New TEAMCARE deductibles

[Catatonic]

On our W2 in my location, UPS valued our company-provided PT benefits at $4900 for individual and $9100 for family. A friend of mine in Des Moines reported his company-provided PT benefits at $3800.

You can expect that to change if UPS provides the insurance. Also, you have P/T averaged in your figures or , since you are P/T, UPS has already done that.
We need some friend/T drivers to post their W-2 entry for healthcare cost.
If UPS continues to be the provider, you can expect changes.

​The figures I gave are for management people which has very few P/T and the insurance cost to the management employee (deductibles, copays, percentage thresholds) is higher.
The Teamsters will try and keep those employee costs lower but the cost to provide is the cost to provide.
​I anticipate the Teamsters becoming the provider and in 5 years we will really understand the impact.

 

[stink219]

Thank God I'm in local 251! And people in our local complain we have it bad? I may start handing out other areas supplements and benefit packages.

 

[Bagels]

You can expect that to change if UPS provides the insurance. Also, you have P/T averaged in your figures or , since you are P/T, UPS has already done that.
We need some friend/T drivers to post their W-2 entry for healthcare cost.
If UPS continues to be the provider, you can expect changes.

​The figures I gave are for management people which has very few P/T and the insurance cost to the management employee (deductibles, copays, percentage thresholds) is higher.
The Teamsters will try and keep those employee costs lower but the cost to provide is the cost to provide.
​I anticipate the Teamsters becoming the provider and in 5 years we will really understand the impact.

I'm just guessing, but I imagine the sole difference in cost to provide PT benefits vs. other employee groups is the significantly younger average age; all other costs would seemingly be the same. (Even though I'm PT, I don't get half the benefits ).

But I'm surprised the Teamsters are sticking with a PPO plan -- I thought we'd transition toward a low-cost HMO.

 

[fedupups]

My local 804 runs their own healthcare here is a quick breakdown....$20 doctors etc copays...$15 prescription...used to be $5 and $3 I think...now if you have multiple xrays or blood tests each has a $20 copay...so if u have 3 xrays on one area expect a $60 copay...also if you have twins(true story) the one sonogram is a $40 copay because of 2 babies (go figure)...emergency room is a $200 copay if not admitted...most of this I can live with, but this is where the issues begin...if you get seen by a doctor (not in your plan) in a hospital that is covered expect a bill...also a true story of a drivers wife admitted for emergency gall bladder surgery... hospital covered, operating doctor covered, anesthesologist not so union not paying the $2000 odd dollar bill for anesthesologist which I think is criminal...so this is what we have to deal with in our Union run healthcare....

 

[scratch]

I just got back from my Local 728 meeting. Retirees will get vision and dental insurance, previously they did not. Age 55 to retire and get insurance is still there, good for me since I turn 55 this Monday. Prescription drug cost copays will drop from 25% to 10%. Part Timers on the UPS plan will be on a new Teamcare Plan being put together now, its not the current CS C6 plan. My Local President was on the negotiating committee and highly endorses this contract. It still screws over part timers trying to go full time in my opinion.

 

[Catatonic]

I just got back from my Local 728 meeting. Retirees will get vision and dental insurance, previously they did not. Age 55 to retire and get insurance is still there, good for me since I turn 55 this Monday. Prescription drug cost copays will drop from 25% to 10%. Part Timers on the UPS plan will be on a new Teamcare Plan being put together now, its not the current CS C6 plan. My Local President was on the negotiating committee and highly endorses this contract. It still screws over part timers trying to go full time in my opinion.

Well, put your feet where your mouth is and retire.

​A P/Timer will be thankful!

 

[Catatonic]

I'm just guessing, but I imagine the sole difference in cost to provide PT benefits vs. other employee groups is the significantly younger average age; all other costs would seemingly be the same. (Even though I'm PT, I don't get half the benefits ).

