..thank you all.

Since I lost my job, my kids lost their health insurance.

Signed up for CHIP.......WOW!!!!

What GREAT coverage. Cheaper than my last plan by FAR as far as co-pays etc go.

MAN........it sure is great to be unemployed!!!!!

(let the thrashing commence!)

At least you paid into it for a while.

No COBRA?

COBRA?????

Are you kidding me???

Sure their is COBRA........$1100/month.

Let your hair grow out, work the mustache, stop showering, learn two or three phrases in Spanish (I'm here to help feed my family... Sadly, I have no healthcare... Where is the nearest dance club with overweight liberal white chicks..) and just act confused at the billing window.

You'll be all set.

Any insurance you can get is a blessing Andy.

I provide my employees good health insurance, out of my pocket. Price of the **** went up something like 40% this year. No kidding. And no, none of them had any catastrophic injuries or health problems. In fact, other than the usual colds and flu bugs, nothing that kept any of them out of work for more than 1-2 days at time.

That's pretty damn steep,Tom.

You're telling me. My only other options would have raised employee co-pays and deductibles to levels I just couldn't drop on them, and wouldn't have saved me that much money. Another option, basing it on specific employee examinations and risk factors (vs. the pool risk factors, which are allegedly determined to set rates for every like-sized and like-situated businesses) would have left me open to lawsuits for handicapped discrimination.

Can you imagine it? Someone comes down with some gawdawful disease, gets an attitude that he/she doesn't have to do his/her job decently, and eventually forces me to fire him/her...then they sue, claiming I did so because their disability is the reason I fired them.

I felt like the insurer put a gun to my head and demanded my wallet.

That's crazy...and very likely. Doesn;t it suck all the crap we have to go thru?

I am only a GM and I have to deal with all thes avrious potentials..I cannot imagine having to add the pressure of ownership liabilities at this point.

that's gotta be reeeaaallll frustrating Tom.

By the way, how is your back? Still riding alright?

off to bed Tom, I'll catch you up soon.

David

andy...I actually hope you're serious. Your babies need to have medical attention and I'm glad it's there for you. I believe in a strong social safety net...as long as it isn't a way of life for someone.

#10 Back is about the usual. Not getting any worse at least.

As for the expenses, tell me about it. I pay something like 6-7 different types of insurance. These days when I get reamed by only one or two, I am almost relieved. And that doesn't begin to cover even 1/3 of my overhead.

#4 Well, that is what it costs to insure you.

I dont think employees have a clue as to what health insurance costs. We have 600+ employees and health insurance is one of if not our largest expense other than payroll.

Sorry, just putting in my $.02 as an employer. It really bugs me when people bitch about the insurance we provide.

Not saying you are bitching, Andy... just a personal rant on my end.

The COBRA for our insurance would be almost $1400/month. I pay a little over $100/pay period for family coverage which is 15% of the cost. It's expensive, and I don't see how most people could afford the premium if they got layed off. SCHIP is good in situatuations like this to help people get through a rough spot.

#14........I ran our HR dept on an interim basis for a while and I am well aware of the cost of insurance.

Most employees have NO idea what it would cost them if they were responsible for their premiums.

At one point, we became profitable enough to extend full coverage to employees........then whaddaya know......the rates increased by 35%.

What a great scam.........it puts organized crime to shame.

COBRA is a joke. Basically it means......."OK.....now that you have lost your income, would you like to spend every red cent of your savings and unemployment compensation on health insurance????".

As far as I know, NOBODY from my company who was terminated ever opted for COBRA.

Andy - I agree that COBRA is a joke as well. I just wish that people appreciated what their employers do for them rather than sit around and bitch about their job all of the time.

The comments weren't really aimed at you. I was just venting when I saw the thread.

Good luck in your job hunt.

Mrs and I are both self employed, so I know the high cost of health insurance.....Sometimes it seems like they don't pay for much of anything, but when I had my 2 surgeries in the last 5 years, it came in pretty handy....(Appendix, ACL replacement)

Andy - If you are serious, good for you. Make use of it. That is what it is there for.

we provide PERS insurance.

employee plus one dependent costs $1000/mo. +/-.

This equates to about $6.25/hr.