What have been some of the experiences with an employer going to a Health Savings Account setup?
966641
I signed up for my employer's HSA and high deductible plan for next year.  From the research I've done it seems that it's a good deal if you stay healthy.
505552
are you the employer?  Have you paid the premiums?  I don't understand the situation.
489525
May I suggest to you Ameri Plan's discount benefits program. They do not have any restrictions on ongoing conditions and you can start saving immediately. The plan includes significant savings on dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic care. I'd check them out. I'm so proud to be with them. I know I shouldn't advertise, but your need sounds great. Let me know if you have any questions. wlakin@ameriplan.net\n\nThey are headquartered in Plano, TX and have been in business for 14 years. They are currently offering (just for May) $1 per month for 3 months...basically a 90-day trial. :)\n\nhttp://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40378118...
775561
It depends on the employees covered, their ages, and the investment performance of the plan.  The money has to be there by retirement age, so the younger employees have lower contributions over a longer period of time, and the money has more opportunity to grow.  Older employees have a higher "normal cost", since there is less time to save for their pensions.\n\nIf the plan investments do better than expected, then employer payments don't have to be as high.  But if the investments don't do as well, the company has to make up the difference over time.\n\nIt's usually free money to the employee - sometimes as much as 25% or more of their salary, but usually about 3-7% of their salary.  Depends on how good the plan is!
552561
May I suggest to you Ameri Plan's discount benefits program. They do not have any restrictions on ongoing conditions and you can start saving immediately. There is a hospital advocacy program that assigns you a personal advocate to negotiate with doctors on your medical bills.\n\nThe plan also includes savings on dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic care. I'd check them out. I'm so proud to be with them. I know I shouldn't advertise, but your need sounds great. Let me know if you have any questions. wlakin@ameriplan.net\n\nhttp://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40378118\n\nPlans are month to month with no contract.\n\nWe are currently running a promotion for just the dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic plan where you can try it out for 3 months for $23 total. This is a great service. You should check it out!
967185
woah! just looked on their site good benefits. maybe there is no catch, and becasue they are such a good company, and obviously actually care about their workers they wanna give them stuff that will help motivate them. if workers are motivated, then theyr more likely to work harder and therefor, in the long run, make more money for the company. dont fret! just enjoy it if you do get the job. good luck!!!!\n\nHealth care: medical (PPO), prescription drugs, dental and vision \nDisability, life, and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance \n401(k) retirement plan with company match \nHousing discounts at our apartment communities \nPaid holidays, vacation, and sick time \nFlexible spending accounts for day care or healthcare expenses \nTransportation benefits for parking or transit expenses \nEmployee assistance program \nTuition reimbursement \nReferral bonuses for finding new associates \nRelocation assistance \nDiscount programs on things such as home appliances, paint supplies, office supplies, monthly wireless service plans, and banking \nCredit union membership \nAssociate recognition programs (check out having fun for details) \nIndustry-leading training programs \nSupplemented career apparel programs for on-site associates who are required to wear uniforms
481148
I am currently a financial advisor for a financial planning and mutual fund company so I hope I can help out some. Lets look at your questions.\n\n1. Life and health are they as difficult?\n   When I took the health and life insurance test for KS it was fairly simple. I haven't taken P&C but everyone I knew that tooke Life & Health didn't have too much of a problem with it.\n\n2. Work from library and internet?\n   Possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. I would suggest to find a good study that is specific to your state. I used a company called AD Banker for my health and life. Went to a class for life and study their book for health. Fairly easy. They taught everything you need to know. Especially the state specific law questions.\n\n3.Annuity what are they?\n  Easiest way to explain an annuity is...You know what a CD is at a bank. It's basically an account where you put a lump-sum amount of money in and let it earn interest and the interest compounds. Well and annuity is similar to that. There are some differences. First, it's only sold through Insurance companies. Which is why you are required to have a life insurance license. Second, when your interest compounds in an annuity you don't have to pay taxes on the earnings until the money is withdrawn. A cd you pay taxes on interest earned in the year it's earned. Third, annuities are the only investment vehicle that can guarantee a monthly payment for your whole life. What happens is you put money in it earns interest and then eventually you annuitize it. The insurance company then sends you a check each month until you die. Thats the basics of it. You'll learn more in depth about them when you study for your exam.\n4.Advice...\n  It's not easy. Take into consideration that while working in an insurance/financial services job you usually are self-employed and you just represent a company. Therefore you are really responsible for making your own paycheck. Most places put you on strictly commission. So if you don't sell anything this month you could go hungry. Make sure that you talk to all of your friends and family members. They will be the starting point of your business. Always, Always, Always, I cannot stress this enough, ask for referrals from people. It will make your business along with your paycheck grow. Don't stress out if you want to go into mutual funds or financial planning or anything. Such as getting your NASD series 6,7,63,65. They are somewhat difficult, but if you study and prepare they are actually really easy. Now, when you take these tests remember they are designed to trick you. Most of the time they are testing you on whether or not you know how to take tests. Read each question over twice make sure you know what it's asking. Watch out for questions that contain double negatives in them. And usually go with your first instinct. It's generally correct. Don't worry about any of the tests or understanding stuff greatly. You'll learn a lot about stuff as you go along. Good luck
875955
Well, it's more of a pain than the "pay on behalf of" insurance, because it's up to YOU to fill out the paperwork, send it in, answer any questions, and track it to be sure that you get the payment. \n\nIs it worth it?  Depends on how much money you're saving, vs. how much time you have to spend on it.
