Health Insurance Costs

[BostonJake2340]

We currently pay 10% of our insurance premiums while the city pays the remaining 90%. Through collectively bargaining our Mayor would like all city employees to pay an additional 10% over 4 years, equaling 20% employee, 80% city.

I know very little about health insurance costs. What I do know is that because of an aging population, tobacco, obesity and illegal aliens these costs are skyrocking.

My question is what percentage of your health insurance costs are you paying and how is the quality of the services you get in return?

Thanks.

[Ack8236]

We are currently paying a set amount, $37 a pay right now increasing up to $42 a pay in 2 years. We are trying to stay away from a percentage, as we feel that is a dangerous game and could get to be much more costly for our members. Our health care plan is "adequate". It is not a top end plan, but does cover many expenses and we do have dental, though the dental is the least amount of coverage they (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) offer. No vision coverage, though they do cover R/K surgery.

[djgilbert32]

I'm paying 100 % of my premiums, with the cost of health care insurance consider yourself lucky.

[KenNFD1219]

My town just put high deductable health savings account in place of for all employees. The plan has a $1,500 deductable for single members and $3,000 for families. The town contributes %75 percent of the deductable ($1,125 or$2,250). The employee pay the rest through weekly deductions spread out over the year.

The plan is pretty good and covers most expenses. We pay up to the deductable and then the insurance kicks in 100% for medical and 80% for dental.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Ours is 70/30. City pays 70%, we pay 30%.

[mtnfireguy]

We pay no premium for health insurance. $1000 deductible. The perscription plan has a $5 co-pay for generics.

Dental is also included, no premium. $50 deductible

We also have a vision plan available, cost is depends of level of coverage, starts at $15 per pay period.

[Profireman]

Health Insurance Costs...

You'll find it interesting how much difference their is among Health Insurance and Municipal Employees across the country. I asked this same question a couple of years ago.

Some pay $0..... some pay over $5000 per year.

We pay 50% of everything over the first $350 per month, the city pays the first $350 and half of everything over that.
It works out to about $4500 for family "employee cost"
Out costs have more than doubled over the last 5 years
Currently a family policy is approx $13,000 per employee, per year
for any union employee, but non-union city employees pay even more.

Once you start checking you'll be amazed at the differences in health care and prices through out the fire service and country in general.

Health Care costs are at the forefront of every contract negotiation that I have been apart of for the last few years, municipalities have put cutting or at least absorbing some of these outrageous costs at the beginning of all contract talks.

Until drug companies stop paying "pretty people" $120,000+ per year to deliver Prescription samples and Italian Food to my wife's office every Friday, I don't see any reason prices should go down anytime soon.


Single is about $12 per pay or $275 per year

I'll include the links so you can see for yourself.

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=37020

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthread.php?t=69181

[resqb]

I would hope that the IAFF is looking at the insurance problem that we face. Maybe start a IAFF insurance plan. Heck the more people on a plan the cheaper it gets (generally). One million paid FF's in the U.S. you would think we could get a heck of a plan relatively inexpensively.

[mtnfireguy]

I would hope that the IAFF is looking at the insurance problem that we face. Maybe start a IAFF insurance plan. Heck the more people on a plan the cheaper it gets (generally). One million paid FF's in the U.S. you would think we could get a heck of a plan relatively inexpensively.

The IAFF only represents just over 275,000 firefighters....

[resqb]

ooops

Sorry, my bad. One of those numbers you know, but gets jumbled in the brain. The coffee must've been wearing off.

[tfd181]

We pay 15% which is roughly $91 bi-weekly.

It is a great plan, the biggest problem is that the percentage goes up yearly and is totally out of our control. We are currently trying for a negotable number. Also there is concern about what happens when we retire. The guys hired before 2000 are covered in retirement, but when we start to go who knows what that 15% will be up to.

[Jumper1803]

Our city pays for all of our insurance. We have Blue Cross for major medical ($100 deductible), prescription($1/co-pay for name brand or generic), eye and dental. They also pay for our life insurance which is $100,00 w/ double indemnity.

[McKeesportJeff]

The city pays all of our healthcare this includes of course full eye and dental.
We have copays but the city reimburses us for those 100% except prescriptions which depending on price paid we get reimbursed up to 75% of what we paid. But we will never pay more than $36 for a prescription. I've never even come close to paying that amount!

[rdavis719]

We pay .5% of our base salary for individual, .75% of our base salary for two person, and 1% of our base salary for family coverage. We pay $5/$10/$25 for prescription drugs. We NEVER pay a percentage of our health insurance plans. The only way we increase our contribution, is if they pay us more. Upon retirement, we pay the same dollar amount we were paying the day we retired for the rest of our lives. If you pay a percentage of the insurance plan and you retire at around 40 years old, you may not have much of a pension by the time you turn 60. Most insurance plans increase by 15% per year.

[Eng3ineer]

We pay no premium for health insurance city covers it and they also provide Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment up to 4X your base pay... Our deductible is 250.00 and it pays 90/10 ... The perscription plan I want to say is 10.00 30.00 and 50.00 depending on the type and name brand of the drugs... Dental is 50.00 deductible with max 1000.00... Now on the other hand if I want to add my family to the plan mine is still the same, but the family cost is 425.00 per month...