I am very discouraged at the moment. We got our new ‘benefits’ package at work this week, and we have until November 19th to decide what we want for 2008.
What a kick in the balls.
We’ve gone from a co-pay system, to a co-pay with deductible system. What does that mean? Let’s explain.
Right now, if I need to go to the doctor’s, it costs me $15. If it’s a specialist, it’s $25. Not too shabby. Also, God forbid we need to head to the ER, it costs us $75. Now, taking all that into consideration, if we need to have a procedure or test done, it is covered 100%. Not too bad for the $260 a month I pay for my wife and I.
With our new ‘plan’, this is how it breaks down. If I want to go to the doctor’s, it’s not $25, and for a specialist, it’s $35. That’s a $10 increase, and I can live with that. But, what if I need to go to the ER? That’s gone up to $150 per visit now. Wow, that just doubled in price. I guarantee that the wait time is still the same for double the price! Now, if we needed a test or procedure done, it’s covered 0%. Yep, that’s not a typo folks. We have to pay everything out of pocket until we fork out $1,500. Keep in mind, co-pays for doctor and ER visits don’t count toward the $1,500. Now, once I reach $1,500 out of pocket costs, my insurance is till making me pay 20% of everything until I reach an out of pocket total of $10,000. Yep, that’s $10,000. So, if I break my arm and need to go to the ER, I’m most likely looking at a $2,000+ bill. ($150 visit, X-Rays, cast, sling, doctor costs, etc.)
So, where does that leave me? Between a rock and a hard place, that’s where. After talking it over with Jess, we’ve come to the decision that after over 5 years, it’s time for me to switch jobs. What really sucks is that I feel like my company is not giving me a choice but to look for other employment. When it all comes down to it, I can’t afford their medical plan, but I can’t afford to be without medical benefits. We talked about looking elsewhere and buying our own medical, but if we did that, what is the point for me sticking around where I am at? There isn’t one, so I’m not.
What really bother me in all of this is where we are heading as a country. My family is very middle class. We don’t own a lot, have quite a bit of debt, and barely make $50,000 combined per year (even less take home). With oil prices soaring, a good source (works for a major oil company) told me that the way things are trending, gas will be at $5 a gallon by June, and will most likely not go down from there. Also, from what I have been told and read, natural gas costs will be rising 50% this January. That means that my heating bills will now double. Now with my company screwing me on my medical coverage, I get really frustrated. How is someone who works 40hrs a week, supposed to survive? This is especially true when your company gives you a $.27 raise per year and expects you to be eternally grateful for their generosity.
With regards to the utility companys, I would love to see what would happen if its customers got together and voted for a 20% reduction in our monthly rates. I don’t think that would appreciate someone else dictating what their income would be. Funny, that’s exactly what they do to their customers when they decide they need a 50% increase. Just because they want a 50% increase, doesn’t mean that our paychecks go up 50%. Most of us are lucky if we see a 3% increase per year. Couple that with the falling value of the dollar, and it creates a very scary scenario.
At what point is it going to be a reality that you simply cannot afford to keep a roof over your head with lights and heat with 2 people working 80hrs a week?
I think it’s time to move to Canada or England.
