The Other Shoe

Yesterday was the HR Orientation for my new job. They talked about all the benefits of working there, one of which was medical coverage. Unfortunately, this poke in the arm thing is not going away.

Starting February 18th, if you haven't been poked, the out of pocket medical taken out of your check will double. For me and my spouse, that would be over $400 a month, just for the cheapest plan. The high quality plan would cost $700 or so a month. You can't just opt out of the medical and still be able to get the vision and dental. It's a package deal. Having medical through your work use to be a highly valued perk. But now with the looming mandatory V A X, medical benefits just aren't what they use to be.

The HR lady stressed the fact that getting poked was NOT a requirement for employment. She went on to say that the company highly encourages it and that without it, I would not be able to enter a company building or participate in any company events. Thank God, I am working remote.

So my husband and I decided that we would be better served by opting out of the medical. I will need to do it within the first 30 days of employment or be automatically enrolled. It is too bad, but that is the way things are going. I also think this was a heads-up from the Lord. This will just be temporary. Once they really crack down and make it mandatory for employment, my time there will be done. Too bad. I really like the place so far.