It is that time of year again, the time where we have to negotiate not only our contracts with health insurance companies for our reimbursement but also when we have to try to get the best insurance for our employees. In our area, there are only two insurance companies that we can get health insurance for our employees through. Blue Cross and United Health. There are some other complanies and they have better deals but they wont talk to you unless you have over 100 employees. So, we are stuck with the expensive ones. Because we have several employees with serious health problems, their extra cost is spead to the rest of our employees. We cant group ourselves with other medical practices to get a better rate or to take advantage of these other companies by law. We also cant get insurance from outside of the state or our area.
When we tried to form a supergroup, the Feds told us that since we had over 33% of the doctors our geographical area, this meant that we could be considered a monopoly and this was agaist statues.
The long and short of it. I cant get better health care insurance and cheaper insurane for my employees because of existing federal laws. Our health insurance is going up because federal law prohibits competition and better business practices. We have two choices now for health insurance for our folks, the frying pan or the fire? I think Congress should have to go out and get and pay for their own insurance as well as that of their staff in their own state. I think they would rapidly change how they want health insurance reformed.
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Hi Throckmorton - Why does it cost you and other employees more because you "have several employees with serious health problems, their extra cost is spead to the rest of our employees."?
Why? Isn't that info confidential or do ins ask about pre-existing conditions?
You can't change who you have..but why not hire people who don't want insurance? Of course how do you know and I guess that is discrimination.
We used to have high option bc/bs and it was great but got expensive and that was many years ago. i know one of our local hospital systems won't take blue cross ..except for emergency. And a good friend was just telling me about their bc/horizon family plan and I feel bad for them. her husband works for a local company and I would guess a small scale company.
So which is better..in your opinion? United or blue cross?
Personally speaking ..I dropped my health insurance at the hospital because I had my husband's insurance.
I am fortunate in that I have my his and I couldn't see paying all that money (even then it was expensive) on a PT salary. Even when he retires we are keeping it as a COBRA which is still cheaper than if we went out on our own.
I heard something so upsetting last night re:ins and Obama plan and so will come back later.
Actually, surprising and packing up Christmas food basket for my doc and his office. Well not surprise..because I told some of them and it's a tradition now.. but the day is a surprise. :)
P.S. We will be keeping it as a COBRA if we still have AFFORDABLE ins when this administration gets done doing whatever the heck it is they are doing.
I agree with you 100% Throck ..that they should have to buy it and use the SAME insurance. 100% agree!
Insurance should cover catastrophic costs. It should not cover medications, and routine care.
The current cost should get split in half. Half goes to cover costs with a deductible over $10,000 a year, or far higher.
The other half goes into a cash account starting at a young and healthy age. The patient does the pre-authorization, after brief education about the inherent conflict of interest of all professions. "Doctor, please, explain how this MRI will change your treatment decision." That cuts out 20% overhead for insurance bureaucracy. The patient also has a cash incentive to stay or to get healthy, because the costs come from his personal account.
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