Sliding scale for benefits

[janette]

Just curious, my DH & I both have open enrollment for benefits right now and I'm comparing plans to see which is best for us.

My DH's company now has a sliding scale where the higher salary level the more people pay for heath coverage. Is this becoming more common? I've never heard of it before. I quess it makes health insurance more affordable for some but also reduces compensation for others. Seems like a strange way to do it.

 

[Kermit]

I have never seen that, but I haven't worked at too many places. The last place that I worked did charge people differently based on age and sex. I thought that was strange enough. At other places, we had to pay the same amount of money that everyone else did.

 

[Dan Murphy]

My firm had that for about the past ten years, just eliminated this year. Actually not the cost of the benefit, but sliding deductible on the health plan.

 

[bsnyder]

Yes, Janette, I have seen this. At one of the very large banks I worked for, the bank subsidized more benefits for the lower-paid workers. I don't think they used a sliding scale, though. It was based more on whether one was an exempt or non-exempt employee.