I am a long-time lurker who now seeks the help of my colleagues. My institution is presently engaged in its annual health insurance review ritual. This ritual begins when we discover that our current insurance carrier plans to raise our rates. In response, our administrators begin shopping for other carriers, seeking lower rates (often achieved through reduced benefits) and, ideally, capitation of future rate increases. All of this leads me to seek the following information to see where our health insurance stands vis-a-vis other, similar institutions. So, if you're employed by a mid-sized or larger museum in the U.S., I would love to hear from you (by the way, the Nelson-Atkins is a general art museum with about 160 full time and 250 part time employees). Please respond off-list; if there is enough interest, I will certainly try to provide a summary of responses to the entire list. My questions are as follows: 1. What type of coverage is available to you? A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), or a choice of one or the other? If you belong to an HMO is it an open panel (you pick your own doctor from a list of participants) or a closed panel (you may only use doctors employed by the insurance carrier)? 2. What is the cost to you per month for your coverage? Who is covered (just you, you and your partner/spouse, you and your entire family, etc.)? If the information is available, I would also be very interested in your institution's overall cost schedule for employees (i.e. what employees pay for individual PPO coverage, family PPO coverage, individual HMO coverage, family HMO coverage etc.). 3. What is your co-pay for doctor visits and for prescriptions? What is your yearly deductible per individual? What is the maximum yearly out of pocket cost before the insurance pays 100%? Is there a lifetime coverage cap (an amount above which your insurance ceases to pay)? 4. Has your employer changed your insurance carrier at any time during the past several years? What was the effect on you? 5. Any general comments, horror stories, happy stories, free-floating resentment, etc.? I know this seems tedious, but for me, health insurance is the only substantial benefit I receive apart from my paycheck--I have learned that it pays to be informed and to be vigilant. Thanks in advance for your help and partial information is certainly welcome. NOTE: The opinons expressed are mine and not those of my employer (who might be happier if I didn't have opinions). Scott Erbes Associate Curator of Decorative Arts The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art 4525 Oak Street Kansas City, Missouri 64111-1873 U.S.A 816.751.1332 Fax 816.561.7154 [log in to unmask]