patrick.net

Recalling your list, if you eliminated 2,4,5,6 then I'd say most likely yes. Otherwise no

Id just as soon take the compensation as cash and tell the insurance system to suck my egg

The day I leave this job, every cent that was ever spent in my name, vanishes into thin air

I couldn't imagine a worse deal

SFace says

What's your age and known condition?. Does your employer pay for the plan fully or partially. If you do not participate, will they provide a cash replacement.

This thread is open to all situations, but in my particular situation, I'm deciding between taking the employee option or see what else is out there. My employer doesn't pay for the plan and the provider is Aetna, which I think sucks so I don't like the idea of using them.

I'm healthy, 30s, and typically spend $0.00/yr on health care. Employee heath insurance spreads the risk for insurance providers but that, of course, means that healthy employees subsidize less healthy ones, so I might do better on the market.

Evaluating a health insurance plan by Bankrate

Anyone know of a good site for picking health insurance based on your criteria? If not, that would be a good website idea.

Doing the Math on Employer Health Insurance, NYT

Our post last month on the McKinsey & Company study that suggested — but absolutely did not predict — that up to 30 percent of employers would shed the health insurance plans they now provide workers in 2014, when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act largely takes effect

errc says

The day I leave this job, every cent that was ever spent in my name, vanishes into thin air

I couldn't imagine a worse deal

That perfectly describes Aetna's Flexible Spending Accounts. Each year, you lose what you don't spend and you lose everything if you change jobs.

I'm thinking that a private Health Savings Account (HSA) might be the best option. From my understanding, you own the money in your HSA and it cannot be forfeited or taken away. All money left over is rolled over and you earn interest tax free.

What happens with a HSA if you die? Does it go to your estate or does the government and/or some corporation managing it take a slice or all of it?

Aetna flex spending account garbage. I have aetna through wife's provider....Deductible far lower (1/10) than what my parents pay through their business for a crappy HDHP from BC/BS NJ

7 tips for choosing a health savings account by BankRate

Excellent FAQ: Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
http://www.healthequity.com/HealthAccounts/HSA/HSAFAQ.aspx

High Deductible Health Insurance Plans for Individuals

On a national level, no employer medical insurance is dreadful, but as SFace pointed out, individual mileage may vary: if you have high covered expenses, group plans let you shift much of the cost onto other people, and there is a huge tax subsidy. Also note that employer insurance plans vary widely, some are practically illusory covering almost nothing while others are a tax dodge to cover almost everything imaginable. (Usually, low-level employees get stuck with the illusory plans, while senior executives are allowed to charge all sorts of things to their "health insurance" coverage.) As a nation, we would be better off if employer medical insurance did not exist, but some individual employees do benefit.

Found a good site for picking health insurance. Almost like using NewEgg for picking hardware.

US News Best Health Insurance Plans

I'm leaning towards BlueOptions Predictable Cost 535 from BlueCross/BlueShield. HDHP that's HSA-compatible.

Well lets see, I pay roughly $2,500 a year for me and my wife for health coverage. And on my taxes, the company I work for reported they paid $7,000 for our medical benefits, that's $9,500 total. I can't believe that any open market coverage is going to be less for better coverage. One thing you need to remember is the more employees the company has, the better deal they get from the insurance companies. The company I work for has over 300 employees.

I have a friend that was working for a company that had less then 15 employees and he was paying $600 a month for coverage for him, his wife and daughter. I don't know how much his company chipped in, but I'm sure it was at least as much as he was paying, that would make the total about $14,000 a year.

Last year my wife was working for a company that has over 5,000 employees and we were only paying $100 a month for better coverage then we have now.

Depends on the company and the situation. Mine pays a flat rate per employee to a benefit trust plan operated by my union which buys insurance for everyone at negotiated rates. I pay nothing out of pocket but a $3 copay when I visit the doctor. It's a pretty sweet deal and I know it's not usual. Medical insurance for my family of five would otherwise be a whole lotta cash.