White house to working class Americans pay astromical deductibles- or Else...

[hadit]

That also helps to reinforce the truth that any benefits you offer are included in the total cost of employment. Employees tend to only see the bottom line number on their paychecks and have no idea how much their employer is really spending to employ them.

Unless the employer shows NET costs they are misleading their employee.

Not so. When an employer not only pays the employee the salary he agreed to, but an additional 6.2% Social Security tax, plus $500/month for the employee's family health insurance plan, plus matching 2% for 401K contributions, he can add those numbers up and say definitively, "This is how much it costs me to have you as my employee". Net or gross simply doesn't apply.

Aren't those costs deductible which reduces your tax expense?

Irrelevant. The employee's salary is a deductible expense. It has nothing to do with the actual cost of employing him/her.

WOW! You just don't get it.

An employees NET cost is the Gross cost MINUS the savings in taxes.

I see where you're coming from, but you're not understanding. The cost to employ a person is the salary paid plus the taxes plus the cost of benefits. You might as well say you don't pay all of your mortgage because you get to deduct the interest from your taxes.

 

[hadit]

Can you dispute anything I said? You seem to cling to the idea that the changes to the HMO act are solely responsible for the increase in healthcare costs.

By removing actual competition in the industry......Yes.

Then you're ignoring the additional coverage requirements for health insurance and the growth of required pro bono services. IOW, there are a lot more factors than just your favorite whipping post.

Oh come-on, you're smarter than that. Additional coverage means additional fees for providing a service.

<trumpet fanfare>AND HIGHER PRICES!!! Which kind of is the whole point.

What 'pro bono' services?

A hospital is required to treat you in the ER regardless of your ability or intent to pay.

Higher profits through the healthcare insurance companies billing themselves.

Where do you think the insurance companies get their money in the first place? That's right, from their customers through higher premiums. As with everything, the customer ultimately pays ALL the costs.

A hospital IS required to provide emergency care. Since most folks have medical insurance that may be less of a factor than it used to be. However, most hospitals are compensated through 'EAP' types of programs.

There are ever increasing numbers of illegal aliens who demand care but have no money or insurance.