Thread regarding Chevron Corp. layoffs

That's what schmucks like you are made to believe, 2Xuij. There's hardly any competition. The word to remember is "Collusion". Prices will stay high so these greedy companies will take every Dollar they can. The government does nothing to curb this criminal behavior. They even prohibit sick Americans from buying their life sustaining pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, Europe and India at 50% or more of a discount over US drugs. This is not right.

@2Xpic, Yes indeed. They will be jailed for trying to come up with all sorts of schemes and plans to make more profit from consumers in a highly competitive field in a capitalist country - LOL!

Healthcare in the USA is a racket, pure and simple. Both parties in Congress participate in the racket and are compensated handsomely every election with large chucks of coin. The GOP and Democrats don't intend to do much to fix the expensive healthcare system in our country. You want change? Help fund citizen groups that can infiltrate pharmaceutical companies, large hospitals, insurance companies and Congressional members with hidden microphones, cameras and sting operations. Only this way will the culprits be exposed and jailed.

To replace you would need a real plan... but "who would have known it was so complicated?"... answer: anyone who knows anything! You can make the system better, no question, but it is not some type of reality tv show...you need to do the hard work to make the system more effective ... there are not shortcuts!

It seems to me the GOP will not repeal and replace Obamacare. I don't sense the urgency or coordination on their part to want to venture into this hornet's nest. Obamacare has been institutionalized in the minds of enough people already. To take away even the slightest bit of it will not go over well in the 2018 midterms and to repeal the mandate and make some changes won't be acceptable to many who want Obamacare gone completely. The GOP have no balls and is in a quandary. They will continue to punt the football. Just watch how Obamacare will stay around for a long time.

2Vezr, Sorry to hear that you were laid off, buddy. Most of the people posting here are, hence the title of the website. Keep your head up pal, things are turning around, you'll find something in the near future. I did and I like the hours and pay a lot better. This thread is about Health Insurance, BTW.

And let me guess, 2Vysy. You're everything you ever dreamed of being - a sorry laid off fool spouting off on this blog. Nothing positive to add? I suppose not.

@Km3hsz9-2Veea, Wow! Only 4? "Clever Comebacks" you say, don't you? Try harder. That's what I love so much about anonymous posters on an internet site. It's just like the Army, except magical. Everyone here can be "Anything that they've ever dreamed of being" ; Doctors, Lawyers, Indian chiefs, Multi-millionaires, Speak fluently in many different languages, you name it - LMAO!!! Keep 'em coming. I'm popping some popcorn. You can't beat this site for the best entertainment! Here's an idea - Babelfish some lines and fraudulently repeat them as your own!!! Priceless!!

2Uioa - As a matter of fact, English is my first language out of 4 that I can speak and write fluently. And other thing, attempts at clever comebacks is not your forte. Advice: Drop it like or continue to expose yourself to ridicule behind your back.

That's what I said in my post, knuckleheads. What did you miss in "in terms of the quality of healthcare"? I didn't say "price", the word I used was QUALITY. I guess your quick reading lacks the skill to also understand the written text.

2Tuae - We are living in an era of revisionist historians, media fake news, junk science and blatant criminality. The Saúl Alinsky playbook is in full use by the 'New World Order' Leftists in America.

Went to an old cemetery the other day. Most of the people buried there died in the 1800s and lived till they were in their 80s and 90s. And they tell us that life expectancy is increasing.

This thread has just been renamed the "Deadwood Cowardly mentally deranged losers with no argument except to call everyone ELSE crazy Thread". Please Carry On, children.

-2Rbmk, So now you are replying to your own posts and calling yourself crazy!???? LOL!! There are specialists you can go to for that. Please seek one.

@2Rmng, I think the "previous poster" you are referring to is in fact YOU. Don't try to fool us. We know crazy when we see (or read) it. LOL.

@Km3hsz9-2Rmnv, I think that the previous poster that you responded to was very poignant and informative. Your simple-minded cowardly criticism lacking any detail, valid rebuttal or content of a thinking person with an opinion was just that, however. Simple minded and cowardly.

LMAO @2Rfct, that rant of yours is telling. You really are Cuckoo for Coco Puffs crazy.

2Rvhc, If you think that "universal healthcare", which is not what they have in the US and are no where near having that in many of our lifetimes, is the best, you are so very "Butthurt" about living in the US that it's beyond obvious. You are also embarrassed by the non-socialist, non-communist, and free-market capitalist environment which defines the United States of America and the very core of the US economic engine. You seriously need to move. I have a house in another country(SA) that I live in alternatively. It is no big deal. Don't live in a country where you do not agree with their economic freedoms and capitalist policies. It's not your place to try to change the economic environment of a country that has survived for so many years and had so much success in so many areas and has held/endured/withstood the title/moniker of the worlds greatest superpower and that with the most freedoms to the point of many more immigrants wanting to move there than any other country on the planet. You need to scram, but keep a smile on your face. There' are way too many people going TO the U.S. looking for a free ride already. Please go to a country of your choice with a universal health care of your liking. You have choices. Quit crying like a pathetic baby and Take control of your life!!! I certainly did!!!!