But I'm surprised the Teamsters are sticking with a PPO plan -- I thought we'd transition toward a low-cost HMO.

Once the Teamsters gets everything understood, I imagine they will offer the lower cost to provide HMO to younger employees that rarely use healthcare benefits.

​UPS offers management the option and it seems most under the 40 take the HMO and most over 45 take the PPO.
Chronic health issues tend to appear around the age of 40 and people realize they are not infallible.

 

[scratch]

Well, put your feet where your mouth is and retire.

​A P/Timer will be thankful!

The problem is, it will now take that part timer four years for progression if they offer my route as a full time route at all. My current thinking is the end of August, 2014. I should be pretty much debt free and I will get an extra $300 a month on my pension. The end is in sight, i have a target date now.

 

[Catatonic]

The problem is, it will now take that part timer four years for progression if they offer my route as a full time route at all. My current thinking is the end of August, 2014. I should be pretty much debt free and I will get an extra $300 a month on my pension. The end is in sight, i have a target date now.

​That will be earlier than I retired ... good luck on your plan.

 

[sortaisle]

When I went to the hospital 2 months ago, I had to pay 200 up front, then 20% of the total bill..I am not sure what you are reading, but I DID get a bill for 20% and it was an injury... and my part of the bill was over 450.00 dollars, so the 4 hours in the ER cost me 650.00 dollars..That is CS for ya..

You said you went out of network. Was that for a different visit? Because this isn't terrible for out of network coverage. Just curious...not trying to pick at you or anything.

 

[saintrick]

The idea that 97-99% outside of UPS would jump at a chance to have the C6 plan is not germane to the situation.

How's that? What 'situation' are we talking about here? The fact that there is a loud group of people who are being intentionally ignorant, greedy, and hard headed on the matter of today's health care costs? So much so, that they intend to try to extend a bargaining period by voting no on the TA for a VERY GOOD health care plan? "Sure, lets lose more volume and customer confidence because of our slightly less but still -------FREE benefits!"

Remove head from ass. Just be careful, you may have to pay a copay for that now....

The fact that almost anyone else in this country would do anything for the plan that you are scoffing at is very relevant (germane) to the situation. You aren't being wronged by anyone other than the medical industry, yet you can't admit when you have a good thing. Live in reality for once. It's free benefits that's still better than most every other plan out there that people pay a hefty sum for....(yes, MORE than the $90 a week UPS was going to start charging...).

I am glad that we are being loud much easier to be heard that way.
I fully understand that I have it good that is why I will fight to maintain every benefit that has been won in the past.
Live in reality? You mean the fact that the majority of UPSers will now be paying more for healthcare?

 

[RealPerson]

How's that? What 'situation' are we talking about here? The fact that there is a loud group of people who are being intentionally ignorant, greedy, and hard headed on the matter of today's health care costs? So much so, that they intend to try to extend a bargaining period by voting no on the TA for a VERY GOOD health care plan? "Sure, lets lose more volume and customer confidence because of our slightly less but still ****ING FREE benefits!"

Remove head from ass. Just be careful, you may have to pay a copay for that now....

The fact that almost anyone else in this country would do anything for the plan that you are scoffing at is very relevant (germane) to the situation. You aren't being wronged by anyone other than the medical industry, yet you can't admit when you have a good thing. Live in reality for once. It's free benefits that's still better than most every other plan out there that people pay a hefty sum for....(yes, MORE than the $90 a week UPS was going to start charging...).

Funny, Your exact words are why I started 18 years ago. I would NOT do so today, I do not think.
Many share my same thoughts as we can not keep our building staffed. You can go driving in my center in like 6 months. Every week there is a tour of potential new hires at the gate, all are hired none stay very long. Our biggest sort is our pre-load. 70%+ I am going to say have been there 4 months or less..

 

[Bagels]

I am glad that we are being loud much easier to be heard that way.
I fully understand that I have it good that is why I will fight to maintain every benefit that has been won in the past.
Live in reality? You mean the fact that the majority of UPSers will now be paying more for healthcare?

