idk man I just need to vent i guess

my employer “provides” health insurance in exchange for my time and labor, and for that great privilege they take $600 out of my paycheck every month (covers me, my wife, and our 1yo son)

that’s half our monthly mortgage payment; it’s 2/3 our monthly grocery bill

why?

  • Blueberrydreamer@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 month ago

    It is definitely bullshit, but your employer isn’t a winner here either, they’re also paying out $600 a month for your $1200/month health insurance.

    The real problem here is why the fuck does health insurance cost as much as housing in this country?

    • AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      The biggest kick in the balls is that insurance still doesn’t cover shit. There’s still co-pays, tons of things that aren’t covered, out of network, maximum use of services, and anything large will almost certainly be denied by default. The co-pays alone are often as much as the service should cost.

      Health insurance is a parasite. Profiting (massively) by being a gatekeeper to good health is pure evil.

      • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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        1 month ago

        Dr. Glaucomflecken’s Youtube Skit series on US healthcare has really shown me how fucked up it is…

        Sure, the Canadian government is stealing my paycheque, yadda yadda yadda. Still my health, dental, life supplemental insurance plan costs $800/year and most routine stuff like checkup exams, basic drugs, basic procedures, is free or is in the tens of dollars that I need to pay.

        • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I haven’t been to a dentist in 8 years. I’ve only recently been in a hospital because my back gave out and I was stuck on the floor. Dont let anyone take away that healthcare, dont become like us. This is misery for no reason. My fucken teeth ache.

          • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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            1 month ago

            I cracked off a piece of my teeth but it doesn’t like cause immediate pain and my last visit cost me several hundred dollars even with my “dental plan” that my employer didn’t provide me a policy number for. And I still need to save up for my wisdom teeth to be pulled cause they are rotting in my head and cause my jaw to lock up.

            Yeah the world doesn’t realize how fucked the US is for health of its citizens.

          • Illuminostro@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Sorry to hear that bud. It’s the reason I have dentures. It’s literally cheaper to have all, or most, of your teeth pulled and buy dentures than it is to have 2 or more root canals and crowns. It’s outrageous, and obscene.

      • Illuminostro@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        It’s call extortion, and it’s been around since the dawn of time. Some cultures have done something about it, but since The US was founded on selfishness and greed, it will probably never happen here (Universal Care, that is.)

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Or more. A lot more.

      I pay $700/mon for a family for health only, not including prescriptions, dental, or vision

      Employer contribution is $1600/mon

      That’s insane

      • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        I’m surprised large companies haven’t pushed back on it.

        I didn’t know much about that side of the insurance pyramid, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything about the companys part fighting it in the news.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          It usually looks like cutting plans, and the adoption of high deductible plans

    • bendovertherainbow@lemmynsfw.com
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      1 month ago

      Or more.

      Just doing mine now (open enrollment time). No changes to what I had this year, but had a 20% price increase to just under $600.

      My employer is paying $3200 for my coverage (family plan, to be clear). Companies should be in wide support of universal healthcare.

    • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Some companies are self insured and merely pay a health insurance company to administer the plan. They take all the excess and dump it into an investment account where they can profit off of the excess. It’s possible that their employer is coming out ahead.

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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      1 month ago

      ACA institutionalized the health insurance industry as having some broad legally protected powers to fleece the American public. And there is no recourse or alternative besides getting healthcare outside of the country.

      Pharma industry is the second parasite that enjoys similar legal protections.

      Medical Community sold their asses but especially doctor types… Decent doctors don’t survive anyway, but this is standard for any industry. Worker needs protects if we expect them to do their job properly… Ain’t nobody got energy to battle the orphan crushing machine 40 hours per week

      Then, we have federal government that’s essentially enabling all of this due to the above clowns capturing regime whores in congress.

      This is the standard regime model and most industries are going this way if not already there…

      Oil, banking… Tech is trying it too, the 🤡 companies “want to be regulated”

      Corpos like having a blank check from the state to fuck the peasants.

      It ain’t just US issues, apparently UK parasites are getting that spot quicker than the US nepo babies.

      The fuckening will only gets worse.

          • Illuminostro@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Captive Audience. They can’t leave, metaphorically. Everyone should remember ACA was created by a Republican think tank, for exactly that reason. Extortion.

            • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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              1 month ago

              they can go to a foreign country and pay cash, and it will be cheaper with hotel and travel 🤡

              but only the “better” people have the cash flow for such “operations” as always… so i would say that vast majority of American slave force in fact: can’t leave, physically.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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          1 month ago

          Here comes the political brainrot…

          You do understand that these discussions can be had with out left right circle jerk?

          • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            You understand “both sides bad” perpetuates the rot? Of course I was just being sarcastic about the Dotard but if we’re ever going to get universal healthcare passed we need to drive the Wrong Wing out of Congress.

            • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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              1 month ago

              Both sides are bad in fact… You got a lot to learn how the US regime functions my dear.

              Vote for either side is vote for the regime.

              Vote for anybody else is to deny this regime legitimacy.

              • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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                1 month ago

                No, vote for anyone else is to confirm the GOP’s corruption of democratic principles continues. Take one look at the third-party candidates and even entire “parties” that are actually GOP plants. Destruction of the whole system is their true goal because it makes a fascist takeover easier. Too bad you won’t get anything from them even though you’re helping them.

                • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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                  1 month ago

                  We have been suffering the two parties taking turns fucking us for decades.

                  Vote for either party is the vote to support this regime.

                  Vote for anyone else is letting the system know you are not playing.

                  “GOP wins” is not a fucking platforms mate… If y’all want people to vote for Democrats, make decmorats do something for the people.

                  This clowns can’t take proper position omnthe genocide… JFC

                  • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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                    1 month ago

                    I don’t like it either, but I have enough of a rational thought process to recognize that in a FTTP system, independently voting for the little guy instead of the Democrats is only increasing the odds of Trump accelerating the decline of this country.

                    When the only thing that counts towards the election is the majority vote amongst your neighborhood, and your neighborhood is almost exclusively voting either Democrat or Republican, you’re wasting your vote on a third party. If the goal is to give the worst of the bad options a better chance of succeeding, by all means, keep trying to convince people online to throw away their anti-Trump vote. If the goal is to actually replace the two majority parties whose actual constituents are rich capitalists and not their voters, then start locally and grow outward.

          • Illuminostro@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Unfortunately, it can’t, because politicians in this country can literally be bribed by individuals and corporations to pass legislation in their favor. Studies have shown over and over again that Universal Healthcare is absolutely cheaper than paying premiums, but it will probably never happen. Because of greed.

            • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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              1 month ago

              best we got is ACA is which is legalized corruption and extortion.

              nothing will change as long people vote for the regime.

          • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Why should we not call out the problem when we all want a solution? Conservatives have been the primary henchmen for the ultra-wealthy for generations now.

            Neoliberals and Republicans are all conservative shitbags who have ruined our lives for profit. They are all worthy of death, according to some clever French revolutionaries.

    • Mango@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      More like why do both cost so much? Housing is dramatically cheaper in the good countries.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        The way capitalist free markets are supposed to self-regulate is by customers refusing to buy goods and services which are too expensive. But when the alternative to buying those goods and services is dying in the street, understandably people can’t reasonably refuse.

      • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 month ago

        Capitalism. 40% of Apple’s total revenue goes to shareholders just for existing. Latestagecapitalism is like having a severe tape worm infection. The rich take most of the wealth we create without doing any of the work

    • nomad@infosec.pub
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      1 month ago

      To be fair, health insurance is equally expensive in Europe. We just discount it a lot for low income families and above average pays a lot more to substitute that missing money.