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Unfortunately, health costs have far outpaced inflation and earnings. Just(?) 20 years ago I worked as an IT consultant for a large health insurer and the comfy
by OldSchool 14y ago
Unfortunately, health costs have far outpaced inflation and earnings. Just(?) 20 years ago I worked as an IT consultant for a large health insurer and the comfy corporate group PPO "family coverage" option (2 adults and an unlimited number of children) cost $300/mo total, not just the employee's portion. Today's total rate on a similar plan is about $1500/mo. That's almost 10x the net increase in the CPI over the same period.
Put it another way: in 1993 there were plenty of IT pros (not company owners) making $100K+. Are there just as many percentage-wise making $500K+ now?
- snowwrestler 14y agoThis is a common misunderstanding; health care costs have gone up faster than inflation, not just private health insurance costs. Costs have gone up for government-paid programs as well, which is why there is such focus on entitlement spending in the political discourse recently. It is a real problem, but not one that rests solely on the shoulders of private insurance companies.
- OldSchool 14y agoYup, I totally agree. To make matters worse, the off-contract rates on the invoices are often astronomical compared to what they actually get from your insurance - like 10x or more. Normally you're good if you stay in-network, but an ER visit to an in-network hospital can result in a separate bill for say $600 directly from a doctor who might've seen you for five minutes but doesn't work as an employee of the hospital. Unless you just can't pay or want to white knuckle it and play poker negotiating you can't get a lower rate because that doctor's "not on your insurance." I've seen this virtually every time someone's gone to the ER.