From an employee meeting this week at ABC Widget . . . . 

Health Plan premium increase ‘just’ 6% (trend is low teens); $647 Single, $2,181 Family (that's billed, and lower than most), of which, company will continue to pay 80%. (Way more generous and - despite lagging sales - on top of raises/bonuses. ‘Boss-man’ is amazing!)

Roughly half the people in the room still weren’t happy. 

Consider.

Median Household income is $83,730; average much higher ($121,000) skewed by Bezos, Musk Et al. 

Monthly expenses: housing $2,189 (33%), transportation $1,110 (17%), food $847 (13%), premiums/pensions $816 (12%), entertainment $300 (5%), education $138 (2%) taxes $840 (13%) savings $985 (15%). Yes, that’s more than 100%. (Blame AI.)

Back to Widget. 

With deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance, annual Out of Pocket limits are $5,100 Single, $10,200 Family. There goes the savings (entertainment, or?) for a family of four with multiple chronic conditions.  

Back in 2007, Medicare started adjusting Part B premiums based on income. 

At Widget, ‘Boss-man’ already pays 80% of the total cost, but for large and publicly traded companies, does it make sense that Elon and Joe Lunch-Bucket pay the same?

No, I’m not moving to Vermont. But I can read a room.

Fun fact. It was -15 in Mequon when I wrote this Tip . . . . and 37 in Nuuk! Lucky wants Greenland, too!