1107631
An insurance company can do this.  Search the internet under "lump sum settlement".  Remember that this business can be a very shady one.  Talk to a tax guy, investment guy or accountant, to make sure that the reasons you are doing this are good ones.  Usually, it's a bad idea, but is sometimes a good idea.\n\nShop around.  A lot.  The amount you get could vary quite a bit, particularly if you are in relatively good health.
49303
You should strongly consider setting up an HSA (Health Savings Account).  It combines a high deductible health plan (HDHP) with a cash account.  Since the health insurance is high deductible, the premium is a lot lower than normal.  Routine expenses are covered under the health plan (and not subject to the high deductible).  Best yet, you get to put the money in tax free, the account grows tax free, rolling over from year to year.  You can spend whatever amount you need from the cash part tax free so long as the spending is medical related.  At age 65, you can spend the money on whatever you please and yet only have to pay tax on your post-retirement tax bracket.  Best yet, you can invest that cash portion in whatever is offered by the institution you set it up with.  The real idea is that you will spend the cash on routine medical procedures in a way where YOU and not the insurer control the outlay, which gives you an incentive to find the best care at the lowest price.
606411
Your state Health Department would have the answer to your question.  Your best bet would be to find the funding source first, and then determine the process from the guidelines set aside for that particular funding source(i.e. Medicaid, Waiver, Medicare, private insurance, etc).\nBeyond that, you should consider the benefits of exceeding the state mandated guidelines for the benefit of both staff and client.  Happier employees are easier to manage.
470048
I had to go shopping for health insurance recently and got a lot of quotes with all kinds of options. Private pay - like what your asking. If your not over 40, healthy, don't smoke or have any special needs, then our situations are similar and I can tell you what I was impressed with. Out of 8 bids from various national company's; The two best were Mutual of Omaha and American Family. MofO was very impressive with coverage, additional free benefits and low cost riders like glasses and dental. American family was the same with an added benefit of a high yield health savings account that can be used as a tax deduction. Both had low deductables with free well care or low co pay well care, and were well under 200 a month not including riders. Good luck.
671938
my office (small business with 14 employees) has a group plan through blue cross blue shield.  it was actually easy to set up.  i called a few of the big players and asked for agents/reps to come to my office.  they all set up appointments.  i got quotes from everyone.  compared plans and viola....  insurance.
440144
Yes, they can. Sometimes one employee earns more if they opt out of using the company medical benefits and such when another employee doesn't opt out. Essentially, the company is paying out the same for both employees, only one employee sees the added money on their paycheck while the other employee, using the medical benefits, doesn't.
18630
None. I have been in one, do yourself a favor... avoid them like the plague, all they do is take your money.
42633
Yes. If people get sick or hurt they need something to fall back on. Plus it helps the employer too. People with health insurance can get back on their feet faster and, if the stay home briefly, don't get others sick. On top of which you probably can deduct this expense from the company's taxes.
968507
I used to work in HR years ago with benefits.  Do some research on the internet about HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) which provides protection for working Americans and their families who have preexisting medical conditions, or who might suffer discrimination in health coverage based on factors that relate to an individual's health.  Have your husband get a copy of his health insurance overview and see if preexisting conditions are not allowed.  Keep in mind, also, that most employers will not let an employee add a family member to their benefits except during Open Enrollment or change in life status (like if you got married in the middle of the year and he wanted to add you).  As for your pain, even if you have to pay for it yourself---DEFINTELY get some physical therapy.  They will have exercises you will have to do from now on, but it will keep you from being in pain.  Good luck!