I want access to excellent, low cost health care for the remainder of my PT career with UPS. But I also recognize that soaring health care costs (nationally, premiums have doubled over the duration of the past two contracts at UPS) are a hindrance. So far, TEAMCARE appears to be a decent compromise: sans the deductible, I have an opportunity to keep my out-of-pocket costs similar to what they have been. Let's face it: does it really make sense to offer no-cost prescriptions that cost UPS $60 in claims when the employee could've had the same prescription filled at K-Mart or Costco for $10? And of course there are oodles of employees who choose to fill prescriptions they may never even use just because they're "free" - whacking the employee of a few bucks is a cheap remedy to this problem.

I've never believed UPS would maintain the current benefits -- I've always perceived them as a selling point to switch employees to a PPO from the previous traditional insurance. If you would've told me several weeks ago that hall would've negotiated a contract in which I'd gross an additional $15,000+ over the next five years while paying less than an additional $1,000 for my health insurance, I would not have believed you. Personally, I don't quite understand the pettiness over the new insurance... we need to pick our battles and considering that the new insurance affects only a minority of incumbent PTers -- most persons under 30 aren't going to care, as they rarely utilize them anyway -- I think battling for a catch-up raise for PTers, or a stronger progression wage for new hires is more worthy.

 

[realbrown1]

I want access to excellent, low cost health care for the remainder of my PT career with UPS. But I also recognize that soaring health care costs (nationally, premiums have doubled over the duration of the past two contracts at UPS) are a hindrance. So far, TEAMCARE appears to be a decent compromise: sans the deductible, I have an opportunity to keep my out-of-pocket costs similar to what they have been. Let's face it: does it really make sense to offer no-cost prescriptions that cost UPS $60 in claims when the employee could've had the same prescription filled at K-Mart or Costco for $10? And of course there are oodles of employees who choose to fill prescriptions they may never even use just because they're "free" - whacking the employee of a few bucks is a cheap remedy to this problem.

I've never believed UPS would maintain the current benefits -- I've always perceived them as a selling point to switch employees to a PPO from the previous traditional insurance. If you would've told me several weeks ago that hall would've negotiated a contract in which I'd gross an additional $15,000+ over the next five years while paying less than an additional $1,000 for my health insurance, I would not have believed you. Personally, I don't quite understand the pettiness over the new insurance... we need to pick our battles and considering that the new insurance affects only a minority of incumbent PTers -- most persons under 30 aren't going to care, as they rarely utilize them anyway -- I think battling for a catch-up raise for PTers, or a stronger progression wage for new hires is more worthy.

I am so glad that you have decided to accept less health care in this contract because it is costing UPS too much money.
Two questions I have for you though.
#1 If UPS profits jump to say 6 Billion a year by the end of this new contract, will you want your old health plan back?
#2 If UPS profits go down a little to say 3.5 Billion by the end of this new contract, will you accept an even lower quality health insurance plan?

 

[40 and out]

You can expect that to change if UPS provides the insurance. Also, you have P/T averaged in your figures or , since you are P/T, UPS has already done that.
We need some friend/T drivers to post their W-2 entry for healthcare cost.
If UPS continues to be the provider, you can expect changes.

​The figures I gave are for management people which has very few P/T and the insurance cost to the management employee (deductibles, copays, percentage thresholds) is higher.
The Teamsters will try and keep those employee costs lower but the cost to provide is the cost to provide.
​I anticipate the Teamsters becoming the provider and in 5 years we will really understand the impact.

My 2012 W-2 shows $19,107 for health care cost. Didn't know there was an exception for unions in Obamacare. If that's true this explains the big push to union-run health care.

 

[Bagels]

I am so glad that you have decided to accept less health care in this contract because it is costing UPS too much money.
Two questions I have for you though.
#1 If UPS profits jump to say 6 Billion a year by the end of this new contract, will you want your old health plan back?
#2 If UPS profits go down a little to say 3.5 Billion by the end of this new contract, will you accept an even lower quality health insurance plan?

