Companies squeeze spouses out to save health care costs

Companies squeeze spouses out to save health care costs

Some large businesses impose a surcharge on employees whose spouses can get comparable coverage at their jobs.

By KRIS HUNDLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published September 30, 2004



A handful of major employers are using a controversial new tactic to trim the costs of health care. They're eliminating benefits for employees' spouses who have the option of coverage elsewhere or they're making them pay more.

Media giant Gannett Co. is the latest employer to implement the policy, telling insured workers recently they have two choices in 2005: Drop your spouse from your plan or pay an extra $150 a month toward coverage.

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Gannett isn't alone. For its unionized employees in the Northeast, Verizon now charges a $40 a month surcharge for employed spouses. The surcharge is not charged if the spouse's income is less than $25,000 a year or if the spouse's premium is $900 or more.

Knight-Ridder Inc., which publishes 31 daily newspapers nationwide, told employees late last year that it would no longer cover spouses who had benefit options elsewhere. That knocked more than 1,000 people off its health plans, which cover 18,000 employees.

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http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/30/news_pf/Business/Companies_squeeze_spo.shtml


A major problem in America...and the media is worried about Kerry's tan.

to have my husband on my policy....

and his lame attempts to fix the system by giving small businesses the chance to offer the same health care as Big Business...well lookee here... Big Business doesn't want to pay either!!!!!

Many people would love to have the opportunity to provide their spouse with good health insurance for $150 a month. That is still way below cost.

My company just announced a $45/pay period "spousal surcharge" for them being added to our plan. You pay this in addition to the higher rate for coverage for two. Plus, the fee is only imposed on those whose spouse can get insurance through their own employer.

Our share of coverage for a family of three is over 400 dollars a month.. for BARE BONES coverage! 1,500 deductible for each of us before anything is paid.. after that it's still not great.

so it isn't a deal.

What they really want people to do is take coverage with the other company...before you know it all companies will do this and the rates will skyrocket...what is to stop the company from saying you have to pay $200 extra a month on top of the premium...

Because both my husband and I have worked several places where the company only paid for the employee's insurance, and the employee had to pay the additional premium to get spouse/family coverage. That's not anything new.

I've also worked a job where I was hired with the condition that I would keep coverage through the family plan with my husband's employer, and not ask for the benefit from my employer. I think that's fairly common, too.

"I was hired with the condition that I would keep coverage through the family plan with my husband's employer, and not ask for the benefit from my employer. I think that's fairly common, too."

Hired on the condition that you waive your right to benefits the co. offers its employees? Christ! Did you waive your 401K participation and FMLA too?

At my company these are the rates...

$200 a month for single coverage
$500 a month for family coverage

IF ...your spouse has insurance available to buy from his/her company but the rates are...

$300 a month for single
$700 a month for family....

Your only logical step is to select your company rates...but in my case the company slaps on an extra $75 a month because you did that.

Male employees will suddenly have "stay-at-home" wives, and women will have "unemployed" husbands..

Look for new rules to be enacted:

Employees will have to swear an oath that the employment status of their spouse is accurate, or face permanent termination of coverage..

THEN..

They will be forced to show income tax forms that prove income status of their spouses..

It's coalescing, folks.. Total corporate control is almost complete..

the employers & employees are getting slaughtered with rate increases. the paternalistic system does not work. solve that and you will have solved age & much sex-discrimination in hiring.