New Benefits Plans at Work
My company is switching up its health care plans. The change is unexpected because we're in the middle of a plan year. Yes, our plans have run from July 1 to June 30 so far. That's been annoying because while the plans run on that cycle, certain important things related to them, like say deductibles and tax limits, run on a Jan 1 - Dec 31 cycle. The change brings a mixture of good and bad. Aligning onto the calendar year, at least, is a good change.
What else is good or bad? Bad would be the fact that I don't know how much is good or bad. While our health plans are being replaced with similar options, the insurer offering them is changing. I actually like the health plan I switched onto 6 months ago, mostly because it recently made a large set of preventive prescription drugs free. Will the new plan work the same way? Nobody I can talk to knows. "Check on the website," they all say. But the website shows literally hundreds of plans, and the info I'm looking for is more granular than the level of detail it provides.
So, is anything good? Our life insurance benefit is increasing a bit. I don't care... not because I don't intend to die in 2023 but because the amount by which it increases is small compared to the financial portfolio we have built to support ourselves. Well, some things at least aren't at risk of getting worse. In the health insurance & employee benefits game, "no change" is sadly a win. Our 401(k) match, which only started in late 2021, continues. For the rest... well, I'll see after the new benefits plans start.
Update Jan 2023: ...And the prescriptions I've been getting for free the past 6 months are no longer free. 😡
What else is good or bad? Bad would be the fact that I don't know how much is good or bad. While our health plans are being replaced with similar options, the insurer offering them is changing. I actually like the health plan I switched onto 6 months ago, mostly because it recently made a large set of preventive prescription drugs free. Will the new plan work the same way? Nobody I can talk to knows. "Check on the website," they all say. But the website shows literally hundreds of plans, and the info I'm looking for is more granular than the level of detail it provides.
So, is anything good? Our life insurance benefit is increasing a bit. I don't care... not because I don't intend to die in 2023 but because the amount by which it increases is small compared to the financial portfolio we have built to support ourselves. Well, some things at least aren't at risk of getting worse. In the health insurance & employee benefits game, "no change" is sadly a win. Our 401(k) match, which only started in late 2021, continues. For the rest... well, I'll see after the new benefits plans start.
Update Jan 2023: ...And the prescriptions I've been getting for free the past 6 months are no longer free. 😡