AFSCME files grievance over insurance change
SPRINGFIELD — The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 has filed a grievance over the state’s plan to switch to new group health plan administrators.
And the union is now advising its state employee members to hold off on signing up for new health plans until close to the June 17 benefits choice deadline, unless those members are satisfied with the choice of providers that are currently available.
The grievance alleges the proposed change to new health plans violates the union’s master agreement with the state, according to the AFSCME website.
The union says its attorneys are also researching whether AFSCME has standing to seek an injunction to halt the transition to new insurance vendors. The suit would cover all state and university employees represented by AFSCME.
MoreAFSCME seems to forget that in not selecting a plan a state worker is, in effect, automatically selecting the worst and most expensive plan. That is not too smart either. Health Alliance has urged its members also to do nothing, which is what the state would most prefer. Besides, if you change now and Health Alliance and Provena are later added as options again, employees have been promised that they can change back.
AFSCME represents most of the front line workers. It has to be acknowledged by all that the State of Illinois is a Lousy employer. It steals from it's employees. It can not be trusted. "Promises" by the State of Illinois mean nothing. The union is, and has been the protector of the state, and university employees. The union is the collective unity of the members. Personal Care HMO suddenly seems to not exist. It has been replaced by Personal Care OAP. Health Alliance got back in by the skin of it's teeth; and still has to "negotiate" rates. I will believe AFSCME way above any other opinion. Number 1) Contact your union rep. Number 2) If you are retired, contact your retirement system.
This is incorrect. Health Alliance has advised its members to wait to see what happens, which is not at all the same thing as suggesting they select the horrendous Quality Care plan. Personally, my family will approach this the same way it handles Tax Day when money is owed -- at the last minute.
There is no harm in delaying until the June 17th deadline, which is what AFSCME and Health Alliance are advising. Its probably a good idea to review that plans available as good as possible anyhow, I found that some physicians listed under the plans were not actually available anymore.
I am very concerned about the lack responsiblity on the state part not to provide information on our health insurance. My heart specilist is at Carle Clinic and this is matter life and death for me not to be able to have my doctor at any given moment, I have a heart checkup in July and can not make appointment, I will not be signing up for their insurance choices without assurance that I will have my heart doctor and not knowing what my cost will be out pocket, if this is too expense I will be losing my home since I am retired and on a fixed income. It just overwhelm me that our politician can just do what they want without proper services in place for those who depend on life or death situation. I put my time into University of Illinois and payed my taxes and this is what they do to us, continue to rack us over the coal after they took our pension year after year and not paid them back, this called theives in the real outside world.
I feel for you. I have built up a network of [very expensive] specialists for my special needs child, and we will probably have to drop most if not all of them, as well as some specialists I use for chronic health conditions. My biggest frustration is that we do not -- and apparently will not -- have a list of doctors we can use with any particular health plan, which is absolutely, positively, insane, and it should be totally illegal. I don't want to lose Health Alliance and have lobbied for them strenuously, and I understand they don't want to yield a tactical advantage, but Carle has to step up and tell its patients what option we must choose to ensure we can keep our doctors. I'm giving them another week, and then I'm going to start calling them until I get an answer. I encourage the rest of you to do the same.
T Crain; it was the choice of lesser evils. The Home Builder would have been worse. Now on to information needed by retired state, and university employees. The information that CMS sent to you states that you need do nothing if you choose not to change insurance providers. However... the fine print marked with an asterisk tells you that if you have Personal Care HMO, you need to choose another plan such as Personal Care OAP. If you do not make a change from Personal Care HMO to Personal Care OAP, you get stuck with the Quality Care plan. Christie Clinic physicians accept Personal Care OAP. You need to check the other clinics, and physicians to see if they accept Personal Care OAP; and it's tiers: Tier 1, and Tier 2. A letter is being sent out on Thursday, and Friday to SERS members with the form needed for changes. The deadline is still a couple of weeks away. Make sure you check on whether your health care provider accepts the offered plans; and make any changes before the deadline. Now; we can read the state employee haters, and anti-union nuts comments.
Christie Clinic is a poor choice for quality care when in need special surgery. I have been there done that had to fight them for over two years to pay for my back surgery that only Carle hospital in which they referred me to Doctor that could perform the surgery, they did not have qualified back surgeon who could perform. what I want to know is the cost out my pockets and what service is best for my special needs of heart doctor, certainly will not be personel care oap, no one has given answer to any this yet, how can one assess with this information lacking.
