ASA Insurance Plan debacle!!!

[sweptback]

If you are on those meds, then you do need to crunch the numbers....A single person who ends up with $100 a month in health care costs ends up about spending about the same either way....PPO or HSA.....

Except that under the PPO plan you don't pay anything close to that much with the co-pays... more like $20 for a 3 month supply.

It's all a hypothetical situation anyway, but I just wanted to make the point that doctor's visits aren't the issue I have with healthcare costs.

If I'm going to spend the same either way, I'd rather be on the PPO... but like I said that would change if they kicked some money into my HSA every year (not just a one-time deal).

 

[JoeMerchant]

Except that under the PPO plan you don't pay anything close to that much with the co-pays... more like $20 for a 3 month supply.

It's all a hypothetical situation anyway, but I just wanted to make the point that doctor's visits aren't the issue I have with healthcare costs.

If I'm going to spend the same either way, I'd rather be on the PPO... but like I said that would change if they kicked some money into my HSA every year (not just a one-time deal).

Part of the reason health care costs are so high is because we use third parties to pay for things that really should be paid out of pocket....If we had the same system for our cars, we would be using car insurance for oil changes and routine car repairs...The result would be much higher auto insurance rates, and much higher costs for oil changes....

I suspect we will be able to negotiate improvements to the HSA....as long as we don't have negotiators that tow the AFLCIO line of not liking HSAs in the first place....HSA's are the best shot at meaningful health care reform...That along with allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines would do far more than this boondoggle currently working it's way through Congress.

 

[jegermeister]

Exactly. I have about $9000 in my HSA now and don't need to rely on "Obama care"....It's growing tax free and provides a nice safety net....

Obama care is just that, a safety net. Just as social security is a safety net. Ask any senior who lives off SS alone and I'm sure they wish that they had more to live off of.

I'm glad to see that you guys still have medical coverage at ASA. Having said that, if SkyWest ever pulls the plug on health insurance or if someone finds themselves part of a furlough, a public option is better than nothing.

Jeger

 

[shamrock]

Hey Joe, are you still persona non grata with ALPA? Your views would be helpful over on that web-board.

 

[wms]

Dental and vision are still under the PPO, but you can use the HSA for the copays rather than the FSA.

After reading the Q&A I may be wrong about this. I thought I read something different elsewhere. sorry

 

[outtahere]

All the same, they said that the current deductible is not fixed, so that means that it will increase over time. Sure, the PPO premiums will increase also, but the company has a vested interest in keeping them lower because they pay 70% of those. Our out of pocket expenses they could care less about.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Hey Joe, are you still persona non grata with ALPA? Your views would be helpful over on that web-board.

I'm still not allowed there....Shouldn't be much longer though and I'll be back over on the ALPA boards...

 

[Whydoitry]

Here's my situation. We have a PPO with 10% copay, $5000 max/yr. Baby born 2mo early, wife spends 7days in hospital, baby 10days in NICU (thats very short for 2mo early)Bill for mommy, $47,000ish, bill for baby $130,000ish. Out of pocket $5000ish. How would that work out on your plan?

 

[wms]

$6000 max out of pocket and $165/month or $1980/year less in premiums.

 

[USCtrojan]

Oh yeah.. that's right. The guy with a hundred personalities.

*Skywest is taking over ASA
*ASA is doing better than ever, thanks to Skywest.
*Thanks a lot ASA, you a-holes.
*No seriously, thanks a lot ASA. Keep up the good work.

Which is it today? Tomorrow will be "Wow! how awesome is this preferential bidding stuff?"

Couldn't have said it better!

Trojan

 

[PBRstreetgang]

There is already a $2000 difference in the premiums between the HSA/High Deduct. and the PPO...If the union wins, just look for the PPO premiums to continue to rise.

Looking at the family plan, you are in the hole by $3000 the first year before any doctor visit.

Thats single, family is 6K. Just have your boyfriend/domestic partner, do your prostate exam while you are still gaping. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gaped
PBR

 

[purduej]

I burned the vast majority of my safety net this year with a major health problem. When I did the math comparing what it would have cost using the HSA vs the PPO (Skywest one, so exactly the same math). Including the one time $1,000 addition that Skywest provides and the $890 savings in premiums (single employee plan), the HSA plan would have cost me $2000 more than my PPO did.

However! With the lower out of pocket max, the tables are turned. If you graph the two plans based on expenses. 0 to deductible, deductible paid to max-out-of-pocket, with a baseline of the yearly premiums, the HSA in this case always comes out on top. This was very surprising to me. Now I couldn't include the co pays since that's variable during the year. But those you have to pay anyways plus any test/expenses you incur when going to the doc. The difference is unlikely to put you over. This is only for an individual though.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Thats single, family is 6K. Just have your boyfriend/domestic partner, do your prostate exam while you are still gaping. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gaped
PBR

You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer are you? I was talking about the family plan being 3K in the hole right off the bat....$2000 more in premiums, and a thousand dollar contribution from ASA/Skywest...Math wasn't your strong point was it...Too many PBRs?

 

[HoserASA]

Too many PBRs?

Ahh Pabst Blue Ribbon, still one of my favs! :beer:

Hoser
Roll Tide!

...that's what ya meant right Joe????

 

[JoeMerchant]

Ahh Pabst Blue Ribbon, still one of my favs! :beer:

Hoser
Roll Tide!

...that's what ya meant right Joe????

....Yep....Almost as good as Old Style...

 

[HoserASA]

....Yep....Almost as good as Old Style...

I recall once when I was TDY to Wisconsin in the mid 80s and Old Style was going for 10 cents a glass in the bars! Small glass but still, 10 cents, c'mon! Hit me!

Hoser
Roll Tide!

 

[JoeMerchant]

I recall once when I was TDY to Wisconsin in the mid 80s and Old Style was going for 10 cents a glass in the bars! Small glass but still, 10 cents, c'mon! Hit me!

Hoser
Roll Tide!

I remember $1 pitchers of Old Style in the 80s....Ahh...The good old days.....

 

[HoserASA]

Ever sample 'Linengugels' (sp) up there Joe? A friend (from WI) years ago in the Air Force had his Mom ship his golf bag to him at Moody. When he picked it up, he turn it upside down , clubs, irons all dropping out. And then, TWO 6-packs of 'Linengugels'! :beer:

Hoser
Roll Tide!

 

[JoeMerchant]

Ever sample 'Linengugels' (sp) up there Joe? A friend (from WI) years ago in the Air Force had his Mom ship his golf bag to him at Moody. When he picked it up, he turn it upside down , clubs, irons all dropping out. And then, TWO 6-packs of 'Linengugels'! :beer:

Hoser
Roll Tide!

Oh Sh!t Yah...Don't ya know...Like the Leinies....