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Re:Employees Start to Feel the Squeeze of High-Deductible He... by jseliger on Friday May 03, 2019 @01:13PM (#19820222)
But it's been tough for people who were already covered by employer insurance.

Yes. The only word I disagree with in the headline is "start." The squeeze started years ago. One way to look at the problem is this way: http://seliger.com/2018/11/11/health-insurance-security-fqhc...:

In Northern Virginia, for example, the cheapest 2019 Obamacare individual market Silver plan for a family of four (mom and dad age-40) making a subsidy eligible $65,000 a year costs $4,514. That plan has a $6,500 deductible meaning the family would have to spend $11,014 on eligible health care costs before collecting other than nominal first dollar benefits.

I am not a fan of the word "unsustainable," but it seems to apply here.

Re:Employees Start to Feel the Squeeze of High-Deductible He... by pnutjam on Friday May 03, 2019 @01:18PM (#19820265)
That's not necessarily true, the discounts that insurance companies negotiate can be huge, but it's hard to include that since prices are so inflated to begin with.
Re:Employees Start to Feel the Squeeze of High-Deductible He... by rayiner on Friday May 03, 2019 @03:26PM (#19821456)
At least that premium is totally reasonable. In Germany, the health insurance tax is 15%, half paid by the employer and half by the employer (and it’s not progressive like the ACA subsidy). $4,500 per year is 7% of income, lower than what the employer-side tax alone would be in Germany.
Re:Employees Start to Feel the Squeeze of High-Deductible He... by mikestew on Friday May 03, 2019 @03:54PM (#19821688)
Now do the math when you include total out-of-pocket. My napkin says: "Considerably more than 15%". (Unless I misremember, and the 15% German tax doesn't cover the vast majority of cost.) Not to dismiss your point completely, but I could sell you insurance for $1/year, but your total out-of-pocket cost is going to be considerably more than $1.
Re:Employees Start to Feel the Squeeze of High-Deductible He... by rayiner on Friday May 03, 2019 @04:02PM (#19821759)
The out-of-pocket max is something you’re likely to hit only if you get sick. The 15% is something you have to pay every year.