Mike is an academic professional. He is still upset regarding their issue with civil service classification. If you are a retired, or current state, or university employee; you need to wait until all of the dust clears. Be ready to make changes at the last minute after contacting your preferred health provider to make sure they accept your preferred plan. The story is about AFSCME trying to prevent mistakes being made without the full information from CMS being provided. SERS, and SURS are there to help retirees with questions also.
I agree with that. However, politicians depend on contributions in order to get elected. Corporations donate to their candidates; and unions donate to their candidates. It used to be the politician would keep most of his/her promises. Thompson kept his; and AFSCME donated to him. That changed before Blago; but he really personified it. Sadly; legislators, and governors have to be bought. We only get to vote for who we feel is the lesser evil. Unions do allow the common guy to buy politicians versus the corporations with their phony mouthpieces ( the Chicago Civic Committee; and the Chicago Tribune ) buying all of the politicians. It's Illinoise. What'a you gonna do?
I understand many people being aprehensive about changing doctors, but in most cases it is really an exageration to call it "life or death" There are very good doctors at Christie/Provena (in fact many people locally prefer them over Carle!). But if it is Carle you must have, then you can go to Carle doctors on the Personal Care OAP, Tier II. Tier II is not tha tmuch more expensive than Tier I (or the old HMO), and possibly cheaper, depending on your individual usage. Look at the plans, write out how you use medical insurance and compare. In many cases, the HMO co-pay for an office visit is more than the 90% on TierII. I think you will find that it is not as bad as you think it will be! I am an HR professional who just recently moved my employee group from HealthAlliance HMO to Personal Care PPO (with HRA). It was a big transition for employees who had always gone to Carle doctors, but after a year on the plan, I have no one who objects to Christie/Provena docs. But my employee group doesnt have any coverage with Carle docs, you all will still have reasonably good coverage under Tier II. Tier II has a $200 individual deductible, then $600 out of pocket max...what reasonable person would let $800 stand in their way of "life or death" medical care? I'm just saying " stop the panic and give the new plans a shot, you might just like them!"
By pouring millions to buy their cronies into positions of high government, the unions have been complacent (willing) participants in the systematic underfunding of state employee pensions. AFSCME, and their ilk have themselves to blame for the mess they have put their members into. Now the politicians they have bought are further hurting union members by trashing the health system. Far from being a protector.
What a ridiculous of a statement. Your logic is that the victim is responsible for the theft. Sadly; the front line workers who make up the union, and vote on issues, cannot control the legislature. The legislature underfunding the workers pension system while funding their own pension system spent the money on pork barrel projects to appease the public. The corporate mouthpieces like the Chicago Civic Committee, and the conservative media want no unions in this country. This is not suddenly unique to Illinois. They depend on the uninformed, or ignorant members of the public to accept their lies; and spread them. By the way; the bill to steal the pensions, and the bill to steal the retirees health care were not passed. Some legislators saw what would happen by passing the theft bills. It would only have validated the fact that the State of Illinois including it's citizens cannot be trusted to pay what they owe. Bond holders, and credit rating institutions would have come to the conclusion that if an employer steals from it's employees, it cannot be trusted to repay it's loans. I worked for the state before there was a union. I marched in Springfield, and was in the capitol building when Governor Thompson signed the first collective bargaining contract with AFSCME. The union has become a protector; but the union is the collective strength of it's members. Each member is a protector for themselves, and their comrades. Your statement sounds like the SCAB statements that I have heard for over the past 50 years.
You can keep deleting this post, but I will keep speaking the truth until you close my account.
Your union boss has paid millions to put this government into power. The same government who is making life more difficult for workers. The union never complained about the underfunding of pensions, rather they kept supporting the same politicians who were doing the underfunding. As a result, it is false to assert that the union is a protector of even the union workers, much less the vast numbers of less privileged non-union workers.
The union dues you pay, and all of your marching, is all in support of the power games played by democrat politicians. Do not delude yourself into thinking otherwise.
why doesn't this article state that Julie Hamos, director of HFS, and the person behind these poor decisions by the state, used to work for AFSCME? It will be interesting to see if the union rolls over on this given their connection to the state's decision maker on health plans.
Legislative and political action director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME Illinois) - per her own bio.
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