Woodworking Business

You are not logged in. [ Login ] Why log in
(NOTE: Login is not required to post)

Post a Response
The staff at WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at any WOODWEB Forum. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.
Your Name:
Your Website:
Email Address:
Subject: Re: Medical Insurance

Message:

(read message guidelines).
Note: Do not use the below fields to advertise your business - only for links related to the discussion.
Thread Related Link URL:
Thread Related Link Title:
  To "point" to an image (picture) from another website, provide the URL (Web Address) of the file ( include ONE reference to http:// )
Thread Related Image URL:

Date of your Birth:

Upload a Thread Related File:
File Types: Image (gif-jpg-png-bmp), PDF, Sketchup, Video (mov avi wmv mpeg mpg mp4 ogg). (Image Upload Tips)

I have read the Site User Agreement and agree with the Terms

  <= Check to receive e-mail notification of responses

Message Thread:

Medical Insurance

10/5/17       
DS

I offer medical and dental plans to all of my employees and pay 100% of the cost.

I just received my renewal rates for next year. It has been 3 years since the ACA came into effect. Despite the rhetoric claiming insurance rates would double or triple, my medical insurance rates have risen an average of 5% per year since the ACA came into effect, the same average annual increase as before. My dental rates have actually gone down 5%.

I found that interesting, and a fact that bolsters my feeling that my political leanings should have nothing to do with the fiscal effects on my business. I've been in business for 26 years through 5 different administrations, 3 Republican and 2 Democrat. Under no administration has there been ANY effect, positive or negative, on my business. Taxes have neither gone up or down, regulations have neither become stricter or more relaxed. My conclusion after a quarter century is that my business and personal income is not effected in any way by either political party. It is safe therefore, in my opinion, to effectively ignore that aspect of either party's political rhetoric.

10/5/17       #2: Medical Insurance ...
TS

DS,

Political rhetoric, and the policies that derive therefrom may, not affect your business but it can and does have a lot of affect on the welfare and opportunities of many people around you.

If your business is the only thing that matters then all is well.

10/5/17       #3: Medical Insurance ...
Scott

Wish I could say the same. I used to pay my employees insurance 100%. When the ACA came out my rates went up 50%. I decided to drop the insurance for my guy's and let them get there own. Since then my insurance for my family has gone up 30 - 40% every year. And they give me crappier insurance every year with that raise in rates.

10/5/17       #4: Medical Insurance ...
DS

TS,

The point I did not feel compelled to make (because this is a business forum) is that due to my conclusion, my political leanings have nothing to do with fiscal concerns and everything to do with my own moral compass.

Point well taken though, there are definitely other political issues that greatly effect my business. For the sake of my point however, I kept it narrowly focused on two issues that have been in the news recently that in my opinion are misleading as to their benefits.

Scott, you need a better agent. Every year I am provided with several comparable quotes from different insurance providers. And yes, there are some that have increased by the amounts you say. I simply choose not to buy my insurance from them.

10/5/17       #5: Medical Insurance ...
TS

DS,

In much the same way that people voted for Trump because he was "anybody-but-Hillary" lots of people support repealing Obamacare simply because it was promoted by Obama.

The most recent iteration offered up by the Republicans centered on block grants to the states. Under this program the individual legislatures would determine what was good for their state. They could choose to allow for pre-existing conditions or not. What constitutes a pre-existing condition could be different from state to state. Pre-natal health could be covered in some states and not in others. Women's health care options would widely differ from state to state.

The problem is that people are migratory. They move from state to state for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's better employment opportunities. Sometimes they move for family reasons.

What happens to a woman's health care options if she was born & raised in Oregon but got offered a job in Texas?

To quote President Trump, health care is complicated.

10/5/17       #6: Medical Insurance ...
TS

DS,

The way that health care is financed today puts a lot of small employers at a disadvantage relative to large employers or government entities.

A worker with a family has no choice but to work for whoever can give him the benefits he needs. A lot of times this worker is stuck in a low paying and/or uninteresting job merely because of the benefit structure.

You may be able to find an insurance company that is willing to underwrite your company's employees at a rate that is affordable to you now. If the economy turns down your prices will follow. This will have some impact on how affordable this policy is to you in the future.

How do you think your health care costs compare to Boeing? Why should their health care cost them any less than yours?

10/5/17       #7: Medical Insurance ...
Alan F. Member

Prior to ACA our employees had a max 1500 out of pocket HSA plan. We put $500 a year for awhile into the plan so their max cash out of pocket was $1000.

