Posted on 10/26/2010 4:54:01 AM PDT by truthandlife
Raises may be small and bonuses a distant memory of better times, but one workplace number isn't frozen: Employees can expect a double-digit percentage increase next year in the cost of health insurance they get through the office.
This year's health care overhaul combined with other factors will push the average cost per Houston employee to $4,946 next year — 12 percent more than this year — according to Aon Hewitt, a human resource consulting firm that tracks medical costs. The figure includes insurance premiums and insurance-related expenses such as co-pays and deductibles.
The firm surveyed 350 large employers nationwide, including 99 with offices in Houston.
The projected cost for Houston is $560 more than the U.S. average for 2011, according to Aon Hewitt. More than $500 of that difference stems from higher co-pays and deductibles for Houstonians.
Area residents pay higher out-of-pocket costs than workers in other cities partly because there are fewer unions in Houston to bargain benefits, said DeLayne Etheridge, a principal at Aon Hewitt who specializes in health care. Union members tend to pay less in co-pays and deductibles because of collective bargaining.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
I will make it a note to myself and my personal safety to avoid in totality being near any Federal buildings come next year. This is nothing more than an overt attempt to brew acts of violence against the Federal Government. Obama researched heavily into this Obamacare, and found it a working model to create chaos and a divided USA. We MUST stop it cold, before it stops us.
I don’t think Gates has too much to do with Microsoft these days, at least on a day-to-day basis. He was a “big Obama supporter,” though. More to the point, it’s my understanding that many if not most Microsofties are left-wingers who flatter themselves by thinking that they are part of the “elite.” I’m sure they’re happy to have to pay more out of their own pockets to support their hero Obama.
That's still a few hundred less than we will be paying as retirees for federal employee blue cross.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.