#1) My expectations are to earn a fair contract.
#2) We (Teamsters) do not earn UPS's entire profits -- supply chain, logistics, international, etc. employees play a big role. We (Teamsters) probably earned a disproportional amount of the profit in this contract. Interestingly, many analysts are attributing UPS's first quarter profit surge to health care logistics and (gasp!) - volume driven by SurePost.
#3) If you believe the goal of a union is to take every dollar a company earns, then you're the reason why America has (shamefully) turned its back on unions.
#4) In case I'm stuck with UPS the rest of my working career, I want to ensure that I receive top compensation, low cost quality benefits & an excellent pension. I recognize the needs to balance my needs & the company's (e.g. stay competitive).

Not that it's really relevant toward my argument.

Since the current insurance costs them virtually nothing out of pocket, I recognize that many of my co-workers needlessly go to the emergency room, fill prescriptions they'll never use, etc. I recognize that health care costs are soaring & TEAMCARE has escalators that enable us to continue to receive no-cost benefits for little out-of-pocket costs. Given that the increased costs will have minimal effect on most PT, and none on many, I would prefer that PTers battle for a "catch up" raise or stronger wage progression instead. For example, over the life of the contract, a 20c annual "catch up" raise will gross me an additional $3500 -- whereas the increased health care costs, which I can control, would cost me $1000 at most.

 

[BROWNHOG]

Ask the auto workers, aircraft workers. Hospitality service workers. Govenment employees unionized workers. Defunct trucking industry unionized workers. Hotel workers.etc.etc.etc. Ups and companies like old dominion have been paying for the health and welfare and pensions costs for years for the majority of teamsters that worked for the now out of business trucking firms. Oh, and overnight ? That right ! Ups bought them and guarrenteed another 20,ooo teamsters jobs with benefits. Ups has its issues. Comensating the teamster benefit plans isn;t one of them.

 

[realbrown1]

#1) My expectations are to earn a fair contract.
#2) We (Teamsters) do not earn UPS's entire profits -- supply chain, logistics, international, etc. employees play a big role. We (Teamsters) probably earned a disproportional amount of the profit in this contract. Interestingly, many analysts are attributing UPS's first quarter profit surge to health care logistics and (gasp!) - volume driven by SurePost.
#3) If you believe the goal of a union is to take every dollar a company earns, then you're the reason why America has (shamefully) turned its back on unions.
#4) In case I'm stuck with UPS the rest of my working career, I want to ensure that I receive top compensation, low cost quality benefits & an excellent pension. I recognize the needs to balance my needs & the company's (e.g. stay competitive).

Not that it's really relevant toward my argument.

Since the current insurance costs them virtually nothing out of pocket, I recognize that many of my co-workers needlessly go to the emergency room, fill prescriptions they'll never use, etc. I recognize that health care costs are soaring & TEAMCARE has escalators that enable us to continue to receive no-cost benefits for little out-of-pocket costs. Given that the increased costs will have minimal effect on most PT, and none on many, I would prefer that PTers battle for a "catch up" raise or stronger wage progression instead. For example, over the life of the contract, a 20c annual "catch up" raise will gross me an additional $3500 -- whereas the increased health care costs, which I can control, would cost me $1000 at most.

I guess then you can accept anything under the guise of "FAIR" because "FAIR" is arbitary.

 

[undies]

you are worried about a measly $400 deductible? What planet are you living on? What economy do you experience every day? Is your part of the world immune to the disgustingly high and continuously rising health care costs?

PER person. So it's $800 for my wife and I! Can't wait to have kids...

 

[Anonymous 10]

I guess then you can accept anything under the guise of "FAIR" because "FAIR" is arbitary.

Bagels has logic that few teamsters can grasp. He's a smart cat.