Our goal was to protect our employees form a major medical bill, they had to pay the small stuff.

Now we offer a modified grandfathered HSA plan with a 3500 max out of pocket. We also offer ACA plans that are 6500, 12,700 max out of pocket plans with lower co pays.

What shop employee can afford a family max 12,700 our of pocket? What if the illness continues for 2-3 years?

So it really depends where you are as rates are locally based depending on the cost of service but the max out of pockets are the same unless you have a Cadillac plan or a subsidized plan.

Employees with wives that work are over the limit for subsides in a lot of case and absolutely get squeezed by the max out of pocket.

I had about 5 meds I need to take that prior to ACA cost me about $200 per quarter for 90 day by mail supplies, last year the same drugs were $800 per quarter because of new ACA testing requirements. I was able to get off of two of them last year. One of the drugs needed to be recertified as safe ( it had been prescribed for over a 100 years with trillions of doses and no issues, yet ACA required that it be recertified as safe, manufacturers dropped out, supply decreased, price increased.

ACA is great for people that can't get insurance or can't afford insurances, everybody else in the middle got stuck with poorer overage, higher deductibles.

Our broker presents about 75 plans to chose from. They are all close in cost when you look a the coverage.

Why is it a business responsibility to solve healthcare costs for everyone and absorb the differences?

Who got helped the most by ACA
1) insurance companies
2) healthcare companies
3) drug companies
4) people without insurance
5) people that couldn't get insurance.

everyone else lost something.

10/6/17       #8: Medical Insurance ...
The Staff at WOODWEB

There has lately been a rash of threads at our Business Forum
that veer off course into opinionated political discussions.
These discussions invariably turn into arguments,
and ultimately steer the discussion in a direction that
is not in keeping with the goal of our Forums: to promote
discussion of professional woodworking topics.

The unfortunate result of these events is that the original
topic is no longer pursued.

We've removed a number of responses in the hope that
this discussion can get back on track, with the responses
related to business aspects of professional woodworking.

Deciding when a response is "over the line" is a subjective
task, and while our participants may not agree with our decisions
to remove certain responses, we hope they will consider the
challenges we face monitoring 18 Forums, and respect our
position in these matters.

There are thousands of forums on the web where political
discussions are appropriate. Participants interested in the
discussing general politics should investigate those resources.

This note is posted as a clarification ... not as an effort to
inspire a forum discussion about our policies. We welcome all
suggestions regarding our policies, and the appropriate method
to pass along suggestions is via email.

Carl Hagstrom
Systems Administrator at WOODWEB

10/21/17       #9: Medical Insurance ...
Sea444

Perhaps many of you do not remember what your health policies cost prior to 2008. I retired in 2006 at age 55, and my policy for myself, wife and age 18 daughter cost $425 a month with a $1000 deductible. By 2016, with just myself and wife with a $5000 deductible the monthly cost was $2250. Same insurance company. Huge annual increases in 2010/11/12 in anticipation of Obamacare.

Anytime the government mandates that individuals or companies must purchase any product, and does not control the price of that product, the cost goes through the roof. Just look and what the disposal fees for hazardous material has gone to once the legal mandates came into effect.

10/21/17       #10: Medical Insurance ...
cabmaker

Sea444,

You are right that things are more expensive. My house today appraises for over $800K. In 2008 I could have bought it for under $400K.

Just like you I am older now too. Last time I checked older people tend to consume more medical services.

I understand that you don't like mandated insurance. You think people should be free to choose whether or not they need insurance. What happens if one of these rugged individualists falls off his skateboard and isn't wearing a helmet. Do we just consign them to the compost pile?

Nothing is free. Living in a society that has great benefits costs money. Be grateful you have what you have.

10/23/17       #11: Medical Insurance ...
David R Sochar Member

No one needs health insurance. We all need health care.

Drop out the insurance and concentrate on providing health care like most of the world does.

 

Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Site Map

FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)

  • WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
  • Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
  • A valid email return address must be included with each message.
  • Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
  • Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
  • "Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
  • Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
  • Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
  • Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
  • Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
  • Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
  • Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
  • Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
    (return to top).

    Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.

    You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.

    WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.

    Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).

    Libel:   Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.

    Improper Decorum:   Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).

    Advertising:   The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).

    Repeated Forum Abuse: Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.

    There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).

    The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)


  • Forum Posting Help
    Your Name The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
    Your Website Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    E-Mail Address Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
    Subject Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
    Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    Thread Related File Uploads Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .MP4 (Image Upload Tips)   If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)