Great minds, Sparky. He wanted me to start tomorrow, I told him that I was unable to start until next Monday and that I'd be talking to Joe about the offer and will let him know.

Please please please let awesome comapny A or B want me.

In that case...it doesn't sound like a great offer to me. I mean, they have to know health insurance isn't exactly optional, in which case they also know the salary they're offering you isn't the salary you'd be agreeing to recieve.

[eta: And I like Sparky's response.]

Exactly. I mean, if Joe had the county job, the benefits wouldn't be that big a deal since we'd be using his, anyway. But since we still don't know about that....we need benes.

ARGH!

If I give you a memo with a signature acknowledgement sheet that says "I have read and understood this memo" that means you read and understand it! Not just blindly sign something! It also means that you can't come back 2 months later and say "I didn't know there was a policy change" because you signed it!

Also my doctor's office is trying to kill me. I called them today to let them know I needed an antibiotic that's not sulfa, penicillin or macrodanten and what do they call in? One that's a generic of Macrodanten! Luckily I asked what medicine and I could head that off at the pass. So they had to talk to the doctor and finally called me back with a scrip for Sipro.

Which they didn't exactly want to give me since I couldn't tell them the last date of my period. I explained - PCOS, irregluar periods -- but the nurse didn't sound so convinced. I offered to sign something and fax it to them, but she finally called it in.

ARGH, indeed, askye. My knee jerk reaction to Cipro is "horse pill!" I apparently found them, literally, hard to swallow somewhere in my past.

Aimee, would your salary be decreased only by the cost of the health insurance, and would that money come back into your paycheck if you gave up the health insurance later? This man on the other end of your email is not my favorite person today, and I don't trust him completely.

Yes, my salary would decrease the amount of health coverage costs and probably increase the same amount were I to later on cancel coverage.

He ain't mine, either right now.

"Probably" is a don't-trust word.

Aimee, if he hasn't already specified the amount and sent you information on exactly what would be covered under that plan, asking for it may be a good way to delay giving him an answer.

And what Beej said.

If I give you a memo with a signature acknowledgement sheet that says "I have read and understood this memo" that means you read and understand it! Not just blindly sign something! It also means that you can't come back 2 months later and say "I didn't know there was a policy change" because you signed it!

does Paris Hilton work for you too?

Aimee, let me understand this -- they made an offer and said "the salary is X If you want health benefits, the salary is X-H" ? If so, I'd say that the company is looking a little shady.

It seems like they are trying to pass on the cost of doing business to their employees. Uncool. And likely to point to other corporate culture elements that could prove to be uncomfortable.