I pay more for health insurance for YOUR gender reassignment surgery?

[shlingdawg]

I am doing my annual open enrollment and I'm feeling a bit put-out by WHERE my employer chose to advertise my increase in premiums............right next to where they advertised their support for our "diverse workforce". I'm so glad that I can pay higher premiums so my colleagues can have an addadictome or make their outies into innies.

I know I should be grateful that I have insurance and a good job. But I had to vent........

[Eric Holden]

Excellent! I have been looking to become female for quite a while now. Good to know my fellow employees will pay for it.

[DOSS]

I am doing my annual open enrollment and I'm feeling a bit put-out by WHERE my employer chose to advertise my increase in premiums............right next to where they advertised their support for our "diverse workforce". I'm so glad that I can pay higher premiums so my colleagues can have an addadictome or make their outies into innies.

I know I should be grateful that I have insurance and a good job. But I had to vent........

Sounds to me like your company is just going to pay less towards your insurance not that rates are going up due to more coverage.. I would be more annoyed that you technically just got a "Pay cut" than the fact that someone can now have their same sex spouse covered or have their winky removed.

[hank moon]

As THEY are surely happy to pay for fellow employees' doctor visits and increased medical costs due to poor diet, lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, <insert bad habit here> etc.

We all get sick, make poor health choices, etc. Yes, even you. We will all need health care. Why we continue to allow corporations to profit from our illness is part of our illness.

[Byron]

Indeed, a lot of people don't realize that their employer is not "paying" for these things...YOU ARE.
I just had a conversation this morning with the owner of the paint store I buy at. Consider the employer contribution to your social security tax...they're not paying it, you are...

It's like this...your job is, as far as your employer is concerned, a $50,000 a year position. That is the number they're starting from, that's the money for your job...period. Now, subtract compensation insurance, their SS contribution and health insurance as well as any other "employer paid" benefits or goodies. Say all that adds up to $15000 a year, subtract it from the $50,000...viola! your salary of $35,000. That's how it works.

Every business must recoup 100% of it's operating costs to make money or stay in business. I shake my head when I hear people say that employers are going to "pay" for this or that. Wrong, you pay for all of it. Lower wages, less hours, etc...It is reflected directly in you take home pay. No ands ifs or butts...

Remember, party trumps person. When you vote for a political party, you get their coalition, warts and all...and it will be served. Remember that when you cast your ballot.

[Iceaxe]

As an employer I can tell you your numbers are low and you forgot a few items.... insurance costs me $400 a month for a single employee, $1000 a month for a family of four. SS tax is easy to figure because as an employer I have to match your contribution. Also add in Workman's Comp, Fed and state taxes, licensing fees and probably a lot I have forgotten. Add in operating costs and as a rule of thumb I figure an employe must make twice what I pay them just to break even.

So if I pay you $50,000 a year you have to make me $100,000 before the company makes a dime.

I just thought some of you might find that of interest.

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[Scott Card]

But Ice, I deserve insurance, and benefits, and not to work and get paid anyway. I am special. You are an evil corporation and rich to boot. And it is not fair that you have money and I don't. Give me yours and everyone is happy. (Ahh, the entitlement mentality.)

Ice has it pretty well right on.

[Iceaxe]

Not to mention I'm the one taking all the risk. If the company goes belly up the employee just finds another job while the owner will probably suffer financial devistation.

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[double moo]

Not to mention I'm the one taking all the risk. If the company goes belly up the employee just finds another job while the owner will probably suffer financial devistation.

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Most employees don't understand the risks you and others have taken to own your own business. Often times the house, property, and anything else of value is collateralized against a business loan. And the times your line of credit feeds your family because the earnings could only pay their wages. Kudos to those who tried and succeeded!!!

Many years ago I had a boss tell me... "If this company doesn't make it, you look for a new job... I look for a new life." Some years later I found myself repeating that to employees!

[Iceaxe]

Many years ago I had a boss tell me... "If this company doesn't make it, you look for a new job... I look for a new life."

That's a good one.

If owning a company and making money was easy everyone would do it.


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[Byron]

The big bummer about this is that employers used to raise prices or cut business costs in order to cover these things. Now, they just cut people loose, or cut their hours. Google "Red Lobster Obamacare" to get an idea of what LOTS of companies will, and are, doing. It's a disaster.

All these mandates and regulations are supposedly designed to "move us forward", but they're actually creating a downward spiral. Obama said today "Get out and vote, it's the best way to get revenge"...Revenge? For what? I've never heard a president talk like that...

Famous Margret Thatcher quote..."The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money". If Obama is reelected, unemployment at or above 8% is indeed the new normal. Yeah, it's political...THEY make these laws after all. Elections matter, boys and girls.

[Sombeech]

Why is it that you business owners actually know what you're talking about?

[Iceaxe]

Why is it that you business owners actually know what you're talking about?

It's interesting when it's your money the government is taking and giving to others how much you learn....

Here's the deal.... I make a wage and pay taxes on my paycheck just like anyone else.... but... the government treats my company like an individual and taxes the company on everything it makes... and because I own 100% of the company I get taxed twice on every dollar I make...

The one thing Regan did when he became president was remove the tax on the company provided they spent the money ( you couldn't stash it in any type of savings). That is what trickle down really was. It created a reason for companies to spend money. We hired 5 new employees and replaced all our company cars during this period because it was tax free money. When Regan took office we were in a similar mess as we are in today. And the country came out of resesion and had 20 strong years.

Now that is a real simplified version of things but its the basic idea...

You can't tax business to death and expect them to expand. The system is currently set up so my best deal is to work with the smallest force possible because that is the easist way to reduce my overhead.



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[Bluff-Canyoneer]

Not to mention I'm the one taking all the risk. If the company goes belly up the employee just finds another job ...

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Not quite true. I believe a more accurate statement would be that employers are taking a larger risk.
Employees are also taking risks:
1. Risk of loss of reputation from being associated with firms that fail through no fault of their own.
2. Risk of having to move, perhaps at significant cost, to a new job market/city/state. Might be paying rent/mortgage in two places while looking for new opportunities, which could wipe a lot of people out.
3. Not really possible to "just" find another job right now for many people.


I've been on both sides of this fence and know both have risks. I wrote the checks for years and sometimes didn't have enough to pay myself after all the hourly wage guys got paid. But in the end I was rewarded more handsomely than they were for my willingness to take on more risk.