Health Plan? What Health Plan

Stand back, folks, I feel another rant coming on!

It''s said you can judge how civilized a society is by the way it treats its elderly and its young. Being so close to the elderly catagory, AARP card firmly in my fist, I hope I''ll be able to afford responsible health care. Too many health care institutes and doctors have to practice "defensive medicine" to avoid malpractice suits. This drives up the cost of medical care for everyone! If folks can afford preventative health care, major illness can hopefully be avoided and thereby reduce the costs overall. An ounce of prevention costs less than a pound of cure.

Second, children need to have access to good educations so they can get decent paying jobs, putting them into higher tax brackets so our society can enjoy the better things in life, such as street lights, lower crime rates and and decent roads. And have more disposable income to come fly on our planes, visit family and friends and spend more money! Everyone benefits!

I don''t want to be put out on an ice floe or turned over to Wal-Mart when I reach 65. I''d hoped I''d have enough money to live on before my 401k and other stocks went way south. I don''t think I''ve lived an irresponsible life. I''ve always worked hard and expected to be able to enjoy my "golden years". I''m too old now to recoop as much as I would have wanted. So, what are my choices? I pray most fervently for continued good health. Will I become a burden on society should I get a serious illness? Can I look forward to a future in the "Old Stewardess Home"?

Sorry, but as a long-time contributing member of this country I believe I am due a little respect. And decent health care and a few dollars to spend on at the Sizzler now and then.

Dea
 
Pity -

My parents actually draw less off the business then I make in a year. Their business is in an industry that is being dominated by larger corprate franchises, versus the mom and pop businesses. One of their highest costs are insurance. Everything from workmans comp to health insurance. In the past 10 years their insurance payments have gone up nearly 500% and that is with relatively few claims. The insurance industry is in dire need of being called to the carpet.

As for your statement: "I am not concerned with what others folks pay in the US for private health care. If Corporations want a break THEY need to get new legislation passed." I disagree (imagine that!). You should be concerned with what others are paying for their health insurance. Does this not set the benchmark for future negotiations either from a company or from a union prospective? If UA is made to pay 20-25% of their health care costs and we are only paying 8% (made up percentages to prove a point) don''t you think that the next time you go to the barganing table that the company will ask for additional employee contributions to your medical to bring you up to "industry standard"? The same could be said if the tables were turned. What if we were paying 20% and UA or AA were only paying 8%, would you then want your employees contributions brought to "industry standard"? As for the part about if the company wants a break then they need to get new legislation passed, don''t you think that this is an area that both the company and the unions could work together on? This issue has a dramatic effect on both the company and the employees.
 
HP''s medical is much much less expensive. Approx. $15 per pay check for employee and spouse. Also includes vision insurance. Also, HP offers free short term and long term disability---that says a lot for U''s health care system. Sorry guys but making less gives me more benefits and I cry every time I think about the thousands of dollars I paid into long term disability insurance--now it''s free!!!
 
----------------
On 6/29/2003 9:03:15 AM MarkMyWords wrote:

Pity -

My parents actually draw less off the business then I make in a year. Their business is in an industry that is being dominated by larger corprate franchises, versus the mom and pop businesses. One of their highest costs are insurance. Everything from workmans comp to health insurance. In the past 10 years their insurance payments have gone up nearly 500% and that is with relatively few claims. The insurance industry is in dire need of being called to the carpet.

As for your statement: "I am not concerned with what others folks pay in the US for private health care. If Corporations want a break THEY need to get new legislation passed." I disagree (imagine that!). You should be concerned with what others are paying for their health insurance. Does this not set the benchmark for future negotiations either from a company or from a union prospective? If UA is made to pay 20-25% of their health care costs and we are only paying 8% (made up percentages to prove a point) don't you think that the next time you go to the barganing table that the company will ask for additional employee contributions to your medical to bring you up to "industry standard"? The same could be said if the tables were turned. What if we were paying 20% and UA or AA were only paying 8%, would you then want your employees contributions brought to "industry standard"? As for the part about if the company wants a break then they need to get new legislation passed, don't you think that this is an area that both the company and the unions could work together on? This issue has a dramatic effect on both the company and the employees.



----------------​

Marky,

Who pays 8% for health care????EXCUSE ME???? Here is when my B/P starts rising and I will piss you off again...TRY MORE LIKE 26% FOR PILOT AND MANGEMENT AND 20% FOR every one else. There are LESS THAN 4% of employees in option 1, AND F/AS 99% in option 3. DO NOT CITE TO ME THE SMALL MINORITY WHO CHOSE OPTION #1 AT 7%, I am tired of this mangement misleading folks to believe that the majority would risk their financial well being and choose option #1...you guys have the nerve to use that as the "gage"! So, what are you speaking to, pray tell????? Or should I give you specifics here on the board?

