Jet Blue benefits, healthcare cost?

[goingflying]

Just curious how much the healthcare costs are per month, some of the options, and when they start. Have a growing family and need good healthcare?

Thanks, Happy Holidays

 

[Blue Dude]

Incoming!

 

[Caveman]

Like most jobs rising health care cost is a big issue at JetBlue. We are no worse or no better than most companies as far as cost sharing goes and it isn't pretty. Some pay less than we do and in some cases a lot less. Others pay more, sometimes a lot more. If you compare us only to other airlines we're probably a little worse than most. Compared to all big companies we're probably in the middle of the pack. Any moment now someone will post anecdotal evidence of how little someone else has to pay somewhere else and how screwed up B6 is. It certainly could be better. No question. However, we aren't really any different from most places to work.

I don't have the numbers in front of me but as I recall the plan most people pick costs in the neighborhood of $150-200 per paycheck for a family plan. There's also copays and deductables involved. If you have a family member with ongoing medical issues you're going to spend some money. For normal preventative medicine, injuries, colds, flu etc it's not too bad.

In short it's not horrible, but it isn't good either. YMMV.

 

[johnsonrod]

Who cares? It's just a matter of time. Thanks to Barry Obama, we'll all be standing in lines outside our local hospitals praying that at least one bed is left unoccupied. JB won't subidize you as their healthcare costs escalate - it will just be easier to pay the fine and let everyone roll-off onto the Government list (watch out for the DEATH PANELS!). There won't be any more waivers (like the one McDonalds and Boeing just got) left. But at least Obama supports the unions....

Have fun with that...

 

[Smarta$$]

Who cares? It's just a matter of time. Thanks to Barry Obama, we'll all be standing in lines outside our local hospitals praying that at least one bed is left unoccupied. JB won't subidize you as their healthcare costs escalate - it will just be easier to pay the fine and let everyone roll-off onto the Government list (watch out for the DEATH PANELS!). There won't be any more waivers (like the one McDonalds and Boeing just got) left. But at least Obama supports the unions....

Have fun with that...

How much was fine before? Was it zero? Were employers required to provide insurance?

So... the fine was zero, and they were not required to provide insurance, and your argument is valid how????

You really are not very smart are you.

 

[Hair-on-Fire]

Who cares? It's just a matter of time. Thanks to Barry Obama, we'll all be standing in lines outside our local hospitals praying that at least one bed is left unoccupied. JB won't subidize you as their healthcare costs escalate - it will just be easier to pay the fine and let everyone roll-off onto the Government list (watch out for the DEATH PANELS!). There won't be any more waivers (like the one McDonalds and Boeing just got) left. But at least Obama supports the unions....

Have fun with that...

what an angry little man

 

[Dizel8]

Death Panels, those are currently provided by the Republicans in Arizona, they deem transplants to be not cost effective.

Sorry, went of tangent!

 

[Dooker]

Yeah, man, I can't believe what a jerk Obama is, trying to make it so you're not financially ruined if you lose your job and your health benefits and you or somebody in your family is dumb enough to get sick.

Talk about un-American.

 

[Smarta$$]

Death Panels, those are currently provided by the Republicans in Arizona, they deem transplants to be not cost effective.

Sorry, went of tangent!

Was thinking the same thing.

 

[Splert]

Death Panels, those are currently provided by the Republicans in Arizona, they deem transplants to be not cost effective.

Sorry, went of tangent!

Get used to it.

When the Government controls the health care dollar the these issues become political footballs.

Arizona just like all other state are downing in Medicaid (not medicare) mandates from the Feds. Obamacare just made it worse with the State responisbile for buying in residents within 300% of the poverty level into the Medicaid program

So when the budget is underwater what do your want to cut?

Remember there are no greedy insurance companies driving up the costs in Medicaid program.

You make the call.

 

[Floatplane]

Just curious how much the healthcare costs are per month, some of the options, and when they start. Have a growing family and need good healthcare?

Thanks, Happy Holidays

I'll bite! It's expensive and you will have to be very educated if you ever need to use it. Jetblue likes to stall, withhold, and delay any type of expense they can. Benefits are no exception. Expect to pay $380/month for the family plan. It will give you deductibles of $2000 in-network and $4000 out of network. If you have an OJI you will fight for every penny and even then you might not get paid what you are owed. I know of several pilots that are out on medical for one reason or another and they are having a hard time getting paid by the company. This is a big issue and the juicers either don't care or are just not educated about what a big issue this can become. STD and LTD are truly lacking at B6 and need to be addressed yesterday. I understand the climate the country is in with regard to healthcare issues, but in my opinion B6 is not living up to it's "caring" value on these issues.

 

[Blue Dude]

A related problem right now is that you only get med benefits at the contract rate for six months on disability, and for another 12 months at the COBRA rate. If you're still on disability after that, you and your family are cut off. Unsat. If you die, your family is cut off. Really unsat. And can't fix any of this "without giving it to everyone" so progress is slow. What the hey, it's only our lives and families, it can wait.

