Benefits

[patman]

Just making my elections for 2010...Cost of health insurance has doubled since last year???

[rahock]

Depending who your carrier is, health care premiums have increased in double digit percentage figures for the last 25 years and only a few of those years were way down there in the 10% neighborhood.
I did  some research on this about 15 years ago for the company I was working for . Things were getting out of hand then but the employers were eating the costs and most people were not that aware. Since then it's really gotten out of hand, with many increases over 25% per year . I also had one year with another company where our costs doubled. This was following two years of 20% plus increases. Along with that deductables and co pays have increased steadily over the last decade or so. There is nothing else that I can think of that is this screwed up.
The icing on the cake is that along with each increase it seems that the service you get gets significantly worse.

Rick

[Nocturnal]

Our new benefits will cost the same per paycheck, but more to use when you use them. I'm glad that I at least have insurance tho. I'll just miss the good insurance.

[OldManC]

I pay my family's insurance out of pocket so I feel the increase every year. The premium is going up over $100 a month and our copays are going up on everything. From what I've read, the insurance companies are getting it while they can. And that's all I'll say about the current state of U.S. healthcare!

[Highlander]

One of the few "benifits" of being a Brit is the healthcare... though that is crumbling... 

[lowend1]

Plenty of villains to go around on this one (like the economy). Greed is the overriding factor here as well - insurance companies, drug companies, hospitals, doctors and yes, the patients who file frivolous lawsuits. There is no easy fix on this one.

[gweimer]

Here's what I don't get.  My wife and I are on a few expensive medications, which are covered by our prescription plan.  My Humira, normally $1300/shot, twice a month, is down to $250 for a 3-month supply.

Most of the drug companies offer either discount cards or assistance programs for prescribed drugs.  My Humira came down to $5 every 3 months that way.  My wife gets discount cards from Lunesta ($70/prescription), Pristiq ($25/prescription) and a couple others that I can't remember.

If you're on any sort of medication, with or without coverage, I'd suggest either asking the physician, pharmacy, or the manufacturer for a discount.

Which gets to my point - why offer the discount, instead of simply adjusting the price?

[Freuds_Cat]

One of the few "benifits" of being a Brit is the healthcare... though that is crumbling... 

Same here in Oz. previous govt (Conservatives) spent 10 years working towards trashing our system. They seemed to think that the User Pays Health care system in the US is the best model for the citizens of the country they were elected to run.

It will be interesting to see what the fledgeling Labor govt can do (or not do).  I have no aleigence to either. I'm a swinging voter and I vote based on the issues of the day. Still its sad to see what was once (IMHO and knowledge) the best Health care system in the world get reduced to its current state of dysfunction.