So here's our health insurance rate hikes at work for this next year

[SHRED]

Initial bids came in from Kaiser and Anthem.

Kaiser up 19.4% from last year
Anthem up 22.2% from last year

Kaiser has some sort of a "cap" which I need to find out about that limits this year to a 7% raise.
Anthem was negotiated down to 19%.

Kaiser claims the ACA is responsible for 2-3% of the 7% raise and Anthem claims 5% of the 19% raise attributable to the ACA.

The bulk of rate increases they say are due to our group's costs. We've had some folks with cancer and serious health issues that have driven up the group rates.


So glad I am retiring in April and going on the exchange.
My wife and I found a Gold plan for about $600 per month.
https://www.coveredca.com/
Still alot but better than the $1800 per month we'd have to incur by staying under the employer's umbrella after reitrement. See, my retirement does not have a health benefit and we have "pre-existing" conditions so we would need to stay in the employer's group but would have to pay full price.

ON EDIT:
I will add this is for 50% of dependant care coverage. Single employees are covered. Not a bad deal but it will still drive our cost to cover my wife to about $400 per month.

[doc03]

1. I don't understand. You are going to pay $600 per month instead of $1800 and you complain?

You can't get on the ACA plan and you are paying 19% more??????

[SHRED]

2. ??

Let me explain.

My retirement is possible due to the ACA. I am not complaining. I have been planning this for 3 years as I watched the ACA develop.

The rates at work are what they are. The people I leave behind.

[doc03]

3. Oh I see. Enjoy your retirement, it's the best job I ever had. My employer liquidated 8 months

before I turned 65 so the Union found us a bare bones plan that was $850 per month for just myself.
I was lucky because I qualified for HCTC and got by with $225 per month. A buddy of mine had to pay $1700
a month out of his savings for him and his wife since he was on unemployment compensation.
I started Medicare back in April now I pay about $210 for Medicare part B and part C.

[SHRED]

5. good for you

In lieu of a public health plan (which I wanted) I am happy we can afford the exchange prices. There are many flaws with the ACA that I hope will be ironed out.

One of them is they will not allow a family to go to the exchange if one of the adults is employed and that employer provides coverage.
My co-worker pays right now $520 per month for his family or 4 and that is going up 19% next year.
$520 + 19% is well beyond the 9.5% max pecentage of income as prescribed by the ACA.

[Roland99]

4. Geez...can I move to CA?

for a Gold plan with no deductibles and low co-pays, I'd pay $759/mo for a family of 5 (after subsidies).

hate our pRick Scott governor.

[SHRED]

6. My parameters were...

2 persons
57 and 55 yrs old
$45,000 per year
and of course the zip code.

[kestrel91316]

7. Sounds like employer health plans are now all about royally ripping off

all the insured. Employees are now going to refuse to work for companies who have these terrible plans because they totally screw the insured, unlike plans on the exchange.

I think this is an awesome way to stick it to giant corporations. They won't be able to compete with smaller employers anymore because of their SHITTY "benefits" package that is a royal ripoff.

Keep it up, corporate buffoons.