
06-04-2009, 11:08 AM
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Location: Chicago, IL
8,998 posts, read 12,446,670 times
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Some have argued because employers have provided health insurance for their employees, they often don't pay higher salaries/wages.
If you had a choice to have a high paying job with little to no health insurance vs a low paying job with good-great health insurance (whatever that means to you), which would you choose and why?
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06-04-2009, 11:14 AM
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26,589 posts, read 51,602,577 times
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I'd take the lower paying job with great health insurance.
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06-04-2009, 11:28 AM
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Location: Pennsylvania
5,303 posts, read 9,236,584 times
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The factor other than cost is availability. For example, my wife probably couldn't get coverage on her own, so being on a group plan through work is by far the better option.
At some point, if the availability for individuals issue is addressed, it might really change the equation. But for now, lower-pay, good-insurance is preferable.
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06-04-2009, 11:44 AM
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5,527 posts, read 8,589,339 times
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Lower salary for better benefits.
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06-04-2009, 12:16 PM
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19,081 posts, read 20,562,722 times
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Age would factor in for me. If I was younger, higher paying salary. Since I'm in my 30's and married, I'd go with the benefits/lower pay.
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06-04-2009, 12:22 PM
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1,652 posts, read 2,996,548 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Braunwyn
Age would factor in for me. If I was younger, higher paying salary. Since I'm in my 30's and married, I'd go with the benefits/lower pay.
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It's the age thing with me too. When in my 20's I would have gone for the high pay. Being in my 50's I'd go with the health benefits.
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06-04-2009, 12:28 PM
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Location: Somewhere in TN
709 posts, read 1,666,401 times
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I have a child who must have good health insurance coverage. Well, really shouldn't everyone? Kidney stones, appendectomies, broken bones happen to the best of us with no warning and that's thousands of dollars of expenses for any one of those things. Anyway, one of my 16-year-olds was born with a heart condition that required surgery when she was 5 pounds and 36 hours old, and she is facing another surgery sometime in the next 5 years or so. And she is accident prone and has already had two other surgeries. She had a trimalleolar ankle fracture back in April that I am pretty sure will end up costing more than $15K by the time all is said and done between the ambulance and the ER visit and the surgery and followup care. Our out-of-pocket on that will probably be less than $1000 and it's only that much because she hadn't managed to do anything else yet in 2009 to trigger the deductible!
Soooo I would say the benefits are critically important to our family. The peace of mind is priceless. It really is.
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06-04-2009, 01:24 PM
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206 posts, read 640,624 times
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Health insurance benefits for sure.
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06-04-2009, 03:50 PM
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Location: Brooklyn
40,058 posts, read 28,988,786 times
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Anybody who votes for the money over the health care benefits is gambling that they'll never be sick or injured. Feel like taking that bet?
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06-04-2009, 04:28 PM
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9,876 posts, read 11,285,327 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleLove08
Some have argued because employers have provided health insurance for their employees, they often don't pay higher salaries/wages.
If you had a choice to have a high paying job with little to no health insurance vs a low paying job with good-great health insurance (whatever that means to you), which would you choose and why?
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It all comes down to total employee cost and includes payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, health care costs etc.
Not far from me there's a plantation (a real live working plantation) where the worker gets between $8 and $10 per hour but with these benefits:
1. Good medical insurance for the family 100% paid for by the plantation.
2. Company vehicle they can use for driving around the plantation and for unlimited trips to the nearest town. If you never wanted to travel outside the country it would be everything you would ever need.
3. Totally free housing including all utilities except for internet. cable television and phone service. All electric and gas is included. The houses are rustic, located in very rustic but nice set in scenic conditions. They are what most of us would die to have as a weekend getaway cabin. Yeah, imagine your three room cabin in the mountains except you are going to live there all the time.
4. All the fish you can fish from the ponds and wild game (deer) you could harvest during season. Lots of families have their own gardens.
Most of these guys only make $250 to $300 per week take home but other than food and entertainment what else do they have to spend it on?
I know this because a guy who used to work there works for us.
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