4 ms·

> An entire generation is draining their savings to keep up with premium costs. Knock on wood but, myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covere

> An entire generation is draining their savings to keep up with premium costs. Knock on wood but, myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers. I think my portion of my insurance is about... $100/mo? I've never had to use it way/shape/form in the past... 5-10 years. Isn't the truth that the most unhealthy people are what drives health care costs? It'd be interesting to see a visual of who uses their insurance and how much of it they use. Let's not forget that lack of exercise, obesity, and heart disease are rampant in America.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago
It seems to be more the exception, rather than the rule, that you will continue to be fine without medical coverage for eternity. One day, something is going to happen. Consumption of health care tends to be back-loaded in life.
geddy 7y ago
Yeah, I really wonder where that $10,000/person figure comes from when you remove obesity and smoking related illnesses, so, the two highest and most preventable causes of death in this country. I always believed you should be able to qualify for lower costs (or be charged higher) depending on how you take care of yourself. Annual physical fitness test. I'm a little sick and tired of paying high premiums for people to have healthcare that don't take care of themselves.
- geggam 7y ago
  Many of us who won the genetic lottery are sick of paying for those who didn't Where do you draw this line ? If someone cannot afford to eat or live a healthy lifestyle do you kick them while they are down ?
  - MuffinFlavored 7y ago
    The brotherhood of "we can all band together to pay for each other" falls apart when the line to McDonald's is wrapped around the corner in my eyes. If you take in over 3,500 calories a day of pizza, soda, cheeseburgers, or candy then follow it up with little to no exercise/movement, you are contributing to the "health insurance crisis".
- throwaway22424 7y ago
  > I always believed you should be able to qualify for lower costs (or be charged higher) depending on how you take care of yourself. Annual physical fitness test. I'm a little sick and tired of paying high premiums for people to have healthcare that don't take care of themselves. Better hope you never get in a car accident or similar accident or get diagnosed with cancer or a chronic condition. Congratulations for being in perfect health and not needing any sort of medical care. There are plenty of people who don't smoke and aren't obese and can still be bankrupt by standard medical treatments. I would bet money (let's say the value of my annual insurance premiums) that if the two of us took a physical fitness test or compared overall "health" in areas that are more controllable (weigh, cholesterol, body fat percentage, amount of exercise, and other indicators like smoking/drug/alcohol use), I would be considered healthier than you. But I have an endocrine condition that requires very expensive medication and annual tests that cost a lot of money. You're selfish, and that's fine. But the second you ever actually need health care, I hope you remember how quickly you dismiss "people who don't take care of themselves."
- wonnage 7y ago
  HN, where you can find paranoid vegans blaming people for getting sick
throwaway22424 7y ago
This isn't universal and it's also not inclusive of those people who have spouses/partners or children/other dependents. Your employer may cover your premium (or most of it), but it won't always cover those of your dependents at the same percentage. And I say this as a person who is, with few exceptions, healthy. But medications for common conditions and emergencies , can radically change the cost of all of this.
Turing_Machine 7y ago
> Knock on wood but, myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers. That is money that would otherwise be given to you in the form of salary, so, yeah, you're paying for it even if it doesn't seem like it. Historically, the main reason for employer-provided health insurance in the U.S. is that it provided a loophole to increase effective employee compensation in a tax-free manner.
- madengr 7y ago
  My employer dropped dental insurance a few years ago. They never gave me a pay bump to compensate. Now I spend $1,600/year on cleanings for a family of 4. At least it is out of my HSA, so pre-tax.
  - pravda 7y ago
    $400 for a cleaning?! You gotta negotiate better! That is an outrageous price!
    - g82918 7y ago
      Multiple times a year with multiple people, not so extreme. I pay $160 for myself alone 3 times a year for periodental cleaning
    - madengr 7y ago
      It’s $200 per person (4x people, 2x a year), that sometimes has x-rays and sealant.
  - kelnos 7y ago
    They likely dropped it due to budget issues, so of course they weren't going to give you a pay bump. If they had dropped it simply because there was no need to give it to you, you'd probably see a pay bump, or at least faster salary growth in future years.
grecy 7y ago
> myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers So your continued physical health and financial health is utterly dependant on your current employer. Do you not see any problem with that? (I'm not American, I think it's vile, and closer to slavery than I have any interest in touching)
- MuffinFlavored 7y ago
  > Do you not see any problem with that? No. I have a set of skills that the market finds valuable. Part of that value is providing health insurance. Any employer I choose will pay me a salary, and have healthcare benefits. Somebody has to pay for it... and it currently isn't the billionaires like Democratic candidates wish it was.
  - grecy 7y ago
    Do you not see how much this limits your mobility and freedom to do as you please? If health care (and insurance) were de-coupled from your employment, you would have much more freedom to move around jobs, or even go without a job for a time if you so chose, etc. Would you be OK with your employer paying for your housing? education? food? Your employer being in control of your health (and those other things) is sickening. They are just taking power and choices away from you.