All the "throw the other guy under the bus" aside, if the USA does not increase the efficiency of health care delivery prices will just keep going up for everyone until it is unaffordable by everyone. There is a LOT of room for improvement. That should be the focus of heath care reform front and center, not maximizing the road kill.

I'm not at all butt hurt, @2Qjvz. You can't make a comparison between the USA and Canada or Europe in terms of the quality of healthcare, or even universal healthcare if it comes to that down the road. Frankly, I think universal healthcare is the solution we need in the US.

Elections do have consequences... sometimes they are bad. 17% of Americans think the bill that just past congress will make health care great again. I guess there is ways the mid-terms.

@Km3hsz9-2Qtoh, Yes Indeed my butthurt brother!!! That's what's needed to make America great again. It's a myth that socialized and universal government rationed healthcare is working great in the countries that have it. Ask any non-parasite who is subject to it overseas or in Canada that you know. Some have even posted on this site. To those who will not/do not contribute, work or are only able to get things that are free(to them), it may be great, but not for the people who built this country, support it, keep it running, and have to foot the bill for those who don't.

Wrong, @2Qcnz. My candidate won and it's exactly what Trump and most of the country would like to see happen asap. My position is a rational and conservative one. Shillary would have stuck with Obamacare with no changes at all. The problem we have is our Congress members who are too beholding to their donors and special interests. Term limits and a more intelligent and engaged electorate is probably the only real solution this country has to fixing our social economic problems.

-2Qcnz. So true. Anything rational is completely of the table. Bring out the dancing bears.

I think that we should stay the hell out of costly wars and absorbing the costs for being the world's cop. Pour all that wasted money into being the most affordable and best healthcare insurance nation on earth. Find better ways to incentivate and promote competition to reduce healthcare costs across the board, including breaking up health organizations that get too big. Find and end fraud at all levels. Reign in drug costs. End big Pharma and Insurance company lobbying of Congress and cap political donations from all healthcare related entities, including individual Doctors and hospitals. Last but not least, end the frivolous medical and pharma lawsuits and the public advertising of 'ambulance chasing' law firms.

"In the end, a single-payer system will be established."... I agree that this is the only system likely to reduce overall system inefficiencies (nuts to spend over 25% of system costs on admin). The idea however that the "government is taking the long way around on purpose" is wrong ... they are taking the long way around to protect the parties with vested interests and stand to lose if the system changes (big med, pharma, and the insurers) ... all of whom give generously to political campaigns. The problem with single payer is that Americans have never agreed on what would be the minimum levels of a common insurance care, or how a system with tiered care levels would function (bronze, silver, gold). -2Mjkh proposed limiting covered expenses to preventive diagnostics (aka, preventative medicine I assume) and catastrophic care, with everyday care off the books or covered by supplemental insurance. The problem is I do not think that this is where the huge extra costs are in the USA system (extra relative to other countries with single payer....Canada, UK, Germany, etc.). The facts are we currently spend nearly half of our health care dollars on folks who will die within a year anyway. The results are USA has lower average life expectancy that other counties who spend much less to focus their systems on good health maintenance throughout life rather than end of life catastrophic intervention.

In the end, a single-payer system will be established. I think our government is taking the "long way around" on purpose to achieve this. The single-payer system I think will get most bi-partisan support will cover only periodic preventive diagnostics and catastrophic care. Anything else for routine doctor visits, the flu, broken toe, or a rash will require the individual to pay out of pocket or have a private supplemental insurance plan (which should result less expensive than a covers-everything plan).

ACA does have problems. In the main they are related to not pushing efficiency improvements enough to reduce overall system costs, but yes there are also some here who brag about figuring out ways to milk the system. What the Republicans just cooked up is far worse...saving money not by improving delivery but by kicking 24 million off the boat, which will send us back to the days when any illness will be complete economic disaster for many. I see nothing to support the claim that more "competition" will reduce prices, rather than bringing more bait and switch companies into the game. It is clear to me that the only option likely to reduce costs overall is a single payer model.

"can you go uncovered and then get insurance when you or yours get sick" is what the previous person posted. That is the exact definition of what Obamacare "... well not really, since now one pays a penalty for being non-insured and also a delay in getting coverage. The new "high risk pool" up to each state that just passed in a much worse idea. If your poor, no worries wait until your sick. If your now insured as an individual expect to get moved into the high risk pool as soon as you get sick. If you think they can not do that you must be young. Each year they offer a "new" plan to everyone who is healthy and those who got sick that year must "stay with their current plan", which then doubles or triples in rate year after year. Forget also about that buying plans across state lines to increase competition... each state with have different "high risk" pool rules. Given that nearly half of folks have something that could be considered a preexisting condition, get ready to return the big on stop bate and switch. If you have an election decision coming up to stay with Chevron coverage or drop think long and hard before you drop. If this new health care bill passes all bets are off on finding another safe harbor at any price!

