"I really hate to do this, but........." Topic

I really hate to do this but….

Due to dramatically rising production costs:
1. Metal still very expensive
2. Utilities(gas, electricity, even water) have increased 23% over the past 2 years
3. Health care premiums will be increasing 120%
4. Workers comp(required) has increased almost 10% in last 12 months
etc, etc, etc

I will be forced to increase the prices for Stone Mountain Miniatures later this month. I have tried to keep prices steady but costs are escalating to the point where I have no other choice.

Even with the price increase Stone Mountain figures and buildings remain one of the best buys on the web.

I look forward to your continued support and business.

Dave
Stone Mountain Miniatures, Inc.
HistoricalMiniatures.com

I will still be buying your figures, I am currently building my 15mm ACW forces, and your figures are the bulk of my armies.

No one blames you. We all know where the blame lies.

Like Item 3?

Glad I got my order in.

Woohoo!!!! My health care premiums will be going down!!! We probably have the highest in the nation so this going to be sweet!

Don

Good for you.

Dave, bless you for staying in business. Many others have folded. I still believe small businesses are the backbone of our economy.

Oh no, John, item three can't possibly be true? After all, it's the Affordable HCA, right?

Why do people insist on pretending to be stupid and blame something that hasn't fully been implemented yet? A few seconds of research will show that since the early 1980s US health care costs have been rising steadily. Claiming it's all "suddenly" going up is like blaming sex in month 5 on pregnancy because you just didn't "notice" her belly before!

"3. Health care premiums will be increasing 120%" is not part of the "since the early 1980's". This is coming with a furious tempo. All the rise since the early 80's will go up 120%. I wonder if I can get some free/affordable therapy when I'm unable to sate my addiction to the hobby at the proper rate? How can I game this to come away with the proper solution?

Mark

Well, in 2011, my health insurance premiums went up 50%. In previous years, this was 8 to 12 percent. We are now paying about $14,600 USD a year for a family of 4 for LESS coverage than back in 2007 and with a co-pay of $40 USD for doctor visits. Co-pays for prescriptions have almost doubled for generic and brand name as well.

I agree, full implementation hasn't happened but insurance companies already adjusted for what has. Namely, you can't be turned down no matter what your previous condition was; granted, this happened with employment changes and a waiting period prior to the new legislation anyway.

And your children up to the age of 26 are covered as well if in school. Never mind the fact that they can be covered privately much cheaper or not at all since they are presumably healthy.

If I tell you that rain will increase because it has been doing so for 30 years. And all of a sudden the rain starts doubling year on year and your coverage for flood insurance is declining and premiums are going up, I would say you would have room for concern.

Ratbone is correct, insurance costs have been on the rise since the 1980s. What he is missing is that the rate is climbing 4 to 6 times the rate in all previous years. In other words, taking the rule of 72 into account (divide the percent increase into 72 to get how long it takes to double the cost due to inflation, price increases, etc.) We used to double the insurance premium every 6 to 9 years.

In the last 3 years, we have had (personally) an increase of 50, 30 and 20 percent respectively (rounded figures). Remember, this is an increase from the previous year's base each time. So we almost doubled our costs in two years and are on pace to double again in a little more than 3 years from now.

In pure dollar costs, we went from $550 USD a month for health, eye and dental insurance to about $1,200 USD a month for less coverage. So, my percentages are a bit off, but you get my point.

What has happened is that employers have shifted cost increases to the employees as much as possible. Some of the costs are legislation driven, some of the costs are definitely inflation driven.

We have a flour mill in the city that has hourly employees. In 2011, most of the hourly employees went on strike because the company would not pay health insurance premium rises due solely to increased legislative mandates. In other words, the paid the inflation costs but not the additional mandates. This is just one example.

Many employers are shifting work to part time workers since those working 28 hours or less aren't required to have employers sponsored health plans. This happened abruptly earlier this year and then was relaxed because legislation passed to delay this mandate. 2014 is fast approaching and if I am not mistaken, additional triggers come into effect.

So Ratbone, you are correct in essence but are mistaken in scope of insurance premium rises.

