Microsoft to end full health care coverage for employees

[News_Editor]

Microsoft to end full health care coverage for employees

2010-10-10 00:33:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

REDMOND, WASHINGTON (BNO NEWS) -- Microsoft on Saturday announced that it plans to end full health care coverage for its employees.

Microsoft is currently among a relatively small group of major companies that offers its employees to pay all of their health-care premiums. Reports in recent weeks, however, had indicated that Microsoft was planning to end this.

"We can confirm that Microsoft has begun to evolve its employee health care benefit," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to BNO News. In 2013, the spokesperson said, employees will have to start to contribute to their health care coverage.

"A guiding principle in this evolution is that Microsoft will continue to offer market-leading health and wellness benefits that rank among the best in the country," the spokesperson added, without elaborating how much their employees will have to contribute.

It is unclear what prompted Microsoft to change its policy towards employee health care benefits, but one expert suggested that it may have been motivated by rising costs under U.S. health care reform initiatives.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-10

[phiphidon]

Now I know that Microsoft is an American Company and as such English is not your first language, but "evolve" is defined by the OED as "develop gradually". Develop is further defined by "to grow or cause to grow more mature, advanced or elaborate". It does not mean "we are not going to pay all your health benefits anymore, you're going to have to cough up as well". I understand that the previous arrangement was above what most people would ever experience but what upsets me is the insidiousness of American management speak throughout the English language and Business.

Say what you bloody well mean. You do not "let people go", you sack them. Don't "think outside the box", come up with another idea that's different.

I spent a long time with a telecoms firm (Mercury) who were heavily influenced by american management bs (even to the extent of sending all employees to a couple of geodesic domes in the Birmingham NEC car park for 2/3 days to be brainwashed into thinking "outside the box". It was called "Imagine" and otherwise fully occupied employees were seconded to become facilitators of the Imagine concept, whatever that was, thus neglecting their real jobs and leading , eventually, to the sacking of the idiot who thought of, sorry, sponsored the idea). I then went to work with an perfectly good firm that was taken over by the american WorldCom who installed all kinds of BS. Last I heard of, the CEO is still in prison. So maybe I'm a liitle bit biased but lets get back to basic English speech.Rant over.

[hanuman1]

It is unclear what prompted Microsoft to change its policy towards employee health care benefits, but one expert suggested that it may have been motivated by rising costs under U.S. health care reform initiatives.

Err...d'ya think? It hardly takes an expert to suggest such a possibility.

What other motivation could there possibly be apart from saving money? Or perhaps Microsoft thinks it's better for employees' health if they lighten the load in their wallets when they get ill....

[britmaveric]

^what they are saying is that MS will no longer pay for health insurance 100%, prob like most firms in yankland you pay a small fraction out of your wage packet each week for coverage.

[jsflynn603]

Well said phiphidon!

It is endemic this evolution degradation of health care benefits. The latest in the trend is what I call "negative insurance."

My company (when I had one) had a reasonable dental policy. Over the past few years I have done some "maintenance" on my teeth, replacing a few rather old crowns that eventually would cause trouble. Each crown cost ~$750US so I got one fixed and insurance paid half. I was pleased.

Then my company removed the dental policy. I commented to my dentist "no more insurance," and he rather matter-of-factly said: "Oh, really, then the prices I quoted you will change."

I thought: "what a nice guy!" Thinking that he (as some places do when a patient pays cash) offered a discount.

"Yes," he said, "The last crown you need will be $1100." Oops!

It seems that with the insurance policy, pre-agreed prices were set and he could not charge above the price agreed with the insurance plan, but with no insurance in essence, I lost my discount. Needless to say, I no longer used the fella.

A friend who has what I call a "garbage insurance" which is "negative insurance" needed some minor "in office" surgery. When the office asked what kind of insurance she had, she said "none, I pay cash." So she received a quote of $1200 which she paid for in cash. She did have the "garbage policy" whose total payout for the year was $1500 (and by the way costs more than would ever be paid out) (yes, if a hospital bill was $250,000 the policy would pay $1500) thus the "garbage" part.

The surgery as expected, went smoothly, and at the end of the year she submitted her bill to the "garbage insurance" company. Her actual expenses were about $2200 that year but she thought she'd send in the receipt for the surgery and one or two other small bills. The insurance company (since she paid cash) promptly paid her $1500 the max benefit.

But...unbeknownst to her, the insurance company sent a "Notice of Benefits" to the surgeon. The surgeon's office seeing that she had insurance changed the listed charge to $2400 (the insured rate). Yes, she now owed exactly double what was quoted, since they applied the "insured rate" instead of the "cash with no insurance rate." Bottom line: she was out in left field, and had not a leg to stand on--she had to pay it.

So many companies are utilizing "garbage policies" that do almost nothing--which I think is worse that having no insurance for many do not even understand how little their policy will pay, so it instills a false confidence.

