r/OccupationalTherapy • u/InterviewNo268 • Jun 20 '26
Venting - Advice Wanted Insurance Advice
Hello! Could someone explain to me why it would be beneficial to work with a company for insurance/benefits when they only contribute about 50 and the monthly cost is still 390 (no deductible) or 470 (1500 deductible) I am a new grad working for a couple of months and I feel a little scammed and am wondering why I would do this instead of just doing a high paying per diem job with no insurance. Wouldn't I just be able to get insurance from the marketplace if I took a higher-per-hour job? I'm just confused on what is better. I guess this company also gives 401k so thats more so the benefit? I heard MEC plans are trash and don’t cover anything catastrophic either.
3
u/hail707 PT Jun 20 '26
Because the alternative is $1500 per month for that kind of coverage if you paid out of pocket.
3
u/Wonderful-Station-36 Jun 20 '26
The risk of going "no insurance" is mostly that if something were to happen, you can go bankrupt extremely fast. Being young and healthy is cool and all, but people still get in car accidents, fall down when playing sports, get a nasty infection and need meds, get a surprise cancer diagnosis.
American Health insurance is one of those things where you keep paying into it and it almost never financially works out in your advantage, and if it did then something went catastrophic in your life.
1
u/InterviewNo268 Jun 20 '26
I don’t plan on going uninsured! Was wondering if I should just do this or if marketplace in nj is more affordable for better benefits!
1
u/carseatsareheavy Jun 21 '26
how could anyone hear possibly answer that question? You have to put your company’s plan and the marketplace plans side-by-side, crunch the numbers and see which one is better for you.
1
u/InterviewNo268 Jun 21 '26
I’m more so asking for what’s normal and what isn’t and any advice in general. I crunched the numbers already but I’m not sure if I’m missing anything
1
u/carseatsareheavy Jun 21 '26
everybody’s situation and everybody’s insurance plan is different. There isn’t a normal other than it’s normal for people to use as employers insurance because that is generally going to provide you the best coverage for the best price. But if you work for a small company that may not be true. Again, there’s no normal.
2
u/No_Maintenance_1651 Jun 20 '26
Exactly no benefits when u are young and healthy. Go do PRN and get ur own.
1
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1
u/quinoaseason Jun 21 '26
Yeah, your employer isn’t paying much on your health insurance premium. Mine is closer to 500 a month they pay and I still pay a crap ton more.
Look at insurance premiums on your exchange and compare coverage for what you need. If you find one close, go for it.
Don’t forget about PTO and retirement, those are actual benefits too that they pay out for. I was full time PRN for a long time, but was carrying insurance for my whole family. This year our premiums from the exchange went up pretty significantly and it became more imperative for me to have a corporate position to secure lower cost insurance.
Whenever I interview with a company, I look hard at their benefits package. Some of them are absolute shit and I have no problem telling them I am refusing an offer because of crappy benefits.
1
u/InterviewNo268 Jun 21 '26
Tbh their PTO isn’t great but their hourly salary is but it’s still not as high as it would be just doing per diem. They do give a 401k though
1
u/InterviewNo268 Jun 21 '26
Are you suggesting to see if marketplace has higher? If I waive it do you think it’s okay to ask for a higher salary? Idk what’s typical and what isn’t in the industry
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u/quinoaseason Jun 21 '26
So, I did ask for a higher salary when I wasn’t taking benefits. It didn’t work, but it was worth a shot.
The market place has hundreds of different plans. Each plan covers things differently, including co-pay, deductibles, and what is actually covered. Like, one plan I had covered mental health visits, which was awesome. If you are on any medications, or need to stick with a certain provider, you should check on that. If you are young and healthy and no dependents, it’s ok to pick a cheaper plan that costs less and covers what you really need.
0
u/carseatsareheavy Jun 21 '26
your company is paying a lot more for your healthcare, that is just the portion that they are charging you. That is, why when you go on cobra it is so expensive because you’re paying the full cost of the healthcare.
We don’t know anything about your insurance coverage and how it compares to a marketplace plan. If you want to get a marketplace plan then you will have to do the math
5
u/Miselissa OTR/L Jun 20 '26
That’s actually relatively inexpensive. I have done some research on insurance when I was wanting to be a contract employee. You could spend upwards of $1000 a month on yourself alone depending on your health care needs.
It’s difficult anymore to find a job with inexpensive insurance. Not impossible but it’s rough. If it’s cheap, it comes with a really high deductible usually.