JMTQp8lwXL 7y ago

It seems to be more the exception, rather than the rule, that you will continue to be fine without medical coverage for eternity. One day, something is going to happen. Consumption of health care tends to be back-loaded in life.

geddy 7y ago

Yeah, I really wonder where that $10,000/person figure comes from when you remove obesity and smoking related illnesses, so, the two highest and most preventable causes of death in this country. I always believed you should be able to qualify for lower costs (or be charged higher) depending on how you take care of yourself. Annual physical fitness test. I'm a little sick and tired of paying high premiums for people to have healthcare that don't take care of themselves.

geggam 7y ago
Many of us who won the genetic lottery are sick of paying for those who didn't Where do you draw this line ? If someone cannot afford to eat or live a healthy lifestyle do you kick them while they are down ?
- MuffinFlavored 7y ago
  The brotherhood of "we can all band together to pay for each other" falls apart when the line to McDonald's is wrapped around the corner in my eyes. If you take in over 3,500 calories a day of pizza, soda, cheeseburgers, or candy then follow it up with little to no exercise/movement, you are contributing to the "health insurance crisis".
throwaway22424 7y ago
> I always believed you should be able to qualify for lower costs (or be charged higher) depending on how you take care of yourself. Annual physical fitness test. I'm a little sick and tired of paying high premiums for people to have healthcare that don't take care of themselves. Better hope you never get in a car accident or similar accident or get diagnosed with cancer or a chronic condition. Congratulations for being in perfect health and not needing any sort of medical care. There are plenty of people who don't smoke and aren't obese and can still be bankrupt by standard medical treatments. I would bet money (let's say the value of my annual insurance premiums) that if the two of us took a physical fitness test or compared overall "health" in areas that are more controllable (weigh, cholesterol, body fat percentage, amount of exercise, and other indicators like smoking/drug/alcohol use), I would be considered healthier than you. But I have an endocrine condition that requires very expensive medication and annual tests that cost a lot of money. You're selfish, and that's fine. But the second you ever actually need health care, I hope you remember how quickly you dismiss "people who don't take care of themselves."
wonnage 7y ago
HN, where you can find paranoid vegans blaming people for getting sick

throwaway22424 7y ago

This isn't universal and it's also not inclusive of those people who have spouses/partners or children/other dependents. Your employer may cover your premium (or most of it), but it won't always cover those of your dependents at the same percentage. And I say this as a person who is, with few exceptions, healthy. But medications for common conditions and emergencies , can radically change the cost of all of this.

Turing_Machine 7y ago

> Knock on wood but, myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers. That is money that would otherwise be given to you in the form of salary, so, yeah, you're paying for it even if it doesn't seem like it. Historically, the main reason for employer-provided health insurance in the U.S. is that it provided a loophole to increase effective employee compensation in a tax-free manner.

madengr 7y ago
My employer dropped dental insurance a few years ago. They never gave me a pay bump to compensate. Now I spend $1,600/year on cleanings for a family of 4. At least it is out of my HSA, so pre-tax.
- pravda 7y ago
  $400 for a cleaning?! You gotta negotiate better! That is an outrageous price!
  - g82918 7y ago
    Multiple times a year with multiple people, not so extreme. I pay $160 for myself alone 3 times a year for periodental cleaning
  - madengr 7y ago
    It’s $200 per person (4x people, 2x a year), that sometimes has x-rays and sealant.
- kelnos 7y ago
  They likely dropped it due to budget issues, so of course they weren't going to give you a pay bump. If they had dropped it simply because there was no need to give it to you, you'd probably see a pay bump, or at least faster salary growth in future years.

grecy 7y ago

> myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers So your continued physical health and financial health is utterly dependant on your current employer. Do you not see any problem with that? (I'm not American, I think it's vile, and closer to slavery than I have any interest in touching)

MuffinFlavored 7y ago
> Do you not see any problem with that? No. I have a set of skills that the market finds valuable. Part of that value is providing health insurance. Any employer I choose will pay me a salary, and have healthcare benefits. Somebody has to pay for it... and it currently isn't the billionaires like Democratic candidates wish it was.
- grecy 7y ago
  Do you not see how much this limits your mobility and freedom to do as you please? If health care (and insurance) were de-coupled from your employment, you would have much more freedom to move around jobs, or even go without a job for a time if you so chose, etc. Would you be OK with your employer paying for your housing? education? food? Your employer being in control of your health (and those other things) is sickening. They are just taking power and choices away from you.