guess you hate the king.

[SoonerBorn68]

Ask Barry if he likes what his tax rate is...

[GKeeper316]

Ask Barry if he likes what his tax rate is...

ill do that if i ever run into him again.

however, when i was bartending for him, i had the opportunity to listen to his take on a whole lotta stuff... i can guarantee you he doesnt care if his tax rate is sitting at 33% and about to go up a measley 3% to 36%.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Its pretty simple. Obamacare requires health insurance companies, as of midnight last night, to insure people, who they would not have the day before. This group of formerly uninsurable people includes people with expensive to treat pre-existing conditions, and people who were dropped for exceeding their annual or lifetime benefit cap.

Since those formerly uninsurables are going to be loss leaders for insurance companies, which are publicly held companies who must post profits in order to stay in business and keep their shareholders from jumping ship, they have to charge everyone else more to make up the difference.

I don't think this was an unintended consequence of Obamacare either. I think it was done, by design, to cause enough eventual voter angst, to make a public option politically possible at some point in the future.YA THINK???..haha

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Man, I'm just glad the Republicans aren't in charge. Seriously, what random wars would be driving us even further down the drain? Let's be thankful the Nation stepped up and avoided that abortion that would have been one sniper shot away from leading our country. What's her name again?Hey there, winner!!!...sheesh.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

and, uh... just so you know... switzer's a life-long democrat. so i guess you hate the king.He was a good coach, and a GREAT recruiter.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Man, I'm just glad the Republicans aren't in charge. Seriously, what random wars would be driving us even further down the drain? Let's be thankful the Nation stepped up and avoided that abortion that would have been one sniper shot away from leading our country. What's her name again?

Post reported to the Secret Service. Hope you get a visit from our fine protectors real soon.

[bluedogok]

Yep, benefits will be changing even more....

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal - 3M Co. will drop retirees from health plans, steer to Medicare (http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/10/04/daily3.html)

[XingTheRubicon]

ill do that if i ever run into him again.

however, when i was bartending for him, i had the opportunity to listen to his take on a whole lotta stuff... i can guarantee you he doesnt care if his tax rate is sitting at 33% and about to go up a measley 3% to 36%.

Numbers are wrong again.

[PDXsooner]

Post reported to the Secret Service. Hope you get a visit from our fine protectors real soon.

Is it not fact that the Vice President is one sniper shot away from becoming the President? Did you take that factual statement as some kind of threat? Don't be foolish.

[GKeeper316]

Numbers are wrong again.

no. no, they aren't.

[SCOUT]

no. no, they aren't.

Unless Barry makes less than $373,651, yes they are. He would be paying 35%.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/2010-tax-bracket-rates.aspx

[Condescending Sooner]

Just had our insurance option period for next year. My insurance went up $190.00 a month. Thanks a lot dear leaders.

[olevetonahill]

Just had our insurance option period for next year. My insurance went up $190.00 a month. Thanks a lot dear leaders.

But yer Hepin the POOR folk suck it up .

[OklahomaTuba]

Numbers are wrong again.Everything he types is wrong, so it shouldn't be surprising he doesn't have a clue about anything.

[OklahomaTuba]

Just had our insurance option period for next year. My insurance went up $190.00 a month. Thanks a lot dear leaders.Welcome to Obama's New Normal.

This is only the first step in Obama's HopeNchange.

Step two is getting laid off, and then your food, housing, paycheck and healthcare is FREE!!!!!!!!!!

[Condescending Sooner]

But yer Hepin the POOR folk suck it up .

I will be poor too after much more of this. Will I get my insurance free then?

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

BTW, Jeri Askins...is an effing DEMOCRAT!(the election in less than a month)

[olevetonahill]

I will be poor too after much more of this. Will I get my insurance free then?

Why Yes , Yes you will
Plus FREE EMS service :D
http://www.moonbattery.com/obamacare-ems-unit.jpg

[GKeeper316]

Unless Barry makes less than $373,651, yes they are. He would be paying 35%.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/2010-tax-bracket-rates.aspx

i have no idea what switzer's annual income is. it could be more that 373k, could be less. i used the 33% because thats the one most people are using for their examples of tax rate increases in the news and media.

under eisenhour, it was 91%

[OklahomaTuba]

Which is why rich people didn't earn income back then.

[GKeeper316]

Which is why rich people didn't earn income back then.

so the rockefellers, vanderbuilts, kennedys, et al. didnt have any money. got it.

[olevetonahill]

so the rockefellers, vanderbuilts, kennedys, et al. didnt have any money. got it.

Gomer, Yer about as dumb as Limptard.:rolleyes:

[OklahomaTuba]

so the rockefellers, vanderbuilts, kennedys, et al. didnt have any money. got it.This statement alone shows why you shouldn't get involved in these types of discussions. They are way out of your league mentally.

[OklahomaTuba]

Obamacare should really be called ZeroCare. Higher premiums and losing your current coverage. Now that's change we can believe in!!

Nearly a million workers won't get a consumer protection in the U.S. health reform law meant to cap insurance costs because the government exempted their employers.
"The big political issue here is the president promised no one would lose the coverage they've got," says Robert Laszewski, chief executive officer of consulting company Health Policy and Strategy Associates. "Here we are a month before the election, and these companies represent 1 million people who would lose the coverage they've got."

The biggest single waiver, for 351,000 people, was for the United Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund, a New York union providing coverage for city teachers. The waivers are effective for a year and were granted to insurance plans and companies that showed that employee premiums would rise or that workers would lose coverage without them, Santillo says.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

yeah, VOTE DEMOCRAT!!! Let's punish the Private Sector! Green jobs for all! Da*ned insurance Companies...wait, whadda ya mean layoffs, and health care rationing? what happened. Vote Jeri Askins...wait.