2006 Benefits Enrollment
I suppose this is a problem facing corporate employees across the country, but I feel like outlining how much my health benefits choices for 2006 will be significantly more expensive than this past year.
Not only are our choices more limited (except for an introduction of a Consumer Directed Health Plan and a High Deductible Health Program, both lower cost but requiring higher payments if any health care is actually deemed necessary), and the benefits lowered, but the cost has gone up significantly.
The big difference is mostly due to the "flex credit" that will no longer be supplied in 2006. The flex credit existed to offset the price of health insurance. In 2006, the base price of the insurance has gone down, but the credit has been eliminated, resulting in a net increase.
Here are the details for medical, dental, and long term disability.
| 2005 | 2006 | |
| Aetna HMO (Medical) | $1,349.32 | $552.00 |
| Aetna PPO (Dental) | $207.00 | $121.92 |
| Long Term Disability | $11.88 | $11.88 |
| Flex Credit | ($1,200.00) | $0.00 |
| Total | $368.20 | $685.80 |
In both years, my company claims that the employee pays for "on average" 22 percent of the costs of enrollment. In 2005, that takes the flex credit into account.
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