2Lrkq speaks the truth. I think only about 2 or 3 in 10 CVX employees, regardless of how much they have earned, have saved the maximum. I also think $15k in annual medical premiums is high for most pre-65 retirees. That's equivalent to being able to purchase a brand new mid level car every two years.

@Km3hsz9-2Lcex, You are predicating your view on the assumption that the employees referenced have saved a decent amount, close to the max. As revealed in discussions online, in print and elsewhere, that is simply not the case, on average. Although saving and early retirement has become more popular recently, particularly with millennials, many still live "paycheck to paycheck", due to their situation or their desires.

So the savings rate and numbers given in your example are ideal, but not necessarily the norm.

For most typical longer term CVX employees, your savings today (401k plus pension lump plus Roth IRAs plus after tax savings) should be close to your current base salary times your years of service. If you have 25 years service you have saved enough. If you have fewer years you can retire if you can live on less than your current salary.

E.g. $100k salary, 25 years, $2.5MM saved. Withdraw 4% annually which is $100k

$100k, 15 years, $1.5MM you need to live on $60k per year or keep working.

If you house is paid off, $60k is plenty for insurance, food, beer, etc.

$15K a year is quite reasonable for health insurance for a couple in retirement and is the typically quoted round number for budgeting in the early retirement groups. That is before Medicare kicks in, of course. An annual salary of 6 figures is not required to obtain enough savings to generate this easily. MANY, MANY early retirees have accomplished this on a much lower pre-retirement salary. If you guys want to learn about early retirement, investing, budgeting, etc., please go to the proper websites. (Not here). Just a clue.

Many people here grossly exaggerate not only budgeting requirements, but their income, as apparent below. I doubt if anyone has ever truthfully put their actual income or retirement numbers on this site, but that's just an observation, learned and developed from many years of experience and profiling. Basically this site is an accumulation of garbage information and lies.

Just a thought.

Carry on.

"Can you go uncovered and then get insurance when you or yours get sick" is what the previous person posted. That is the exact definition of what Obamacare (the ACA) was desparately permitting, per the "pre-existing condition" allowance. When you think about it, that's not really fair to the responsible people is it? Having a bunch of shucksters gaming the system, and waiting 'til the moment they get sick to obtain coverage, and not being denied. It sounds really nice on paper and in politics, pertaining to folks with diabetes, forms of cancer, etc. but in practice, on a large scale, is an open door to freeloaders and parasites riding on the hard work of others. I am divided on the issue. The motive is honorable, but the outcome is not. Perhaps there should be some vetting on which kinds of "pre-existing conditions" are allowed. It should not allow a person who "just got sick" and conveniently tries to gain an insured status.

-2Kezj: first, yes I am still working (although no longer at Chevron) and yes I pull in more than 200k/yr, but no I said nothing about "affordable"... only "that's what it costs" if you pay the full price. Sad but true! Why does reasonable (but not gold) coverage cost half that in Canada, Great Britain and Germany (and just about every where else) is, I guess, a question for another day. Can you go uncovered and then get insurance when you or yours get sick (I guess that what Trump and other in the USA gov are trying to determine now). Is there a way to keep what is good in our current system, while increasing efficiencies such that it is affordable? .... sadly that does not appear to be the question of the day! So good luck staying healthy... Imran that!...but what's your plan B?

@2Knqv, to you maybe $15k sounds affordable for medical premiums when you are working. It's not affordable when you're retired and trying to make your retirement savings last 30 years. Not all of Chevron employees were pulling down a salary of $180k or more before getting laid off. When you're still healthy in retirement and don't need to see the doctor but for something minor once every 5 years, you'll realize that pissing away $15k or more each year in premiums alone is expensive.

-2Iboz: $540 for 1 and $1350 for 2 sounds about the same, since the same Chevron contribution to the mix needs to be split two ways with the latter. $15k/yr for 2....seems to be about the going rate everywhere.

@2Ioms, Congratulation on your retirement after 33 long years. Well done. And now at 60, you have many years ahead of you to enjoy your life. It's great to read stories like yours on this site.

BTW, it's surprising to me to read your monthly Medical PPO premium is around $540. You are not yet at 65, yet your premium is more affordable than I was quoted 2 years ago when I retired from Chevron. Maybe the premiums in your area of Louisiana are much lower than they are in the Houston, TX market. I too am pre-65. I was quoted around $1,350 for me and spouse. My Delta Dental HMO premium, though, is only $30.70 for retiree & spouse. I have that, but not the retiree medical. Saving that for when I turn 65. Happy retirement, colleague.

Just retired November 2016 with 33 years of service and 60 years old.

I am in Louisiana.

I am eligible for retiree medical with chevron 100% contribution. My medical premium for single person on Anthem PPO is ~$540 and Delta Dental is $37.

I would still like to hear what healthy people are actually paying for coverage before age 65.