Tell Me Something

[spence]

Originally Posted by fishbones

This is for Spence and JohnnyD. If an employee is smart enough, they should ask their employer for a higher pay rate if they decline the companies health plan.

This isn't news, it's exactly what we did at my wife's work when we moved onto my insurance.

-spence

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by spence

This isn't news, it's exactly what we did at my wife's work when we moved onto my insurance.

-spence

But you were telling ScottW that he was wrong when he said that a company can afford to pay employees more if they didn't have to pay for health benefits. Yet, your wife was ablr to get more money in lieu of medical benefits?

[scottw]

he just likes telling me I'm wrong

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by scottw

he just likes telling me I'm wrong

You know he's frustrated when he starts with the petty insults. In his defense, it must get hard trying to play devil's advocate all day.

[spence]

Originally Posted by fishbones

You know he's frustrated when he starts with the petty insults. In his defense, it must get hard trying to play devil's advocate all day.

I think this is the root of your problem, you're just making too many assumptions.

-spence

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by spence

I think this is the root of your problem, you're just making too many assumptions.

-spence

No, no problem here. You seem to be the one making assumptions about me having a problem with something. I try not to assume anything because you know what that does. And we both know that you like to play devil's advocate. Were you on the debate team at your HS?


Edit: I just remembered that I do sometimes make assumptions. I often assume that I'm getting hits from large fish when in reality, my eel is just bouncing off some rocks on the bottom.

[spence]

Originally Posted by fishbones

Were you on the debate team at your HS?

Nope...

Edit: I just remembered that I do sometimes make assumptions. I often assume that I'm getting hits from large fish when in reality, my eel is just bouncing off some rocks on the bottom.

Lighten up Francis.

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by fishbones

You know he's frustrated when he starts with the petty insults. In his defense, it must get hard trying to play devil's advocate all day.

just look at his picture, it's wearing him down, he looks like Karl Marx in drag...

[scottw]

Originally Posted by fishbones
Were you on the debate team at your HS?

Spence spent most of high school stuffed into a locker which is why he's such a nasty little man today

[spence]

Originally Posted by fishbones

But you were telling ScottW that he was wrong when he said that a company can afford to pay employees more if they didn't have to pay for health benefits. Yet, your wife was ablr to get more money in lieu of medical benefits?

No, what I said was that the value attributed to the benefits wasn't equivalent to cash.

i.e. if I have a 12K health insurance plan, and my company says they "contribute" 9K, they're not going to give me the option to take a 9K raise if I opt out.

Also, the rules on this might be different for a larger or smaller company. Read my freaking posts will ya...

-spence

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by spence

No, what I said was that the value attributed to the benefits wasn't equivalent to cash.

i.e. if I have a 12K health insurance plan, and my company says they "contribute" 9K, they're not going to give me the option to take a 9K raise if I opt out.

Also, the rules on this might be different for a larger or smaller company. Read my freaking posts will ya...

-spence

The value of the insurance benefit is equivalent to cash when you factor a person's total compensation. If I choose not to get my company health plan, I can get the equivalent cash value added to my salary. It won't be the exact same amount because the insurance deduction is pre-tax. Some companies do this, while others may give a percentage back to the employee. One company I used to work for wouldn't give anything back in the form of salary adjustment for not taking medical benefits. It's all up to the employer as to what they want to do. In my company, if I choose not to take my company vehicle, I can actually make out. They base my vehicle allowance on a pretty nice car. If I were to opt out, I could downgrade the car and put extra cash in my pocket every week. Benefits do have a real cash value.

As for reading your posts, I read some of them every day. Since their all basically the same, I don't see the need to waste my time on all of them. I was keeping track of how often you were using the word "neocon", but it got out of control. I figured you'd have turned the page on your "Political Talking Points Word of the Day Calendar" by now.

[spence]

Originally Posted by fishbones

The value of the insurance benefit is equivalent to cash when you factor a person's total compensation. If I choose not to get my company health plan, I can get the equivalent cash value added to my salary. It won't be the exact same amount because the insurance deduction is pre-tax. Some companies do this, while others may give a percentage back to the employee. One company I used to work for wouldn't give anything back in the form of salary adjustment for not taking medical benefits. It's all up to the employer as to what they want to do. In my company, if I choose not to take my company vehicle, I can actually make out. They base my vehicle allowance on a pretty nice car. If I were to opt out, I could downgrade the car and put extra cash in my pocket every week. Benefits do have a real cash value.

As for reading your posts, I read some of them every day. Since their all basically the same, I don't see the need to waste my time on all of them. I was keeping track of how often you were using the word "neocon", but it got out of control. I figured you'd have turned the page on your "Political Talking Points Word of the Day Calendar" by now.

Read the thread again, you're still not up to speed.

-spence

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by spence

Read the thread again, you're still not up to speed.

-spence

No, I'm up to speed just fine. The thread started out about what the cost of govt. health care is going to be for people. Then you and Scott got into a little bitchfest about infant mortality rates, and you got frustrated and used insults and talked down to him. Then there were some comments about what individuals could do to be healthier and what companies should do for their employees. Then, JohnnyD and you started to argue with Scott about what the real cost of health insurance is for a company and whether or not someone's wage should be adjusted if they decide to decline their company plan. Then, I pointed out some facts to you which you clearly didn't like. Because you couldn't come up with anything better, you tried to insult me by saying that I wasn't keeping up with the thread. This is a thread that's gone off on 3 or 4 different tangents thus far, and you yourself have been invloved in most of it. I chose just to respond to posts that I could give an informed opinion and some real facts on.

[Fly Rod]

Had to read back a few pages to get caught up to par .

Spence you stated a few pages back that your 12,000 plan sucked. And I mentioned my plan was very good.

If your plan is so terrible why would you switch your wife to your plan? Is hers worse or do you feel that they owe you more such as free gym?

For my family plan of 12,000 dollar plan which my employer pays fully We do have to pay the first 1,000 of doctor,medical bills that acumulate for the year. Nothing is taken out of my pay check to pay towards the premium. I'm futher ahead of the game then having to pay 30 - 40% of the premium

There are employers that will negotiate some of the difference if the employee chooses not to use the companies plan.

My wife and I always negotiate a medical plan when we work for a different company. Very few people in our line of work have company insurance.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Fly Rod

If your plan is so terrible why would you switch your wife to your plan?

We've been on my plan for some time now. My frustration with our current plan is that out of pocket expenses have skyrocketed the past few years. My assumption is that this has happened to most people.

We have thought about comparing our present situation with what her company could offer and see if there's a net benefit.

Is hers worse or do you feel that they owe you more such as free gym?

We used to have a gym reimbursement which was taken away some time ago. I found this to be silly...

For my family plan of 12,000 dollar plan which my employer pays fully We do have to pay the first 1,000 of doctor,medical bills that acumulate for the year. Nothing is taken out of my pay check to pay towards the premium. I'm futher ahead of the game then having to pay 30 - 40% of the premium.

I'd like that better than what we have. I pay several hundred each month for my family plan w/some deductibles.

There are employers that will negotiate some of the difference if the employee chooses not to use the companies plan.

And (for the millionth friggin time) I never said there wasn't!

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by spence

This isn't news, it's exactly what we did at my wife's work when we moved onto my insurance.

-spence

your $12,000 a year inadequate insurance