So anyone else look over the prices for the loss of medical insurance? seems a little high. Under 30 with $35k year is about $50/month... I was up for it until I saw that.

Yeah, it sounds fishy like most insurance.

Considering you're getting 35k a year (let's say you medical our later in life at 55 so 10 years 350,000)in return for 21,000 over 35 years it doesn't seem bad to me.

How many pilots on average medical out before age 65, though? Hmm I'll make that my mission to find out.

EDIT: How many of us will even be here at SkyWest by age 65? Loss of medical insurance seems more geared towards older pilots who plan on retiring here.

Agreed. I don't think it's such a bad deal. Obviously it's a cost but for what you can get out of it, I think it's reasonable.
If/when you need it you will be glad it's there and will then consider it a small price to pay.
For those on the fence about it, at least insure yourself for a small amount. $1,000 for instance. It will allow everyone else to get the insurance and will leave the door open for yourself to increase it to a worthwhile amount in the future if you so choose.

Quite a few and some even before then. I agree not everyone will be here to 65 but like any insurance you don't want to pay for it till you need it. For me even though I'm a relatively young guy you just never know and like something's in life you'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Very true...just at look at how many in the training department lost theirs....

I'm in.
But yeah looking at the numbers I think we could work a company wide selfinsure in the next pay package.
$50 / paycheck (or per month) with a company matching $50 would put $800,000 (or 400,000) in a fund per month. If 1/20 medical out I would wager that this would be mor than adequate.
Making the $50 mandatory would lead to butt hurt though.

Company match? HAHAHAHA good luck

1. This may be the only open enrollment ever offered for this program, otherwise it may only be available to new-hires. Think carefully before declining.

2. The benefit can be tailored to whatever amount you want to ensure, even way more than your current pay. So an FO who plans on staying at SKW could lock in CA pay while still an FO.

3. The payouts are non-taxable, so it will pretty much provide the same tak-home pay as the insured amount (unless you live in a zero-tax state).

4. For an FO, if you medical out, you're probably better off just getting a new career rather than trying to live on disability. However...

5. If something happens and you get stuck at SKW, you'll probably want something like this. Trying to replace a six-figure career after age 50 would be tough for many folks. May be best to lock it in now.

6. Keep in mind that most private disability programs which allow you to join after your initial opt-in will have VERY rigorous medical exam/screening requirements, essentially anything in your history will disqualify you. They really don't want people joining late at all, and will use any excuse not to take you, or worse, deny coverage after the medical history that you failed to disclose comes to light.

7. This is NOT just a SKW thing. Assume that any decent aviation job should have a program like this, and that you'll want to opt-in any time you change jobs. Unless you have a trust fund. Cost of doing business, unless you really like living on the edge.

8. Without pilot-specific disability, you'll always be at risk of taking a huge pay cut later in life to work at walmart. A 30 y/o FO with a degree can change careers, but it's a real biatch for older males with no other career experience. Unlike most professions, the risk is very real for pilots. White-collar folks can be seriously disabled and still do their jobs. Our employment is far more tenuous.

I'm not sure if there's a provision to raise your coverage without an exam, ie after you upgrade. I'd research that if you're an FO...might want to opt for CA pay initially, you'll only need to suck it up for a couple years.