Stupid, Ridiculous Prices for Stuff

[Kenomac]

[QUOTE=colemj;1956912]

Originally Posted by Colemj

You are stuck on semantics. You specifically said they took that money out of your wife's salary, and attempted to make a social-political point about it. Here are your words: "her employer continues to pay for her insurance at the rate of $35,000 in lew of paying us that portion of her salary"

They did not. Your wife would not receive an additional $35,000 each year if her employer did not pay her healthcare benefit. It is not a portion of her salary that is being paid, it is a portion of her benefits, which along with the salary is part of her overall compensation (along with any sick days, vacation, etc). If the benefit goes away, her salary remains the same.

I sit on this point, because you have used it to push a political and social viewpoint that is not based on fact. I don't have any problem with your agenda, but do have a problem with your facts.

Mark

The government calls W-2 Box 12b INCOME.

The IRS calls the healthcare $35,000 healthcare cost INCOME.

The W-2 tax form lists the healthcare cost as INCOME.

Her employer lists the Healthcare cost as "untaxable INCOME" and diverts her "untaxable INCOME" towards our healthcare premium.

Call it whatever you want, but our entire government considers our $35,000 healthcare premium INCOME and intends to begin taxing us on this INCOME.

So... Her employer, their accountants and the government all consider our healthcare premium as income (my wife's wage), but many on CF seem to believe the money comes instead from rainbows and unicorns?

We pay for the medical procedures including dental care via our insurance company... nothing is free or zero cost. Whether we go to the doctor once a year or 100 times per year.... The cost is still $35,0000. So.... If we go only once, that doctors visit in effect costs us $35,000, most of which goes to pay for other people or to midigate risk for the insurance company.

[ShaktiGurl]

In 2018 there will be a tax on "Cadillac plans" such as this. It is currently set to be 40% above the threshold which is about $27000 for a family plan. So 40% on 8k. But there are also supposed to be provisions for higher thresholds if you are close to retirement.

So if this is a real issue for you then you should really discuss with your wife's employer why they don't offer lower cost plans with higher deductibles, like almost every other company is doing.

[colemj]

[QUOTE=Kenomac;1956961]

Originally Posted by colemj

The government calls W-2 Box 12b INCOME.

The IRS calls the healthcare $35,000 healthcare cost INCOME.

The W-2 tax form lists the healthcare cost as INCOME.

Her employer lists the Healthcare cost as "untaxable INCOME" and diverts her "untaxable INCOME" towards our healthcare premium.

Call it whatever you want, but our entire government considers our $35,000 healthcare premium INCOME and intends to begin taxing us on this INCOME.

Whatever. You are sliding around the point to avoid cognitive dissonance.

Answer this simple question: "Do you believe she would receive that $35,000 in extra salary if her employer didn't have to pay it in premium"?

Mark

[Kenomac]

[QUOTE=colemj;1956976]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Whatever. You are sliding around the point to avoid cognitive dissonance.

Answer this simple question: "Do you believe she would receive that $35,000 in extra salary if her employer didn't have to pay it in premium"?

Mark

Yes.

Wages would rise without the heavy burden of employers being required to pay enormous healthcare premiums on behalf of their employees. Why else do you think wages have not gone up in the US over the past eight years? Do you believe it's just a coincidence that wages have been static since the healthcare mandate went into place seven years ago? You seem to be ignoring the obvious.

Do you believe in rainbows and unicorns?

[ShaktiGurl]

[wuote]
We pay for the medical procedures including dental care via our insurance company... nothing is free or zero cost. Whether we go to the doctor once a year or 100 times per year.... The cost is still $35,0000. So.... If we go only once, that doctors visit in effect costs us $35,000, most of which goes to pay for other people or to midigate risk for the insurance company.[/QUOTE]


So there really is no incentive for you or your wife to hope for lower insurance premiums ( paid entirely by the employer which is already highly anomalous in today's economy) since she would effectively be reducing her compensation?

I guess my employer was right. When insurance and workers comp rates went up, I already received my raise for the year.

If you work for a healthcare company that cannot provide a decent plan that is less than 20k/yr for a family then the HR department is incompetent.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by ShaktiGurl

[wuote]

So there really is no incentive for you or your wife to hope for lower insurance premiums ( paid entirely by the employer which is already highly anomalous in today's economy) since she would effectively be reducing her compensation?

I guess my employer was right. When insurance and workers comp rates went up, I already received my raise for the year.

