Citing health care law, Boeing pares employee plan

[golfguru]

WASHINGTON – Aerospace giant Boeing is joining the list of companies that say the new health care law could have a potential downside for their workers.
In a letter mailed to employees late last week, the company cited the overhaul as part of the reason it is asking some 90,000 nonunion workers to pay significantly more for their health plan next year. A copy of the letter was obtained Monday by The Associated Press......read more at....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101018/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_costs_boeing

[EC]

1. They are saying that they are doing the increases because of

the cadillac tax that starts in 2018 - but what does that have to do with their costs, since the tax is on the policy holders?


They also say they would have been doing this anyway even without the HCR to stay competitive...Yep, should have gone for single payer...don't know why industry still fights this, are they getting kick-backs from pharma or something?

[golfguru]

2. Could be the same problem my employer has

which is that the premiums are going up higher than
in average year. But I really do not know the detailed
situation with Boeing.

A public option would have checked the private insurers
from running amok with premium increases.

[sandnsea]

4. The article explained it

Did you read the article you posted? They're looking at their policies and starting to cut benefits to avoid the 40% excise tax in the future.

[sandnsea]

3. Boeing pays policy premiums

If they don't start forcing these costs down, they'll have to pay both high premiums and the excise tax on top of it. That was the point in implementing it. Rich corporations shouldn't be in cahoots with insurance companies to take deductions for these expensive plans, turn around and invest in the insurance companies, and make money on the investment that is being fueled by their exorbitant premiums. If they want to keep playing that game, they'll have to pay tax on it. And that's why they don't go for single payer. They're all making money coming and going.

Until the WORKERS start to feel some of the pain that the rest of us feel, they won't be yelping for single payer either.

[exboyfil]

5. Interesting point about a coworker

His son recently finished college and was no longer on his father's company health care. He just had his appendix removed under an emergency. Turns out the new bill (allowing a higher age for dependent children) would have cost my coworker money (the $4300 deductible). Unless your kids have assets, what is the downside of them going naked (without insurance) now? The kid has looked and can't get a job with insurance benefits now (he has cobbled together a few part time jobs). I guess I really don't know how the full payment details are going to play out (maybe someone has more information?) It appears he is not eligible for Medicaid (or is he?).

Since he can't be decided care and he has no assets, then the worst than can happen to him is an early bankruptcy.

[aquart]

6. Or death from inadequate care.

The free market regulates by death. Until so many die that it looks like the tenth plague, the market can kill freely. Once there is a firstborn dead in every house, serious complaints cause changes. But not till then.

[exboyfil]

7. Well in our area the

Medicaid patients get as good a care as those with $4300 deductibles. We have Medicaid kids at the same orthodonist as my daughter. The same doctors treat both of us. Given the rates negotiated by my insurance company, the pay for service is probably equivalent. I really don't see where I receive better care - I am just less likely to go see my doctor at $100/visit versus someone on Medicaid or uninsured emergency room going in to see the doctor. My grandmother who is on Medicaid only has me as a filter from stopping her from seeing a doctor everyday - she would if she could.

Something seems somewhat perverse when my daughters could have free Medicaid if they had kids versus them not having kids.

Don't get me wrong - I would like to see a German style health insurance/medical system in this country. I am just pointing out some of the weirdness in the current system.

[golfguru]

8. My wife is billing manager at a large medical practice

According to her, patients are given the exact same service whether they
are on medicaid, medicare or private insurance. They have a lot of Russian
speaking patients who are also provided translator person at tax payer cost.