Comments on: The woes of the American Healthcare system – my soapbox http://www.pseudohr.com/2010/03/02/the-woes-of-the-american-healthcare-system-my-soapbox/ Because HR can fake it too Mon, 16 May 2011 01:45:05 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: adowling http://www.pseudohr.com/2010/03/02/the-woes-of-the-american-healthcare-system-my-soapbox/comment-page-1/#comment-2180 adowling Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:15:09 +0000 http://www.pseudohr.com/?p=589#comment-2180 @Laurie - You are 100% correct, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of my own person issues with healthcare. Recruiting good candidates is rough when your package includes an insurance plan that costs employees an arm and a leg up front. Getting them in the door is far easier than keeping them. Once they or a covered dependent has a medical issue and they are hit with deductibles and co-pays and 'Your insurance doesnt cover that procedure', that's when they start looking elsewhere. Tieing employement to Healthcare just doesnt seem fair. @Joan - That's one thing I miss about working for a small company. In my previous life I was it, I negotiated the benefits and I fought tooth and nail for the best coverage I could get at the best price for my employees. And it was a selling point, a damn good one. If HR doenst have a voice in negotiating the benefits plans, someone is doing something wrong. But take for instance my case, benefits are negoitated at a corporate level and I have no say in the structure of them, despite my best efforts :) It makes it hard when employees ask if there's something I can do for them, and try as I might the answer is always 'I'm working on it I promise'. @Laurie – You are 100% correct, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of my own person issues with healthcare. Recruiting good candidates is rough when your package includes an insurance plan that costs employees an arm and a leg up front. Getting them in the door is far easier than keeping them. Once they or a covered dependent has a medical issue and they are hit with deductibles and co-pays and ‘Your insurance doesnt cover that procedure’, that’s when they start looking elsewhere. Tieing employement to Healthcare just doesnt seem fair.

@Joan – That’s one thing I miss about working for a small company. In my previous life I was it, I negotiated the benefits and I fought tooth and nail for the best coverage I could get at the best price for my employees. And it was a selling point, a damn good one. If HR doenst have a voice in negotiating the benefits plans, someone is doing something wrong. But take for instance my case, benefits are negoitated at a corporate level and I have no say in the structure of them, despite my best efforts :) It makes it hard when employees ask if there’s something I can do for them, and try as I might the answer is always ‘I’m working on it I promise’.

]]> By: Joan Ginsberg http://www.pseudohr.com/2010/03/02/the-woes-of-the-american-healthcare-system-my-soapbox/comment-page-1/#comment-2179 Joan Ginsberg Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:33:55 +0000 http://www.pseudohr.com/?p=589#comment-2179 I bought all of the insurance for my (former) company, and Laurie is right: it has EVERYTHING to do with HR. One of my selling points to potential employees (most were unskilled or semi-skilled low wage): My wages start low. They will get better the longer you are here. I provide excellent health benefits to make up for the lower start wage. (When I left the employees still paid nothing toward the premium, only their co-pays and deductibles. I reimbursed any hospitalization deductible/co-pay.) Think about that and decide if you might want to work here for the long haul. I also completely disclosed to my employees how much their health insurance premiums cost the company every month. They understood what the company was up against when it came to costs. I'm tooting my own horn a bit, but this is one of the reasons I loved working for a small business. It was easy to show the employees why the company was trying to keep them protected and still make enough money to keep them all working. Yes, medical insurance companies suck. But if HR doesn't get to have a voice in buying better plans, then the company has a problem, too. I bought all of the insurance for my (former) company, and Laurie is right: it has EVERYTHING to do with HR.

One of my selling points to potential employees (most were unskilled or semi-skilled low wage): My wages start low. They will get better the longer you are here. I provide excellent health benefits to make up for the lower start wage. (When I left the employees still paid nothing toward the premium, only their co-pays and deductibles. I reimbursed any hospitalization deductible/co-pay.) Think about that and decide if you might want to work here for the long haul.

I also completely disclosed to my employees how much their health insurance premiums cost the company every month. They understood what the company was up against when it came to costs.

I’m tooting my own horn a bit, but this is one of the reasons I loved working for a small business. It was easy to show the employees why the company was trying to keep them protected and still make enough money to keep them all working.

Yes, medical insurance companies suck. But if HR doesn’t get to have a voice in buying better plans, then the company has a problem, too.

]]> By: laurie ruettimann http://www.pseudohr.com/2010/03/02/the-woes-of-the-american-healthcare-system-my-soapbox/comment-page-1/#comment-2178 laurie ruettimann Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:39:51 +0000 http://www.pseudohr.com/?p=589#comment-2178 Should be breach of contract. I'm typing too quickly. Should be breach of contract. I’m typing too quickly.

]]> By: laurie ruettimann http://www.pseudohr.com/2010/03/02/the-woes-of-the-american-healthcare-system-my-soapbox/comment-page-1/#comment-2177 laurie ruettimann Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:38:41 +0000 http://www.pseudohr.com/?p=589#comment-2177 It has everything to do with HR. - How do we attract the best & brightest candidates when crappy insurance is coupled with our total compensation plans? - How do we pay a decent wage when employers are mandated to cover the cost of insurance? - How does HR manage the compliance and legal issues when our companies get sued for breech of contract due to the legalistic and risk-adverse way we manage our self-insured plans? - What about privacy implications? It's all HR, April. Keep writing. It has everything to do with HR.

- How do we attract the best & brightest candidates when crappy insurance is coupled with our total compensation plans?

- How do we pay a decent wage when employers are mandated to cover the cost of insurance?

- How does HR manage the compliance and legal issues when our companies get sued for breech of contract due to the legalistic and risk-adverse way we manage our self-insured plans?

- What about privacy implications?

It’s all HR, April.

Keep writing.

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