The newest despicable act from employer health care provider!

[B Calm]

Employer provided health care providers are always looking for new ways to screw you. This week my HR told the employees if we had our spouses on the health care plan they would be dropped from the insurance at the first of the year. The only exception being, if your spouse was unemployed and or their place of employment didn’t provide health insurance.

[napi21]

1. So they've decided not to offer a family plan. What about kids?

It's the family plans that cover spouses and children. What are they doing about that?

[B Calm]

5. They still offer family plans, but they won't cover the spouse

if they're employed!

Thus causing the employee spouse to purchase their own insurance.

[ourbluenation]

7. can they purchase it thru your employer? Meaning you pay the premium for the spouse?

[B Calm]

14. Not if the spouses employer offers health insurance.

[napi21]

17. I suspect the reason for this is that most employers pay at least a

portion of their employees HC costs, and they don't want to foot the bill if some other company would pay those costs for their OWN employees. What have they done with the premiums if they're not covering your spouse? Although I don't like to see this happening, it may work out cheaper for you to pay the premium at your own respective companies.

It actually sounds like your company is quite behind the times. It used to be, back when the employee & their family was covered for HC at no cost, if both people were employed, there was double coverage. What they did then was have one co.l plan be the primary and the other the secondary. That was a long time ago, and hasnt been relative for a long time.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

20. It was called "over-insured"

Boy, those were the days, no?

This company really is rather delayed in making this decision.

[ourbluenation]

22. They sure are. The OP was lucky to have this option at all. n/t

[B Calm]

25. The OP didn't have that option. . .

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. What do they do, sit around a table and sus out this shit in "close the

loophole & fuck the rate payer" sessions? I hope they all fry in hell. I'm fucking sick of every god damn bastard that is taking my money for some insurance or credit deal trying to tighten the noose on me. Fuck them, before long nobody is going to play along/bow down anymore & they'll all be history. The whole cha-cha will be history.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. God. So sorry.

Is there anything these fuckers won't do to screw people?

[area51]

4. Spouse question

What if the spouse's employer does offer healthcare, but the spouse has a pre-existing condition and they won't insure him?

[B Calm]

8. Good question. . . I have no idea. . . My HR did say that all insurance

providers are going to this, so beware it's coming to everyone!

[dflprincess]

16. Or open enrollment at the spouse's employer has closed this year (nt)

[B Calm]

19. My spouse open enrollment was in November. My employer

provided two letters for her employer explaining what is going on. We were hoping her employer wouldn't let her in after open enrollment, but they are. It will now cost us an additional 150 dollars a month just for her and that's not including my plan costs.

It's coming to everyone, so be on the watch!

[ourbluenation]

6. so really they're dropping the spouse if he or she is covered by their employer?

[B Calm]

10. No. They are forcing the spouse to be covered by their employer!

[ourbluenation]

13. that's actually not that unusual. n/t

[RB TexLa]

9. It's your employer doing it not the insurance company.

[B Calm]

24. You are right. . . but first the insurance co offers ways to cut costs.

The funny thing is, my wife's co offers Blue Cross, and so does mine. So now I'll have to pay not for one, but for two separate plans. Costing us an additional 250 dollars a month that we're not paying now. All this at a time when the cost of living went up 17% for this year alone. Needless to say our employers are not giving us 17% raises. In fact we are making 1980s wages in 2008.

[Digit]

11. Jeez, that is insane

Sorry you are having to go through all this.

[ourbluenation]

12. my husbands employer covers his premium 100%, but the premium for me and the kids comes out of his

paycheck. My employer covers me 100% and only pays $50 towards all dependant coverage. You should consider yourself fortunate that your employer covered your spouses premium at all.

Did they say why they are doing this?

[nini]

15. I believe the companies choose the plans they offer you

being they pay part of the premium.

Your company is trying to save money and has dropped the spouse option except for the reasons you sate.

on edit: I'm not sure if you mean the insurance company or your employer :-(

[B Calm]

18. company is always trying to save money on the backs of the workers.

After all, the CEO needs another yacht!

[RB TexLa]

21. Getting them to go on their own companies plans saves both your employer and you premium dollars

The only time it usually doesn't is with a small group of all or near all female employees.

[B Calm]

23. I don't get where it is saving me anything. I now have to pay for two

seperate plans, one for me and one for her.

[nini]

27. some companies pay for the employee in full

and only charge for family members -if that is the case you save. If not, it depends on who had the better plan.

I'm lucky in the company I work for absorbed the increase in costs this year. I'm pretty sure we're not getting a raise or bonus because of the economy and that's why they did it, but they did.

[Blue Diadem]

26. That's been going on for a while, with variations.

From my kids and their spouses plans:

One has a maximum premium limit. If the spouse's premium cost through their own employer exceeds the limit, their husband/wife may include them on their policy.

Another has an income limit. Any spouse making over a certain income figure must take the insurance provided by their own employer and if it's not employer provided has to obtain their own insurance.

Another says any spouse with insurance available through their employer can't be included in their husband's/wife's policy.