Cost of living low... What about health benefits? (Houston, Dallas: health insurance, buying a home)

[MovingCouple]

My wife and I did a road trip to Texas recently (from NYC!) - checked out Dallas, Austin, and Houston and we really liked Austin. We were attracted to Texas by it's low cost of living and warmer weather. My wife is even booked to fly down to the Austin ISD job fair next week. The plan was that one of us would have to lock in a job to be able to move down(we have substantial savings and planning on eventually buying a home all cash). I realized that the pay scale for teachers in Austin was very low - starting in the 40's and topping out at 60s. However, I neglected to check out the health benefits rate schedule until now(assuming large gov't organizations would be able to leverage good rates). The rates for a basic HMO plan are ridiculous if you plan on adding anyone else besides yourself!! If you're a single working mother you have to spend an extra $444.00 a month!!! If you're spouse is looking for work or lost a job you have to spend an extra $578.00 a month. And if you happen to have children with that said spouse it will cost you an extra $891.00!!!! This is worse than any state/city tax I can think of - even in NYC. I thought red state politicians were all about family values and having families - well frankly - if my wife and I were teachers down there I would actually have to think twice about having children with a benefits rate schedule structured like that. I called the benefits representative at Austin ISD to see if the rate was annual rather than monthly, but she confirmed my worst fears. She agreed with me that the rates were ridiculous. I was about to suggest to her that the teachers down there should unionize and strike to get better rates. I understand the fear of property taxes being raised but I'm sure the government down there could structure better deals with the health insurance companies without having to raise taxes.

I guess ultimately my question is - are health benefit rates any better in the private sector in Austin? I'm in IT. I can't believe that I'm making 90K in NYC and only have to pay $200 a month to cover my wife and I with the fanciest PPO you can get. Whereas, the teachers down in Austin have to pay a whole lot more on a 40K salary for a piece of crap HMO. This could be a dealbreaker for us moving down.

[neddy]

My dh is in the tech field and I am pretty sure we pay around $200/month to cover the two of us and two kids with one of the PPO plans that the offer maybe off on the figure a little but I know its not much. I work for Leander ISD and I know that their insurance is not as pricey as AISD but the other plan was still a better deal.

[Latsabb]

I recently got a job with Time Warner Cable, and they offer two different insurance packages, as well as tons of other benefits. Anyway, I will end up paying about $107 every two weeks, and that has a 0% co-insurance, and a 1500 family wide deductible and 1500 max out of pocket per year, as well as the 2500 a year allowed for dental, 130 dollars a year in glasses/contacts, and a free eye exam every 2 years per person. So, all and all, the 107 every 2 weeks is not too bad for my wife, myself and my child. And if we have more kids, it is the same rate.

[MovingCouple]

Originally Posted by neddy

My dh is in the tech field and I am pretty sure we pay around $200/month to cover the two of us and two kids with one of the PPO plans that the offer maybe off on the figure a little but I know its not much. I work for Leander ISD and I know that their insurance is not as pricey as AISD but the other plan was still a better deal.

OK thanks - that offers me quite a bit of relief - $200 is not that bad even if I make less in Austin. But it still bothers me that a widow/divorcee/unwed mother with children would have to pay a lot more for their coverage. I noticed that the fancier school districts were a bit cheaper - but they're still expensive. I figured that my wife being out of state would have an easier time getting a position in the largest district.

[MovingCouple]

Actually funny story(regarding my concern for widows) - During my rant and raving about the expensive health benefits, I asked my wife what would happen if we had children and I died in Austin. She said don't worry - I'll get married as soon as possible. That shut me up and made me laugh!! I guess in that sense the health benefit rate structure promotes family values.

[hoffdano]

Most tech companies of size have medical plans similar to what the OP described. The larger firms usually have to be competitive across the US so what they offer to Texas employees is similar to what they offer everywhere else. California (no surprise) sometimes forces companies to do something different for employees in CA.

Most plans will have a PPO like Blue Cross Blue Shield or United Healthcare. You'll have copays for doctor visits and Rx coverage in tiers (different costs for generics vs. brand names).

[centralaustinite]

I'm covered by a big, global high tech company, we pay $34 a month for dental and $280 a month for PPO covering the whole family.

Good luck with getting a teaching job! Applications seem to be at a record high and AISD has even stopped taking substitute applications at all. But it is a growing area and school districts are expanding.

[neddy]

Central has it right about the positions sinceeveryone is moving here there seems to be lots of teachers that need want jobs! Check and apply to a lot of ISDs in the area.