Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with insurance and benefits

How much should I put in my medical Flexible Spending Account?

grouse — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:35:27 -0800

How much should I put in my medical Flexible Spending Account for next year? I am in the 25 percent marginal tax bracket. The minimum is $240 for the year.

If I put $240 in and I spend at least $192, then I have broken even. Given that I have a $200 deductible on my medical insurance, that seems likely, as that is less than the cost of two visits to a general practitioner, or one visit to a specialist. On the other hand, now that I live in a country where I have to pay to visit the doctor, maybe I won't be assured of a couple of visits beyond an annual physical (free).

I don't have any expenses that I can definitely expect, such as ongoing drug prescriptions. Searching through previous AskMes reveals a wealth of things I could spend the money on rather than waste it. I've never done this before so I would welcome your thoughts.

Socialised health care really is better.

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:26:41 -0800

I've been recruited by a large firm in the US, who are going to relocate me to their offices in Washington. How do I deal with your weird health-care system? My new employers are a large, reputable company, who are handling all the visa/relocation hassle. According to all sources they have excellent health care benefits. My concern is that I have been recently begun treatment for depression (medication and therapy). How do I maintain this treatment when I move to the States? Do I need a referral from my doctor at home, or from a GP, or can I just find a new psychiatrist/therapist in the phone book?

I know that for specific questions I should just be asking my employer, but I don't know if there is anything I shouldn't bring up to them: most of my understanding of the US health care system comes from AskMe, and it seems strangely adversarial, especially regarding mental health. Also, I am really weirded out by the idea of involving my job in any of my health care decisions. I'm used to socialised medicine - how does this 'employer health care' actually work? Do I actually go through my employer somehow for health care/do they end up knowing that I'm seeing a psychiatrist?

Any other hints about things I may not have considered are welcome.

How is the health insurance stipend built into my hourly rate affecting my income tax?

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:09:05 -0800

My new company doesn't provide health insurance but a $2500 stipend is "built into" my hourly rate to cover the cost. I've got a plan that costs $175/month but how much does it suck for me that the stipend money is being taxed? I like the job and am happy to be insured. I just want to understand what it really costs me to handle my health care this way compared to the full benefits I got from previous employers, especially in regards to income tax. Can you help me think it through and do the math?

I'm a healthy, single, mid-twenties female living in DC and working in Virginia. I work full-time and am making $28/hour. (I'm anonymous because it's work-related. Throwaway e-mail account: insurancestipend@gmail.com)

Corporate Do-Gooder!

thinkpiece — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 07:13:29 -0800

How can I help my fellow employees get the most out of their benefits program via efficient, lively, multi-platform communications? I'm in a terrific new Communications job in the very progressive HR department of a global business information company. My initial mandate is to improve Benefits communications which are currently complex, and myriad.

I have a wide-open opportunity to shape how a large employee population accesses healthcare and financial planning information -- and acts on it to get the most they can from their benefits program -- from a company that really wants to do the right thing.

I'm interested in any and all ideas, from program gripes or praise to content to delivery, that would keep your eyes from glazing over everytime you heard from HR about Benefits! Creativity, technology and simplicity (or at least, pitch-ability for budget allocation) will be extremely appreciated.

benefit cut

anadem — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:48:24 -0800

My employer has decided to stop paying any dependent health insurance coverage. How do I respond? In my case it's a reduction in my remuneration of over $1000/month. Our twelve-person Californian company was spun off as independent a month ago. Of those with dependents only one other has a spouse without their own cover, so this cost-saving really only affects him and me.

I'd prefer to stay with this job -- location & people are good, and pay is reasonable though not top-of-the-line, and because I'm a 62 year old programmer with no degree finding a new job might be tough.

I should find out if the insurance cuts are temporary, and whether there will be any substitute reward offered e.g. stock options? What else should I think about before talking to the boss?

Part-time w/benefits??

crapulent — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 04:01:26 -0800

Where can I work part-time and get benefits? I'm making a pathetic attempt to beat the system (or else I'm moving to Canada). The pay doesn't have to be spectacular, just reasonable. I think Whole Foods and Wild Oats offer benefits to part-time employees, but I need more options.

