Back in the early 1990's when I was a relative newcomer to the recruiting and staffing world the candidates were far more interested in what their salary offer would be than caring about what the company benefits were.
Today that mindset has changed significantly thanks to the cost of healthcare.
While salary will always play a key component in the job offer, future employees would be wise to consider what kind of health coverage their employer will be offering.
For independent souls like myself, I continue to bear the cost of healthcare 100% but for many workers they depend on their employer to assist with healthcare insurance coverage.
We all know healthcare costs have risen in the past few years but the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the cost for employers paying their share of the premiums have actually skyrocketed.
The premium for a single employee in 1999 was $2,000 today that same single employee premium runs an average of $6,000.
That's a staggering 200% increase to pay the premium for just one employee.
Employer coverage for family premiums is even more daunting with the average cost in 1999 being $6,000 and today that same family premium cost close to $17,000.
Employers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch as they must pass on an even greater burden of sharing the cost of the healthcare price increases.
Employees find they are stuck with higher deductibles and increased co-payments.
According to a 2014 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Benefits Survey, Fifty-five percent of firms offer health benefits to their workers.
The likelihood of offering health benefits differs significantly by size of the firm with only forty-four percent of employers with 3 to 9 workers offering coverage but virtually all employers with 1,000 or more workers offering coverage to at least some of their employees.
Even in firms that offer health benefits, not all workers are covered.
Some workers are not eligible to enroll as a result of waiting periods or minimum work-hour rules.
When it comes time to negotiate your job offer keep these facts in mind and consider yourself one of the rare lucky ones if your employer actually pays 100% of your healthcare premium.
If your employer pays any portion of your premium, consider the consultants and independents that have to pay 100% of their healthcare cost thus putting in perspective your overall job offer package.
Here's to good job offers and staying healthy!
Today that mindset has changed significantly thanks to the cost of healthcare.
While salary will always play a key component in the job offer, future employees would be wise to consider what kind of health coverage their employer will be offering.
For independent souls like myself, I continue to bear the cost of healthcare 100% but for many workers they depend on their employer to assist with healthcare insurance coverage.
We all know healthcare costs have risen in the past few years but the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the cost for employers paying their share of the premiums have actually skyrocketed.
The premium for a single employee in 1999 was $2,000 today that same single employee premium runs an average of $6,000.
That's a staggering 200% increase to pay the premium for just one employee.
Employer coverage for family premiums is even more daunting with the average cost in 1999 being $6,000 and today that same family premium cost close to $17,000.
Employers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch as they must pass on an even greater burden of sharing the cost of the healthcare price increases.
Employees find they are stuck with higher deductibles and increased co-payments.
According to a 2014 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Benefits Survey, Fifty-five percent of firms offer health benefits to their workers.
The likelihood of offering health benefits differs significantly by size of the firm with only forty-four percent of employers with 3 to 9 workers offering coverage but virtually all employers with 1,000 or more workers offering coverage to at least some of their employees.
Even in firms that offer health benefits, not all workers are covered.
Some workers are not eligible to enroll as a result of waiting periods or minimum work-hour rules.
When it comes time to negotiate your job offer keep these facts in mind and consider yourself one of the rare lucky ones if your employer actually pays 100% of your healthcare premium.
If your employer pays any portion of your premium, consider the consultants and independents that have to pay 100% of their healthcare cost thus putting in perspective your overall job offer package.
Here's to good job offers and staying healthy!
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