http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...terstitialskip

Wow, this seems like a lot.

Would you take a job that was less satisfying / fulfilling if it came with health insurance rather than one that you loved, paid the same but didn't include heath insurance?

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I would take the job with insurance if salary was the same. It is hard to get insurance privately as an individual if ANYTHING is wrong with anyone in the family. When we first got to Oregon, my husband is a pastor, we assumed that the denomination would have group insurance for the ministers. It didn't.

We ended up in a high risk pool mandated through Blue Cross by the state of Oregon. We paid about 40% more in premiums than average and had much less coverage than a normal plan. Until the church offered group medical coverage for the staff a year ago, our medical expenses (including premiums and medications) were running about $15,000 a year for a family of 3!!!!

We paid and paid and paid. We had very little discretionary income after the basic bills, food, etc. was paid. Insurance through the job is a godsend.

I think when analyzing which job to take, you have to look at the total package. Insurance is just one part of the equation. I probably take the job I found more satisfying, and buy my own insurance. Life is too short to be stuck in a job you don't enjoy. That's JMO.

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We are lucky enough that my dh carries the insurance so I could take the job more statisfying. It would be a tough call if it was just me. I would look at the overall package though.

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Having come from a job with excellent affordable health coverage. In which I HATED every minute spent there. (data entry of dental claims) I would go with the Job that I liked provided I could find other options for some health coverage

I couldn't do it, We went with a more expensive insurance through my DH because I couldn't go back to a job where I was getting $100 a week and benifits after child care.

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006 &

Organizer of the Coupon Clippers of Tacoma

thats a tuff question as a family that at one time had no health insurance i would probably take the job with insurance and then continue looking for a job i liked with benefits. having no insurance and ending up in a hospital was financial disaster for us.

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SILENCE IS GOLDEN BUT DUCK TAPE IS SILVER.

Part of the reason, at least for me, that my husband took his new job was because of the insurance. Our old policy didn't offer maternity! And I know at the time, when he was trying to decide what to do, that he wasn't thinking this I sure was! Thankfully he took the job, thankfully he LOVES the new job, and thankfully the new insurance covered the pre-existing pregnancy!

I have to say, we pay for ours out of pocket and it stinks having $680 a each month go for health insurance. I'd go for the job with the insurance paid for. They are few and far between these days though.

I would question how many people are declining insurance through their employers because of an increase of employee contribution cost.

We personally have used insurance as a deciding factor for my husband to choose between jobs. The out of pocket expense and possibility of not being able to get insurance as we get older are a big part of the reality in making our decision.

We HAVE to have health insurance. Most of our medical costs are prescription drugs. I'm trying to cut back but frankly, if we didn't have medical insurance I don't know what we'd do.

Hubby just called. He on a business trip in Thailand. He got food poisoning there so his interpreter took him to the hospital. Of course our insurance couldn't be directly billed by them so he had to pay the emergency bill and medications with his credit card then take the (english language) bills back home to submit them to get re-imbursement. Hubby's TOTAL hospital bill charged to his credit card - $55.00 USD.

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