The much-anticipated news about next year's medical benefit costs is now rolling out, says a reader, who posted a note that Gannett apparently started sending to employees recently.Among the highlights: "Our most widely-subscribed plan, the PPO, will increase 5% for single coverage and 8% for family coverage."
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At least we still have benefits (knock on wood).
ReplyDeleteThose of us who keep our jobs, that is.
ReplyDeleteThis sure isn't unique to Gannett. You have to blame the medical industry.
ReplyDeleteThe pill pushers seem to be doing OK unless they lose a patent on a medication. Our insurance would be a lot less expensive if the focus was on prevention rather than treatment but there's no money in that for big business.
This is insanity. Every year I work, I get further behind. Fabulous.
ReplyDeleteA 2% raise, and an 8% increase in medical payments? At this rate, I'll soon be paying Gannett to continue to work here...:-((
ReplyDeleteHow can the increase, which we were told was about 5/8% depending on your coverage (and they explained one plan that was even less than I am currently paying) be so very low when I read last week that premiums around the USA were going up double digits?
ReplyDeleteThis is actually quite small. It's a small percentage of what my premiums currently are, not what I am making.
It appears they are holding the line pretty well.
In regards to the last comment, a 2% raise is way more than the premium increase. At least that's what it was for my coverage last year.
8% Increase? I only got a 3% raise. That means I am in the hole 5%.
ReplyDelete"8% Increase? I only got a 3% raise. That means I am in the hole 5%."
ReplyDeleteYour 3 percent raise is a lot bigger increase than the extra 8% you'll pay for insurance.
Regarding 10/29/2008 9:02 AM
ReplyDeleteIf you make $50,000 a year and receive a 3% raise you would now be making $51,500.
If your paying $5,000 per year for health care and it increases 8% the cost will now be - $5,400.
$1,500 - $400 = $1,100
So you are not in the hole (negative per say).
I would encourage everyone to try the Aetna plan, which soon will become UnitedHealthcare's consumer-driven plan. As long as you don't have a major medical condition and take care of yourself, it saves a bunch of money. We've had it the last two years for a family of four.
ReplyDelete10:28, I thought very long and hard about the Aetna plan. Here in Jersey, where the drivers are insane and there is no realistic public transportation alternative, taking that route is akin to Russian roulette.
ReplyDeleteYes, driving in this state can be that dangerous. You should have seen these idiots in the snow and slick conditions we had yesterday.
Until the medical industry is brought under control and forced to stop charging crazy figures like $750 for "surgery" that amounted to taping an aluminum splint over a finger with a hairline fracture, things will never get better.
I have to chime in because it drives me nuts when people tout these so-called "consumer driven" health plans with the words "if you take care of yourself."
ReplyDeleteI have a friend, mid-40s, thin, yoga, dancer, who just got breast cancer. There is NO WAY to guard against the cancer bomb. Look at Randy Pausch (you can Google him, worth your time, a huge inspiration), he was youngish and died of a cancer no one can predict.
Also, if you take care of yourself, you probably do a lot of activities like biking, hiking, etc., which often lead to unexpected injuries that will often result in pricey MRIs, etc.
And how many families in these plans opt NOT to go for the screening test in order to have more money for food, electricity, gas, etc., and then find out about their ailments too late to cure them completely. In my area, a dermatology consult is $175. Most people should go every year for a full body skin check. Do you think if you had a consume plan you would spend that money for everyone in your family? Probably not. And then you'd find out about your melanoma too late to save your life.
This is from a news report on this topic:
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When a doctor can catch a suspicious skin lesion when it’s still confined to the upper layers of skin, the American Cancer Society reports that the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. That’s a big reason why dermatologists recommend yearly skin checkups.
Once the melanoma has a chance to grow and invade nearby lymph nodes, survival drops to 64 percent. And if melanoma, a quick-spreading cancer, has moved into an organ in another part of the body, the survival rate falls to 16 percent.
The American Cancer Society expects 62,190 new melanomas to be diagnosed in the United States this year. Although melanoma accounts for just 4 percent of all skin cancer cases, it’s responsible for eight out of 10 deaths.
Treating an advanced case of melanoma can cost about $168,000 a patient. If diagnosed early, the disease can be cured by a simple resection — removal of the lesion and surrounding skin — at a cost of about $1,800.
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Another reason to shun these plans -- they go against the whole idea of insurance because they disproportionately attract the very young and very healthy. The whole reason the insurance system works is that the healthy pay into a pool that's used to pay for treatment for the sick. The idea is that eventually it will be your turn. These plans destroy that idea.
When I was employed at Gannett, I used the Aetna option the last two years of my employment and yes I did save money.
ReplyDeleteBut it was a gamble.
I'm 30 now and yes when you're in your 20s you are invincible (right?), so I really didn't think anything would happen to me--and it didn't.
However, choosing this plan is totally a gamble that you won't have any major medical expenses and if you do, you could be hosed.
So would I suggest people pick this plan? YesNo. :)
It's about time GCI HR wakes up: what they need to do - but won't - is raise the premiums dramatically for the fat cats earning well into the $100,000s. What they're paying vs. the rest of the little people is highway robbery.
ReplyDeleteDuh, from what I am told those making more than $100k pay significantly more than those making less. Those making higher salaries pay more than those making $100,ooo. I am all for sticking it to The Man but at least get your facts right.
ReplyDelete