Silly question about employer's health insurance

[Ksandra]

So, my school gives insurance through health.net. I have a fucking amazing rate ($25 a paycheck for a family of 4 platinum plan). This is one thing that tends to be pretty standard regarding teachers. The problem is, I miss Kaiser. I miss it to fucking death. It made me so spoiled. Go to the same place for all my needs, they are proactive in helping set up appointments, easy to schedule appointments online or message my doctor, etc. It is next to impossible to schedule an appointment with our doctors because the only time they are open are when I am at work (teachers don't get breaks really). The website is clunky. As is, I am STILL not sure I have the correct hospital on my list as my provided one (site and doctor say something different).

With that being said, for us to even get a bronze plan through kaiser outside of work, it would be $600 a month. I'd have to be pretty stupid to change my rate over the complaints I listed above. They are quality of life complaints, nothing serious.

So, my questions are, how do employer's decide which providers they get? Is it easy to get an employer to add on a company if you need? Or have them cover part of the costs or something? I don't know if kaiser is even allowed to be offered with other insurance companies (something our rep said at the beginning of the year makes me think they are not.)

[Kalmado]

I never sold health or commercial insurance, but from what I was told in the past and even from the insurance agency I worked at when our health/dental/vision changed, it's about the bottom line. More than likely someone like a CFO is making the decision on what insurance plan is offered to employees and I'm going to go out on a limb and say 95% of the time it's going to be what's the cheapest for the company.

[Anoat]

Not sure how it would work in your instance but at my job we had to get X percentage of employers to sign a form saying they wanted an option for a different carrier before the company would allow it. Since my place is a small company I think we only needed 6 full time employees to sign on.

[Zetanio]

It's usually a case of majority rules. It is never easy to do except in very small companies, as Anoat mentioned.

They will almost never cover the costs of anything outside of their plans.

Called Kaiser and ask for you last bit. They'll let you know.

[BaneTheBrawler]

threaten to go off some sweet jumps until they give in


60% of the time it works every time

[vagus]

Buy your own insurance, move to Canada or find a new job.

[Melena]

You are the first person I know that likes Kaiser. We have it, but only because it's cheap. At least up here there is a severe lack of quality in care from the doctors at Kaiser.

[Ksandra]

You are the first person I know that likes Kaiser. We have it, but only because it's cheap. At least up here there is a severe lack of quality in care from the doctors at Kaiser.

Everyone I know who has kaiser here loves it. Depends on the area, I imagine. It was fucking fantastic when I had it.


Sucks it looks like it won't be an option for us anymore.

[dasva]

Yeah most the people I know seem to like Kaiser... or at least more so then the other options around here. Hell growing up in the Bay area I thought everyone had Kaiser

[Brill Weave]

60% of the time it works every time

[Kalmado]

60% of the time it works every time

The numbers don't lie!