 

[Dave's kid]

I'll bite! It's expensive and you will have to be very educated if you ever need to use it. Jetblue likes to stall, withhold, and delay any type of expense they can. Benefits are no exception. Expect to pay $380/month for the family plan. It will give you deductibles of $2000 in-network and $4000 out of network. If you have an OJI you will fight for every penny and even then you might not get paid what you are owed. I know of several pilots that are out on medical for one reason or another and they are having a hard time getting paid by the company. This is a big issue and the juicers either don't care or are just not educated about what a big issue this can become. STD and LTD are truly lacking at B6 and need to be addressed yesterday. I understand the climate the country is in with regard to healthcare issues, but in my opinion B6 is not living up to it's "caring" value on these issues.

I'm not sure which plan you're looking at. The plan with the 2000/4000 deductibles is $283/month. And how is STD lacking other than an OJI hole? I know several pilots that got sick and got paid, no trouble at all. I can't speak to the LTD, I don't know anyone on it.

We have 4 plans. Ranging from the high deductable/low family premium at $54/month. To a low deductable/copay/high family premium at $566/month. The $566/month plan will cost you $20/office visit with a yearly family max of $2000.

 

[Smarta$$]

Get used to it.

When the Government controls the health care dollar the these issues become political footballs.

Arizona just like all other state are downing in Medicaid (not medicare) mandates from the Feds. Obamacare just made it worse with the State responisbile for buying in residents within 300% of the poverty level into the Medicaid program

So when the budget is underwater what do your want to cut?

Remember there are no greedy insurance companies driving up the costs in Medicaid program.

You make the call.

Medicaid is underfunded. Not that it has high overhead expenses. The problem at its core is that too many jobs/companies pay near poverty wages with no health benefits.

You can say that they should get a better job, but it won't fix anything. There are only so many good jobs, and companies have been dropping health coverage (or hiring part time to avoid insurance premiums for years). Even if they get a better job, there will ALWAYS be a large portion of the populace that has a crap job.

Companies have been dropping coverage for years, because the penalty was ZERO and they had no requirement to provide it anyway. Anyone that parrots the Glenn Beck talking point about the fine being less than the insurance is an ignorant sheep.

 

[johnsonrod]

How much was fine before? Was it zero? Were employers required to provide insurance?

So... the fine was zero, and they were not required to provide insurance, and your argument is valid how????

You really are not very smart are you.

Glad to hear you have a PhD from Harvard and you decided to become a regional pilot. Great career plan.

If you open up healthcare to everyone whether they can pay or not, it is not inconceivable that the overall standard of healthcare will go down. We don't have the facilities to handle much more of an increase in patient volume. So, rationing will become more popular - get used to that word: RATIONING. Why are Canadians still coming to the US for surgeries? Why? But they have freeeeeee healthcare - right? Were you aware that the recently named Medicare Czar has written academic papers about the value of rationing? Perhaps you bumped into him at Harvard.

Have you seen the current condition of our hospitals? In many cases the beds are ALREADY full. What will happen when you add more people to the mix who can come in as often as they like? I have unfortunately had personal experience with this as a relative was told that all beds were full despite the fact that she was very sick and needed hospital care - she was forced to sit in a waiting room (slumped in her chair). That was a terrible experience and nobody seemed to care at the time... How is Obamacare going to help her when she needs timely care?

Another point (sorry for being off topic), why is it that we can buy car insurance across state lines but not health insurance? Just think about that - thiiiiiiiiiiiiink about it. Wouldn't competition across state lines bring the cost of health insurance down? Seems to work for car insurance. But Obama and his Democratic buddies refuse to consider that basic economic point. It is not on the table. Instead, Obama wants to force everyone to buy health insurance without considering less forceful measures. I agree that we need to work-in pre-existing conditions - there should be no descrimination, but rates will still likely climb for everyone as a result.

Another point: tort refrom has not taken place due to Obama's love affair with the legal community (ability to limit lawsuit awards that force doctors to over-prescribe super-expensive therapies and tests to reduce legal liability). Obama's head of Health and Human Services (Sebilius?) was the former head of the Tort Lobby in either Kansas or Missouri - wow, BIG SURPRISE.

So, we don't have the infrastructure to handle a huge influx (30 million people) of new patients with unlimited healthcare (perhaps we should cap at 20 visits per month to the hospital), the overall healthcare standard we all enjoy will go down, and Obamacare does nothing to address the escalating cost of healthcare - it only adds to the overall cost by adding 30 million more people.

Yet another point, have you noticed that many doctors are now refusing to accept Medicare and Medicaid in certain states because the reimbursement rate is declining? Their legal bills are up (due to lawsuits - frivilous and otherwise) and they can't afford lower rates when expected to pay all of their bills. So, how will people be able to keep their old doctors (per Obama's explicit promise) if their doctors won't accept declining reimbursement rates?????????????????????????

So, it would be no surprise if Jet Blue or other large organizations force employees to go to the Government program if the cost of keeping health insurance far exceeded the fine for pushing employees to the list. Remember, JB is a business, and if profits are declining due to increasing health costs, something will be done. McDonalds and Boeing were recently granted waivers - but why should they if this is such a good program???? Why should employers be burdened with healthcare costs anyway? Why can't people get a tax break for paying for their own healthcare? There are a lot of questions that Obama will refuse to acknowledge.

Rant over. Regardless, good luck with your application to JB - just don't expect any healthcare coverage to stick forever unless major policy changes take place down the road.

Happy holidays to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!