We employees will not do the corporation's job in using all our resources alone to lobby Congress for Health Care Reform. Now, we can do that jointly...but if you leave us out there alone to lobby Congress, without the corporations lobbying along with us, then F*** them, we will make sure that WE employees do not absorb most of the health care premiums and costs. Period. The employees of U ratified those increases and increases going forward every year in contributions, co-pays, and deductables. WHAT WAS NOT RATIFIED WAS ALL THE DENIALS FOR SURGERIES, TESTS, AND PROCEDURES THAT ARE DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE EMPLOYEES HEALTH CARE PROVIDER and we absolutely did NOT agree for this management to CHANGE the "summary plan description". Mangement stated in negotiations that the coverages would be the SAME, and that we as employees now needed to contribute more for that same health care.

FYI, do you know what happens when we are in Section 6 and we are at an empass ESPECIALLY health care...it's called JOB ACTION CITY!

The employees will be so poor and wild in 6 years that the "Strike fund" will get a huge exersize.

Welcome back to my world, again.
6.gif
 
Pity -

Cool down! Splash a little water on your face or something. I said that the percentages that I used were made up strictly to make a point. I said nothing about what employees are on what option. Where did that come from? I never asked you as a union to lobby Congress alone. I asked if you thought that the company and the unions could work together to push for reform. I said nothing about denials of tests, surgeries, of prescriptions or any chagne to our medical plan. I am well aware of what happens when the company and the union are at an empass, you have told me 100 times already.

Exactly what did you read in my post that threw you over the edge like that? Maybe you should read it again, s-l-o-w-l-y! All I was saying is that you should be aware of what others, in the industry and out, are paying for health care. You know that will be used as a benchmark in the next set of negotiations. I also asked if you felt that the corporations and employees could work together to push for reform, because this is a huge problem that is burdening both the employee and the company.
 
----------------
On 6/29/2003 1:56:16 AM Dea Certe wrote:

Stand back, folks, I feel another rant coming on!

It''s said you can judge how civilized a society is by the way it treats its elderly and its young. Being so close to the elderly catagory, AARP card firmly in my fist, I hope I''ll be able to afford responsible health care. Too many health care institutes and doctors have to practice "defensive medicine" to avoid malpractice suits. This drives up the cost of medical care for everyone! If folks can afford preventative health care, major illness can hopefully be avoided and thereby reduce the costs overall. An ounce of prevention costs less than a pound of cure.

----------------​



You are right on point! Bravo.
 
Mark,

When you state the missive of 8% employee contribution at U, it sends me to orbit.

Siegel repeatedly stated the same retorhical % number in his (threats) during our ratification process that health care still remained at a 7% contribution....THAT WAS THE BIGGEST EXAGGERATED, STRETCHED-TO-THE-MAX HALF TRUTH I EVER HEARD. Management CHANGED the contributions in option #3 Where most of the U employees are. They wanted to force them into migrating to option #1, by increasing substantially option #3, they were hoping to make it unaffordable, whereby having these employees migrate to the WORST option (option #1 and keeping the contribution the same 7%) as it was the least out-of-pocket for THE COMPANY health care EXPENSES, and MORE out-of-pocket expense for the employee to absorb. So, what did U do, THEY RAISED THE CONTRIBUTIONS LEVEL FROM 16% TO 20% for option 3#, where most of the employees sat in hopes to pull them out of that option and stick them in option #1 where it would save the company the most. Pretty crafty, huh? And for those on the board who don't know, most employees went from paying approx 4% contribution to 16-22% in the summer concessions, then 3 months later INCREASING them again in the winter concessions to 20%-26%.

What did employees do? They REMAINED in option #3 and PAID THE HIGHER CONTRIBUTION, knowing they were taking it in the ### again.

What I hear coming from you is that same "noise" as management. Please don't say that again. It is a very false statment and misleading to those who do not know the truth.

Corporations who have the MOST bucks to spend on lobbying need to get involved with changing legislation and reforming insurance companies. NOT changing legislation so that the employees take most of the health care expense. If corporations want us to absorb the health care THEN PAY US MORE IN OUR PAY CHECKS!

Between the high out of pocket expenses paid by the employee for health care, the 5%, adding in the sick pay penalties, we are coming to work sick.
And a sick work force, is an unproductive work force. You know it, we know it, and the flying public will know it, if U doesn't fix this.
 
Bob,

All very true.

However, specifically at U and with ALL the employees, the union negotiators DID NOT NEGOTIATE CHANGES TO THE "SPD". How I know this...I WAS THERE!

U snuck it through the back door. Now, as time goes on, more and more employees are stunned by their costs (on a concessionary budget) and can not absorb the "unforseen costs" that U imposed. WE ONLY RATIFIED THAT WE AWOULD PAY HIGHER MONTHLY CONTRIBUTIONS, AND CO-PAYS. Nothing, nothing else.

What U did is they sat with the Administator and CHANGED our coverages when they told us in negotiations that they would stay the SAME!

AFA has the Old SPD, and we had our legal benefits department compare old to new. Our AFA benefits attorney (Harvard Grad, i might add) is furious. We sit with the company on July 2. Any improvements we get will effect ALL eimployees of U.
 
Pineybob said: "If you look throughout history you will find that most problems start with government intervention into private enterprise."

Fast forward to U and the airline business.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top