Originally Posted by higney85

This is not necessarily a "good" thing. Being self-insured works for large companies, until large claims hit. Cancer, premies (baby), and chronic illness can terrorize a company and expenses go through the roof. Co-pays, Rx costs, and premiums rise quickly once this happens.

The self-insured vs. plan debate is much like car insurance (I gave this analogy on the company board).
$150/mo for all required coverage and a low deductible (lets say $250)
$75/mo for all required coverage and a high deductible (lets say $1500)
-The $75 plan sounds great until the kids start driving and have numerous wrecks.

Cancer and premies (just a couple of each) can cost as much as the total healthcare budget for the rest of the "healthy" group. The airlines, as usual, try to win by betting on uncalculateable risk.