Why Anyone would pay the equivalent price of a low end new car each year for health insurance is beyond me.

Better to put that money in the bank and pay your health care out of pocket. Really how much could you reasonably spend on healthcare? I bet its no where near $15,000 USD

I don't even make $15 USDK a year, much less have any insurance what so ever.

I take it you haven't priced even basic emergency surgery, napthyme. $15 USDK won't even pay for the anesthesia. That's why you get health insurance.

As for me, being self-employed, and with my wife working part-time, we have to completely fund our own health insurance. In the last two years, our premiums have doubled. (For the mathematically un-inclined, that's an increase of 100%.) We are in good health, and have no family history of debilitating, hereditary illnesses, and put very little claim upon the insurance, aside from my son's broken arm two years ago. So it ain't us driving the premiums up.

In the same time period, by the way, our income has fallen significantly, being derived from part ownership in a family business that serves middle-income wage earners. As they have been devastated by the continued economic problems in the US, so too has been their ability to purchase the service the business provides (which, by the way, is a necessity, not a luxury or a convenience). As a result, not only are they impacted negatively, but so too have we been impacted… and we are as middle-income as these customers. Neither the service nor the need nor the quality has altered (in fact, the quality has been improved), and there has been no significant increase in competition. There has only been a devastating decrease in the ability to pay, which, by the way, means that for this business price increases won't work, but will only make the situation worse for all involved. I'm not complaining nor making excuses— just stating the bald facts. You can make of that what you will.

In the meantime, my wife and I are working to be in situations where that income is no longer significant to us. But right now, the loss is hurting. So I understand Dave's dilemma. He's got expenses that are increasing due to no fault of his own, and those expenses have to be covered. The only way he can cover them is the only way any business can cover them: raising prices.

TANSTAAFL, folks. As true today as it ever was.

Nope, I haven't priced it, wouldn't do any good the cost of such things double every month anyway.

Really that is my point healthy people hardly ever need to go to the Dr. The only Dr I have seen in the last 20+ years is an eye Dr. My last pair of glasses were $200.00 USD total with visit.

I can't afford to live and pay $500.00 USD month for anything whether that is rent, insurance, ect.

Are there more pictures of your 15mm figures and scenery somewhere on your webstore?

Getting a little 'Blue Fezzy…'

The problem is that most exchanges haven't come online let. Implementing the mandate and coverage requirements for workers and companies w/o the exchanges was pretty dumb. In the few states that have exchanges, insurance plan costs have gone down, 25% to 30% in cases. This is you buy your own of course, instead of employer provided. But employers will likely look at the exchanges and go "Bob can get his plan for 25% less, why can't I get such a deal for a group plan"

Agreed.

Of course, as a Canadian, my health insurance is taken care of by the government. But I pay a good amount in tax every year. It is what it is.

This thread got off the track quickly.

"Why Anyone would pay the equivalent price of a low end new car each year for health insurance is beyond me."

If you're young and healthy, you probably won't need health insurance. Then, in case you are hit with something catastrophic, then you go get medical treatment and depend on me (the taxpayer) to pay for you.

That's why we so desperately needed a system that forces all these young, healthy people to get health insurance; so middle-aged taxpayers like me don't have to pay every time a young healthy person gets hit by a car or gets cancer.

Are we still talking 15mm here?

15mm cancer? is that lead-rot?

Another way to figure out whether you will be doing well with the health insurances is to see where the insurance companies stand. When HillaryCare was being touted, the insurance companies ran "Harry and Louise" TV adds to help kill that program. With ObamaCare, they did NOT run any TV ads and were in back room meetings (which were NOT on C-span) that very few people were allowed to attend and were not reported on to this day. Do you think the insurance companies are going to make less money? Where do you think that money is going to come from?

lots of politics in some of these threads….. :-(

Yeah, leave the politics for the crooks in Washington, Ottawa, London, Moscow, etc, etc, etc.

That said we all enjoy ACW and politics drove many of the decisions and outcomes for that war. Now, we may once more fight a great political (and dare I say economic and social) civil war.

GOD have mercy on us.

Semper Fi