Obviously, they cannot discriminate with their hiring practices, but they can certainly offer to pay for a younger employees’ coverage thereby accomplishing the same goal. We see this quite a bit in companies with owners who “need” the younger employees to keep the rates low. Did you ever notice why the owners/managers are older and comparatively out of shape and most of the employees are younger and healthier? This greatly reduces the cost of providing insurance for all employees and this practice is especially prevalent in smaller companies where one unhealthy person can greatly affect the premiums for everyone else.
Is this fair? Not in my opinion! If you’re much younger than the average age of the employees around you and you actually take care of yourself by eating healthy, exercising and not smoking, don’t fall into the trap. You should be rewarded by actually making healthy choices. One of the main reasons health insurance is so expensive in this country is simply the lifestyle choices Americans make.
People call us virtually every day and the story is almost always the same. The group health insurance plan at work is ridiculously expensive and the majority of the employees end up paying way too much for the same policy they can buy in the private market for a fraction of the cost. The employer won’t tell you this because they need you to be on the plan so their costs can remain in check. If you don’t believe me, then why are most large employers now instituting wellness programs for employees? It’s not because they want to be nice, it’s to reduce the financial burden of insuring unhealthy employees.
If your group plan is too expensive or you feel you’re paying for benefits you don’t need (like a single guy who has maternity coverage), call Selected Benefits at 713.621.1440 and let us see if we can’t beat their offer. Odds are the group plan cannot come close to what we can offer.