It's Shitty HMO Time

"Hi Tom,

I have a question that a lot of temps I know are interested in: What are the better (best) health plans offered by the various agencies?

Given the ability to keep health insurance through COBRA and that temps frequently switch agencies when moving from one project to another, many temps are interested in knowing which agency offers the best health plan for their dollar. The reason they would seek to work for agencies that offer preferable plans would be to keep the coverage benefits through COBRA.

Agency web sights almost never offer details (ie price and selection) of the plans they offer. Moreover, most people (attorneys too) don't have enough knowledge about important coverage distinctions to make intelligent and cost savvy decisions. As the recent movie Sicko demonstrates, not all health care plans are created equal and some plans (especially HMO's) do not offer sufficient coverage to warrant the premium they charge.

Do you have any information on this?"

Great idea. It's time for another chart. Plop down agency, city, and HMO plan in the comments section. Thank you for your help.

As far as retirement goes, I would also be interested in hearing what everyone has to say. Tom the Temp personally tries to invest in a Roth IRA through the Vanguard family of funds. http://www.vanguard.com Does anyone actually invest in the agency 401(K), where you have to buy temp agency stock? Bad Idea!