At the end of the day, TeamCare is better healthcare coverage than what's offered to the overwhelming majority of the American workforce. Claiming that it's "
" and "garbage" insurance is completely inaccurate and shows a startling ignorance at the state of the rest of the unionized (and non-unionized) workforce in this country.
That being said, it's absolutely "not as good" as the old company plan (not that we really had the option to stay on the company plan in the first place) and I'm constantly having to check op reports in my area to make sure senior part-timers with families that are out for various non-covered reasons (taking layoffs/call-ins instead of disability is a common one) to make sure they don't lose their insurance by missing their 1 punch a week. It's not difficult to go out on short term disability, but it's pretty startling just how many people are unaware of the 1 punch a week rule.
And while TeamCare -- at the end of the day -- takes more out of my pocket than the old company plan, it's a better strategic choice for us as a whole. Rolling the PT workforce at UPS into TeamCare provides millions of dollars for the plan from participants that are typically younger and without families, helping to subsidize the other participants. Additionally, from what I've been told, we would be covered during a possible strike situation down the road rather than the local unions (many of which are completely unable to do so, financially) having to make COBRA payments.
We've also seen some recent minor improvements including covering immunizations and child wellness visits --
completely inexcusable (from both an ethical and fiduciary standpoint) for a healthcare plan NOT to cover these in the first place, to be fair.