Yes, it is that bad here... and today, at least I don't have to worry about two rates for I have zero insurance--nada! But then they didn't in the early 1900's either.

I think about applying a placard to my car that reads: In case of accident, please let me die. I'd rather go that route then become a "serf" to the Pharmaking. (aka medical industry)

[Jingthing]

Phip, the corporate butchering of our American language is quite annoying to many Americans as well. You don't have to be British to detest it.

[JimmyTheMook]

^what they are saying is that MS will no longer pay for health insurance 100%, prob like most firms in yankland you pay a small fraction out of your wage packet each week for coverage.

Often it is not a small fraction of your wage , as it is compounded with copayment for doctor visits and medicines costs.

So even when you're not sick or need to see a doctor it is coming out of your pocket.

[endure]

Thank <deleted> for the NHS.

[qdinthailand]

This would indicate to me that Microsoft is feeling the hurt from Google and Apple rising up, and pushing MS down. They can't afford to be as generous as they had been.

And the statement;

It is unclear what prompted Microsoft to change its policy towards employee health care benefits, but one expert suggested that it may have been motivated by rising costs under U.S. health care reform initiatives.

is bullshit.

First, why is the expert not identified. What reason would there be for not identifying this source? This article came from BNO, which states on their website;

BNO News is a news agency founded in late 2009. BNO News provides content to mainly local media in the United States.

So BNO is just the distributor. I suspect the real source of the article is one of the chicken-shit right wing media outlets. They like nothing more than blaming the health care reform (Obamacare and the Democrats) for rising health care costs, even though the health care reform legislation was proposed as a response to the out-of-control health care cost increases of the past 2 decades. Its been years of unaffordable insurance increases and concomitant rationing of health care coverage by the insurers that is the problem. Americans are being squeezed by a lack of wage growth and more out-of-pocket costs for obtaining health care.

Things have gotten so bad that a highly capitalized company like Microsoft can no longer afford what the health insurance industry is charging.

Very little of the recent health care reforms affecting business has kicked in yet - most won't kick in until 2014. Its the insurance industry of America being bigger dicks then they already were.

[blazes]

Now I know that Microsoft is an American Company and as such English is not your first language, but "evolve" is defined by the OED as "develop gradually". Develop is further defined by "to grow or cause to grow more mature, advanced or elaborate". It does not mean "we are not going to pay all your health benefits anymore, you're going to have to cough up as well". I understand that the previous arrangement was above what most people would ever experience but what upsets me is the insidiousness of American management speak throughout the English language and Business.

Say what you bloody well mean. You do not "let people go", you sack them. Don't "think outside the box", come up with another idea that's different.

I spent a long time with a telecoms firm (Mercury) who were heavily influenced by american management bs (even to the extent of sending all employees to a couple of geodesic domes in the Birmingham NEC car park for 2/3 days to be brainwashed into thinking "outside the box". It was called "Imagine" and otherwise fully occupied employees were seconded to become facilitators of the Imagine concept, whatever that was, thus neglecting their real jobs and leading , eventually, to the sacking of the idiot who thought of, sorry, sponsored the idea). I then went to work with an perfectly good firm that was taken over by the american WorldCom who installed all kinds of BS. Last I heard of, the CEO is still in prison. So maybe I'm a liitle bit biased but lets get back to basic English speech.Rant over.

EXCELLENT

[Pib]

Reducing the benefits will help Bill Gates stay the richest man in the world. I think Bill has fallen to the number 2 richest...he needs to regain that number 1 spot...."evolving" Microsoft health benefits should do the trick. God bless this American language...ain't it great!

[cloudhopper]

"It is unclear what prompted Microsoft to change its policy towards employee health care benefits, but one expert suggested that it may have been motivated by rising costs under U.S. health care reform initiatives."

Change you can believe in.

Or get fined, up to you.

[endure]

Reducing the benefits will help Bill Gates stay the richest man in the world. I think Bill has fallen to the number 2 richest...he needs to regain that number 1 spot...."evolving" Microsoft health benefits should do the trick. God bless this American language...ain't it great!

On the contrary both he and Buffet are giving their cash away in big chunks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

[Pib]

Reducing the benefits will help Bill Gates stay the richest man in the world. I think Bill has fallen to the number 2 richest...he needs to regain that number 1 spot...."evolving" Microsoft health benefits should do the trick. God bless this American language...ain't it great!

On the contrary both he and Buffet are giving their cash away in big chunks:

http://en.wikipedia....ates_Foundation

Yes, they are giving some of it away...good on them. But that still don't change the fact they are still some of the richest men in the world each year--Bill Gates #2 and Warren Buffet #3 in 2010.

[HAL9000]

That's M$ for you. Billions of dollars to help the poor around the world in the Gates Foundation, but no comprehensive health package for the employees.