subject: Gone Are The Days Of Simple Health Insurance Coverage [print this page] . This was a way to offer additional incentives to employees in addition to the usual money payment. In the not too distant past employers would provide free health insurance to their employees as had been the customary practice for decades. Now however, a closer look at the insurance plan, will reveal something less than it could be.
In the 80's just about everyone who was working was offered health insurance coverage through their employer. At first many were offering this health insurance coverage at no out of pocket cost to employees but over time employees became obligated to pay more out of pocket towards their health insurance premiums. Most had a major medical plan and if you didn't and you had an HMO or PPO plan you were considered to have an inferior form of health insurance.
Requiring the employees to pay a larger share of the health insurance premiums became the norm in the 90's. Employers consistently began to reduce the quality of coverage but additionally insisted the employee pay a larger share of the costs. This yearly practice of gradually increasing the employee costs for health insurance while gradually cutting benefits was intended to smoke screen and hide what was really going on.
After the year 2000, things continued in a downward spiral. Problems in the economy saw more small companies dropping their health insurance benefits all together. Health insurance stopped being a benefit of employment and began being something that you were lucky to find associated with your employment. Since smaller groups had to pay higher premiums, only the larger corporations could afford the premiums and even some of these continued to scale back benefits to help reduce costs.
Regardless of how gradual these health insurance changes have been, many Americans have lost much needed benefits. In a country were employer based health insurance still exists and there is opportunity to be found; you will also find a reduction of these benefits, lower salaries and the continuation of premium increases that are suddenly out of the reach of many working people. Perhaps the government sees the writing on the wall and must come up with a plan that will work for everyone; covering the health insurance needs of its citizens through a nationalized health care plan.
by: Ethan Kalvin
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