Reed Doughty Facebook page - The owners have decided not to continue players health insurance past march 4.

[PlayAction]

[QUOTE=mikemac9;8149342]Aren't players basically contractors? Not employees, right? Therefore, why do they get health insurance benefits anyway? [QUOTE]

Employees can sign employment contracts. Hopefully, the players are eligible for health insurance under COBRA rules. Otherwise, anyone that is sick or has a sick kid probably will be denied coverage regardless of the insurance price. I can tell you that without COBRA there is no way that Reed Doughty gets insurance for his son.

[ConnSKINS26]

excuse me then......sorry to have upset you

It has nothing to do with me...I could agree with you, for all you know.

Its in the rules. Keep stuff like that out of the Stadium.

[Popeman38]

[QUOTE=PlayAction;8149427][QUOTE=mikemac9;8149342]Aren't players basically contractors? Not employees, right? Therefore, why do they get health insurance benefits anyway?

Employees can sign employment contracts. Hopefully, the players are eligible for health insurance under COBRA rules. Otherwise, anyone that is sick or has a sick kid probably will be denied coverage regardless of the insurance price. I can tell you that without COBRA there is no way that Reed Doughty gets insurance for his son.

Patently false. Pre-existing condition is no longer an excuse. Reed will be able to find a policy for his son.

However, COBRA is available to each player at an out of pocket cost for 180 days.

[IrepDC]

I don't like this. This whole thing is about greed.

[Timmy Smith]

Good thing the U.S. has passed universal health care legislation under President Obama.

[TheismannQuote]

COBRA will be available to all players for 180 days, just live every other union member when a CBA expires. At the members expense, and for the high end NFL plan, we are probably talkin $2500-3500/month.

Yup Yup. Popeman knows his union insurance issues~

I'm shocked that Doughty posted this like it was new news. This is/was a big chip since the start of "negotiations".

[ConnSKINS26]

I don't like this. This whole thing is about greed.

Of course it is. We're talking about billions upon billions of dollars.

[RandyHolt]

It's america, where the bottom line is just that. Pre-existing condition? Well, that's a hot button political issue. For some reason we have based our health care benefits on ones employment status, as if you can work your ENTIRE life from birth to death. Lose your job, they COBRA your ass. It often costs more to not get sick with that insane pricing. It's a bigger problem for many more than a thousand football players. It is a problem with our society. It's disturbing how many people in this country support a monopoly money counting for profit insurance company, instead of getting health care for Reed's kid. Its more important for them to grow than it is to actually provide a service.

This country's obsession with growth is mind boggling.

[The Tris]

So if neither of us can see the books, and if I have to take a side here, I'm taking the side of the successful businessman, not because he's greedy, but because he knows what he's talking about. Of course the NFL is making money, sorry, but it would seem they're not making what they're supposed to be making, and any business would make changes in that situation.

The Packers open their books - only team to do so. They lost a bunch of money between 2007 and 2009, as did most companies in the country. Also, as a small market team, their are hit particularly hard.

My question is, if the owners are being hit so hard by the changed economic dynamics of the world, why aren't we getting shown just how much things have changed? Rhetorical question - we'll never see Snyder's or Jerrah's books.


Really, this isn't a big deal for the Mannings or Bradys of the world, but it is a huge deal to hundreds of guys making league minimums, who's salary isn't quite so extravagant when you pay over 50% of it to agents and taxes, and who only play the average NFL career of just over 3 years - which means you don't qualify for pension or extended health coverage, despite a profession that has an average lifespan of 52 years old (25 years less than the US average). But yeah, these players are greedy and make too much money.

[Lavarleap56]

Reed is a class act and stand up person. He's posting just because of his frustration with the situation. In terms of cobra and his situation with his children he's looking at paying 3,000 a month for coverage. Some might say they have the money to pay for coverage but still a unfair situation for families to go through.

[Dirt]

Really, this isn't a big deal for the Mannings or Bradys of the world, but it is a huge deal to hundreds of guys making league minimums, who's salary isn't quite so extravagant when you pay over 50% of it to agents and taxes, and who only play the average NFL career of just over 3 years - which means you don't qualify for pension or extended health coverage, despite a profession that has an average lifespan of 52 years old (25 years less than the US average). But yeah, these players are greedy and make too much money.

Well, I don't see how it is such a big deal for the guys who make league minimum. I forgot what it is ($300,000?), but at the very least they're bringing in 6 figures, and (let's face it) can afford their own health insurance policy. Many jobs don't offer health insurance, and the ones that do, don't necessarily do it because of how dangerous the job itself is. That's a workers comp thing. In other words, I don't see why the life expectancy of a football player should have anything to do with it. They should be prepared for life after football. They've been told to do so since college. And speaking of college, most of these guys were required to succeed on some level IN college, meaning they should have the brains to be successful if not for football.

My 'theory' is that these players KNOW the average career is 3 years, and want to make as much money as they can in that time so that they can retire at 30. That's a luxury usually saved for folks who win the lottery, and yes, there is a level of greed there. IMO.

[The Tris]

The problem is, the profession that they are in causes major long term health problems and a dramatically shorten lifespan, problems which linger on long after the six-figure salary has stopped.

If you had a job that paid you $450K over 3 years, but gave you a high risk of early onset Alzheimer's, wouldn't you want a better long term health care coverage? Why is that being greedy?

[GoSkinsGo]

The Packers open their books - only team to do so. They lost a bunch of money between 2007 and 2009, as did most companies in the country. Also, as a small market team, their are hit particularly hard.

The pack is also the only publicly held team, they have to open their books.

My question is, if the owners are being hit so hard by the changed economic dynamics of the world, why aren't we getting shown just how much things have changed? Rhetorical question - we'll never see Snyder's or Jerrah's books.

They have leverage in the negotiations they don't need to open their books as they are privately held companies also they players union has done a good job of making themselves looking like the bad guys already and don't hold nearly enough leverage to force them to.

Really, this isn't a big deal for the Mannings or Bradys of the world, but it is a huge deal to hundreds of guys making league minimums, who's salary isn't quite so extravagant when you pay over 50% of it to agents and taxes, and who only play the average NFL career of just over 3 years - which means you don't qualify for pension or extended health coverage, despite a profession that has an average lifespan of 52 years old (25 years less than the US average). But yeah, these players are greedy and make too much money.

The NFL league min. is 325k for 2010, I think I read somewhere that over 50% of the NFL players live paycheck to paycheck. Maybe they should do a tad better job managing their finances so that they wouldn't be SOL if they were out of work for one year. As Doug Williams once said "Live like your making 50k and save the rest".

[addicted]

Hmmmm....If I decided to go on strike would my health care provided by my employer continue? Of course not. Why would it be any different for these employees?

[ATLredskin]

He should be worried about making the team next year...something I hope does not come true.