Tonik Insurance?

hamster — Fri, 20 May 2005 09:28:57 -0800

Has anyone applied for and used Tonik Insurance? I have several friends who freelance or do contract work, including a younger sister. I finally landed a job with amazing benefits, but know lots of folks who would benefit from basic, healthy-20-something catastrophic coverage with some preventative care options. Are there any drawbacks to this plan? It looks pretty good to me.

How can I make up for a poor benefits package?

mike9322 — Thu, 12 May 2005 05:51:09 -0800

I am strongly considering taking a new job, but the benefits package is, frankly, horrible compared to the one I have with my current job. However, the new job promises to be much more fulfilling than the current one. How can I make up for the lack of good benefits? First, I freely admit to not having done enough research on my own here, but this is a relatively complex issue and I'm hoping I can learn from others who've experienced the same thing.

I will start with a run-down of my current package. I am with a large international software and consulting company. I have full medical, dental, and vision for myself, my spouse, and my child. I carry a half million in life and a quarter million in AD&D. I have the highest level of dependent life. As an example of the greatness of my medical plan, I recently broke a leg that required surgery and extensive physical therapy. The total of the medical bills, including PT, approached $50,000. My total out-of-pocket cost: under $200. My copays are $5 and my prescriptions are $3. Chiropractic is also covered. I currently only pay $176.87 (most of it pre-tax) per paycheck, or $4200/year, for all of the above benefits. My company pays the other $517.36 per paycheck (or almost $12,500/year).

I also have financial benefits like an employee stock purchase plan and 401k with employer matching.

The new job is with a small business expanding into my area. We have struck up a mutual love affair and they are giving me and a colleague free reign to build our own team for a big contract in the area. I have briefly touched on the disparity in benefits with them and they have given me the impression that they will supply extra cash to at least match my current total compensation. I won't get into their package, other than to say that it doesn't even come close. My out-of-pocket costs for my broken leg would have been in the $5000 range. They only offer $10K in life. Et cetera.

They are giving me the option of incorporating and coming under them as a subcontractor. In that case, I would receive more cash but no benefits.

There is no question that I want to take this job. It is the opportunity I've been waiting for and I intend to jump on it. But, after my broken leg, I have become very aware how important good insurance coverage is and I do not want to sacrifice anything there. What are my options? Supplemental insurance like Aflac? Can I just tell Aetna (my current provider) that I want to continue my current coverage even though I will not be an employee of the old company? If that's even possible, would it be exorbitantly expensive (higher than the price they give my company)? Should I incorporate and handle my own benefits? I have only worked for large companies in my career so I have always been blessed with good benefits and this is very new territory for me. Thanks!

What to do when COBRA health insurance runs out.

pieoverdone — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 03:21:55 -0800

My COBRA runs out tomorrow. I've applied to a private carrier and was declined already. I was under the impression that if there wasn't a 63 day gap in coverage, they had to insure me. [mi] I've applied with another carrier already. If they decline me too, can I appeal the first one? Can I appeal the second one? Has anyone ever done that and what was the best way? I'm just looking for a high deductible plan with either mental health coverage included or a rider I can add to it. I don't want to discuss my medical history, albeit it's nothing salacious; I just want to know what resources I have to get insurance, now that I what I thought was the correct procedure is wrong

I am employed, but I'm a contractor. So no benefits for me.

Would a company let a member staff go because their health insurance cost the company more?

emelenjr — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 08:58:16 -0800

I don't understand something about health insurance benefits. I'm wondering why this hasn't ever dawned on me before, but I just thought of this recently and don't know if I'm on the right track. A company employs two people and pays them the same salary. They both opt for the company's health benefits package, so the same fee is deducted from their paychecks.

Now, the company also pays out a certain amount of money per employee to the healthcare provider, right? Is that amount uniform across the board, like the amount deducted from everyone's paychecks? Or does an employee's health dictate how much money the company will have to shell out to keep the employee on the health plan?

The obvious next question is when it comes time to trim down the staff because the company is hemorrhaging money, will the company save more money by laying off the employee who gets sick and expensive instead of the employee who doesn't? That doesn't seem fair, but is that the way it works?

Employee Benefits

aacheson — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:55:41 -0800

Is there an easy way to find out what companies provide their employees with a pension and medical benefits after a certain period of time working there? I am looking for a centralized list or such that would tell me all those companies that are local-as I want to look at working at a company like that. A centralized list probably doesn't exist. How do you find out if there isn't a centralized place?