If you work for a healthcare company that cannot provide a decent plan that is less than 20k/yr for a family then the HR department is incompetent.

Her job is what it is. She likes the work and her employer and her insurance. I don't, but there's not much I can do about it unless I want to live alone on a boat in the Med.

[a64pilot]

We have had numerous complaints from members and I'm afraid this thread has run it's course, best to shut it down before it creates enemies


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[a64pilot]

After considerable thought the tread has been re-opened.
But please try to be considerate of others and stay away from politics, religion, those kinds of hot button topics.
Please remember to be considerate of others

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

After considerable thought the tread has been re-opened.
But please try to be considerate of others and stay away from politics, religion, those kinds of hot button topics.
Please remember to be considerate of others

Thanks a64. I missed the last 12 hours of insults, so I was sad to wake up to see the thread closed. It had been interesting, and fun. Hope it can resume.

OK, here's my beef ... food. Food prices seem to be on a serious rise, at least here in Canada and also in the USA (at least where I'm travelling in the PNW). I've been unpleasantly surprised at how much basic food costs here on the Washington/Oregon coast. By my standards booze (at least basic booze) is cheap. Gas is cheap. But food costs seem to be higher here than what I'm used to coming from the Canadian north.

[model 10]

We live not far from the oregon coast. I shop just about daily for food so I kind of know what the days food will cost. I'm probably not right but it seems my food bill has gone from about $25-30 per day a year ago and today it's more like $40+

[smj]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks a64. I missed the last 12 hours of insults, so I was sad to wake up to see the thread closed. It had been interesting, and fun. Hope it can resume.



OK, here's my beef ... food. Food prices seem to be on a serious rise, at least here in Canada and also in the USA (at least where I'm travelling in the PNW). I've been unpleasantly surprised at how much basic food costs here on the Washington/Oregon coast. By my standards booze (at least basic booze) is cheap. Gas is cheap. But food costs seem to be higher here than what I'm used to coming from the Canadian north.

Food? With the price of healthcare I can't afford food😁. But seriously, I think it depends on location.


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[Stu Jackson]

Food costs have gone through the roof. Enough that I shop for canned stuff at the dollar store & WalMarto to stay within budget. It's nuts. Safeway is makin' $$$ hand over fist, even trying to go public I read recently. Once they do that, it's customers be damned 'cuz of the shareholders. Sheez.

Govt inflation figures are so far outta whack it's nuts. They claim the low price of gasoline is to "blame" but that's not all we use, and can't eat gas, even though I need it to get to the store! (We live on a steep high hill.)

a64, thanks for opening this back up.

[daletournier]

I think Mike touched on this earlier, you can live cheap in Western counties if you choose but the reality is its very difficult, we are a society created to consume and the pressure to consume is to much for most, it keeps us poor. Its interesting that most of my friends think I'm rich because I live on a yacht overseas, and I probably am ,but not the way they think. The average house has two cars combined worth more than my boat! I rent my small house that covers the mortgage and have built a little flat out the back for when I'm home, I drive a 14 year old toyota hilux and have no kids! Those choices have changed my world, but still if I'm home I get sucked into spending and $700-$1000/ week will and dissappear in a heart beat. The man I rent my house to lives of the pension, I think its approx
$19, 000 per year ,he pays me
$10, 000 in rent ( which I should say is almost half of what I can rent it for ) and lives on the other $9, 000 . He dosent do much, has to watch how often he drives his car and hopes it doesn't break down. My point is it can be done, but to self impose it is very hard, to hard for me.
I would rather be a rich man in a
poor(er) country than a poor man in a rich country. I seriously don't know how your normal mum ,dad, two kids and the dog get buy in Australia. Not to mention real estate prices! Sydney and Melbourne is some of the most expensive real estate in the world ( overall average) let's hope no one ever yells" the Emperor has no cloths on"
Cheers Dale
Freeform.

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[senormechanico]

Ethanol made from corn.
Too bad it makes corn flakes, meat and almost all other food more expensive, and uses more fuel than it makes, but it's a good idea, let's burn food in our cars.
Too bad if it wrecks older fuel systems.
Let 'em buy a new one.

<sarcasm>

I'll leave it to you all to figure out who benefits from this scam.

[jongleur]

My insurance guy told me today
that the inflation rate is calculated
ignoring healthcare costs, housing
costs, and energy costs. I don't
know if I buy that. Things seem
really expensive lately.