In PharmacyChickville newspaper, the recent hot item, (other than the weather) is the fact that a huge union-based employer group is having a war during their contract negotiations.  Apparently, despite the sagging economy, rolling furloughs, layoffs, and cutbacks,  THIS group has managed to preserve (til now) its FREE health insurance.  Its the kind of job we all would love to have.  Once you get hired, its awfully hard to get fired, and the benefits are pretty nice….kinda rare in todays world.  No wonder everybody lines up 10 deep to apply.  Since I write anonymously, I cant reveal the employer but suffice it to say its still the bastian of golden parachutes.  It is a government based employee group.

Now however, this group can no longer fly under the radar.  If you worked for the govt you got the best of the best, with regards to benefits. It was said at one time that the wages may be slightly less than the private sector but the benefits couldn’t be beat.  True statement if what my employee friends say is accurate.

Now the hammer is coming down.  Money is short and if everybody else is having to pay for health insurance then is reasonable and rational to expect that THIS group should be paying part.   Mr Chick and I pay close to $400/month in “premiums” for our employer based health insurance.  $4800 per year for our anual tooth check and OB exam.  wow.  At least we know that if we crash and burn, we are covered….at 80%  Yea, even with health insurance we could be bankrupt by a catastrophe.  This particular group pays nothing.  nada.  zippo.  Tax dollars pay them all.  MY Tax dollars.

the union is having a fit because they may have to pay a small percentage of the premium. 

I thought about it for a while and came to this conclusion.  They should pay. No, I am not being sour grapes.  Its just the fact of the economy.  Times are lean and if you are gonna keep the most jobs, then something has to give. I did a mental looksee over the last 15years of my employment benefits and this is what I found.

        1.  When I was first hired.  we had free health insurance.  Both Mr chick and I happened to work at the same employer (tho in different jobs) and because we were “double” covered, we had our expensed paid at 100% because what 1 didn’t pay, 2 did.  it was nice.

      2.  later on the policy changed.  Each employee had to have his/her own plan, even if you worked for the same company and you could NO longer be double covered, which means that Mr C couldn’t be a dependent on my policy if he worked for the same company as I did, he had to carry his own…AND we had to start paying a small “premium” around 15 bucks a week.

      3.  Mr chick eventually moved to a new employer.  Chick’s employer group wouldn’t even cover him IF he could receive ANY benefits from his new employer, and if I did add him, it was a $200/month fee.  Yes folks…two hundred dollars a MONTH .  Thank good ness his new employer had health benefits.

      4. fast forward thru no deductibles, fixed copays and ceilings to 1000 dollar deductibles,  percentage copays and no stop loss.  currently the first thousand bucks of all medical expenses are on me each and every year.  For the last few years, I haven’t had to file a single claim, because I have had to pay for everything up front.  Everything the Dr billed was rejected “subject to deductible”. 

And I get to pay $400 per month for the priviledge ..of paying for it myself.

Do I feel bad for this union for being forced into the reality of 2011.

Not so much.  Ive been doing it for years.

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