New Teaching Contract

[Irulan]

1600 - $1700 a month for insurance is normal?

As someone who pays out of pocket, yes. Now, I don't know what kind of plans these are. I live in a state where I am pretty sure insurance costs less, and if you want a "cadillac" plan, one that covers just about everything, (mental health, prescriptions, pregnancy and maybe some vision) with minimal copays, low deductible, and a low maximum out of pocket,with a reputable company such as Blue Cross, Premera, yes, that is what you'll pay for TWO people. Most people seem to want those kind of plans, $20 office visits, $5 prescriptions, etc....again, I don't know what kinds of plans you are offered. I just know that as a consumer that pays out of pocket for all of my health insurance, there's no way I could afford the full costs of those kinds of plans.So I don't have one like that. I'm pretty savvy as I've been buying our families insurance for a long time, and know what's out there from decent companies on the market, at least in my state. My belief is that if you get any employer buy in on health insurance you should count yourself lucky. I'm not trying to bum you out - i know there are certain expectations with union contracts and all that, but for the rest of us, the realities can be quite different.