if you do, are u happy with it?
if u don't, do u want it?
do u pay too much, too little or not at all?
is a good healthcare plan part of your job "must have"?

I have it but I feel it's waaay too expensive!

We pay about $1200/month for the four of us.

Lived in Germany and there we would be covered, just without as visible a cash drain...

My family is blessed enough to be covered in both the U.S. (by my wife's employer) and Canada (by my university). I'm happy with coverage on both sides of the border.

It's tough to say whether we pay "too much." The cost is significant (and though there is universal coverage in Canada, I pay because I'm not [yet ] a citizen). But we can afford it, thank God... and how do you put a price on that security? It absolutely would be too much for many less fortunate people whose well being is just as important as ours, though.

...And, yeah, good healthcare benefits are definitely something my wife and I consider with regard to employment.
[Edited 8/23/09 23:55pm]

I have it but it's really shitty, I pay for everything out of pocket until I get to my high deductible But I went so long w/o it I'm scared not to have it @ this point

Honestly it doesn't matter if you have health insurance or not, what matters is when and why they stop covering you.

Thank god for universal health care

Yes, I pay about € 110 a month and I am covered for just about anything.

No. since my job cut my hours it's too expensive for me.

I have great health care through my husband's employer. We don't pay for it. I'm very happy with it. We have a $25 co-pay for doctors and pay $5/$11 for prescriptions.

Thankfully there's no lifetime cap either. With my six years of cancer treatments, I'm sure they've had to pay millions for me by now.

I do qualify for Medicare, but have not signed up with it. It would be $90-something a month taken from my SS check, and obviously, I don't need it.

Looking to get some right now, funnily enough.

Yes we do

are u happy with it? Very much

do u pay too much, too little or not at all? I would say it's almost fair - knowing that they are still making a profit
is a good healthcare plan part of your job "must have"? We have children - so yes

I have insurance through my employer. It's crap, though, and other than preventive visits (which boils down to 1 exam a year) it's expensive as heck to see a doctor. $35 copay for a regular visit, $55 for a specialist (like seeing my dermatologist) and there's an insanely high deductible on top of that so I've paid out over $600 already this year on minor visits, on top of my $80 a month just to have the insurance. I avoid going unless it's absolutely necessary as it's just too expensive.

10 years ago I paid about $60 a month and had $10 copays for any time I went in to see someone and that's all I paid ever. Everything was covered after that.

CarrieMpls said:

Does your employer offer the option of a flexible medical account? If so, look into that for deductibles, etc. Because an FMA is funded with pre-tax money (it's a direct deposit deal), it ends up costing you roughly half what it costs if you use post-tax dollars (depending on your income).

You still have to pay (obviously), but it's a little less painful.

i am insured under my husban now. but in the past i'd pay just $300 for myself and they excluded 2 of my pre-existing conditions which was a pain...

Genesia said:

I looked I into that this year on a friend's recommendation but there was something weird about the one my company offers that made me not do it. There was something like if I didn’t use the money I put aside for the year I’d lose it. And there are years I don’t see a doctor at all, so it didn’t make sense to me.
I plan to look into it again next year.

Sadly, I work for the same company as I did 10 years ago. Our insurance has just eroded that much in the time I’ve worked here.

CarrieMpls said:

It is true - flexible medical accounts are "use it or lose it." Fortunately, a flexible medical account may be used for more than you think. You can also claim OTC medications (like cold remedies), band-aids, sunscreen, contact lens solutions - all kinds of stuff.

The key is to be conservative in how much you put away. Think about what your out-of-pocket medical expenses are for a year - cover your deductible, then think about what you spend in co-pays.

If worse comes to worst, you can always stock up on the OTC stuff at the end of the year.

We have insurance through my husbands job, my job is a smaller company with crappier insurance, so opted to go for my husbands employer. We pay 50 dollars each week out of his paycheck, to help pay for it. Then we have a 25.00 co-pay, and are mostly covered after that. Sucks that when my husband started at this company 16 years ago, there were no payments, just a co-pay. But oh well. The insurance is Blue Shield.

Genesia said:

I can see how that would be helpful for some people, but it's not really geared for a single, basically healthy person. I have no idea what to estimate. I never would have thought I'd be spending that much in one year and now next year chances are I won't have to visit them at all.

As for the OTC stuff, I don't have a family to provide for. A box of band-aids lasts me more than a year (in fact probably more than 2 or 3 ), I buy maybe 2 bottles of ibuprofen a year and I don't wear contacts. I don't take OTC medicines for colds or allergies or anything as they make me feel worse than the cold does. I don't think I could make it up in sunscreen alone (and I'm not sure sunscreen would even qualify ).

And where does that money go if you "lose" it? Who gets it?

CarrieMpls said:

Well, truthfully...I didn't use one for a long time, either. But I no longer have a vision or dental plan, so I use that for those visits, too. I look on it as a good way to save for expenses I'm sure to have...but hate saving for on my own. The pre-tax thing is just icing on the cake.

CarrieMpls said:

Carrie, if I'm not mistaken, you can use the money towards tampons and condoms too. Here, if you go to CVS or Duane Reade, your receipt has a little FS next to any item that is deductible from a flex spending account. Do you wear glasses? You can use it towards glasses/new lenses. I don't currently have flex spending but when I did, I planned to use most of it towards new glasses.

jone70 said:

Tampons? Seriously?

Genesia said:

Like I said, I don't currently have a flex-spending plan, but I seem to recall seeing an FS on a receipt. I could be wrong, though. I would check with the specific plan carrier, as Googling "are tampons covered under FSA" isn't giving a clear answer. Condoms and other birth control accoutrements are covered though.

I am grateful I have a plan I can afford. It has covered all my medical needs, which are pretty basic, yearly exams, Specialized OBGYN and the common cold kind of things.

Dental is ok... not the best plan, but it is definitely better than nothing.

Vision Plan... fair.

Co-pays $15
Specialists $30

I think I pay about $100 a month.

Plus, the man in my life is an internal medicine Physician... so that is nice at times, even though I still go to my regular doctor's office.

jone70 said:

Actually, individual plans only govern prescription drugs. The OTC stuff is based on what's deductible from federal taxes. I'm pretty sure tampons fall outside that.

I have awesome health insurance. I work at a University so their plans are really good. I think I pay roughly $16 a month and I get full health care. My co-pays are normally $10 and specialists are $15. My prescriptions usually run $7 or $21.

I also pay $9 a month for dental.

What's an insurance?

CarrieLee said:

Wonderful, good for you!

Yes, I pay 110 per month and my employer pays a contribution for me too.
Dr's visits and prescriptions are free. There's a 150 personal risk for any specialist visit and thereafter all free. I'm pretty healthy and touch wood don't go to the dr more than once in 5 years.

couldn't imagine not having health insurance though. That would be bizarre. Anything can happen to anyone. Not being covered is unthinkable.

no, i did a few months ago.

luv4u said:

But that doesn't cover everything.

Yes, I have health insurance, it covers 80% of everything including dental and vision, yes I am happy with it and no I do not think I pay too much for it.

It absolutely is a must have when it comes to a job. I can't imagine not having it.