so did obama just screw our 2013 contract? (health care)

[bscott85]

here's a link to the laymans terms breakdown for how the new health care reform bill affects people:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html

"If you are insured through your employer:

Insurers will have to pay a 40 percent excise tax on high-value group plans – those in which premiums for families are $27,500 or more, for instance – starting in 2014. Experts say the tax will likely be passed on to employees through higher premiums or lower benefits and wages."

^^i read somewhere that that 27,500 number for families is something like $10,200 for individuals, not 100% sure though.

this is the so called "cadillac" tax you've probably heard about

now I don't know enough about our own benefits to know how much our plans cost... but I can definitely see these basic things happening:

1 - aetna/blue cross begin charging UPS more to cover all of us
2 - UPS wants to pass that cost along to us
3 - union caves and we end up chipping in ~$100/a month
or 4 - we don't pay for healthcare but get screwed on raises

also please - lets not make this a left/right debate i just want to know what the final word will be in my wallet when its all said and done

 

[Babagounj]

Think about this................

For years upon years people worked at UPS to have health coverage and good wages.
Now everyone will have coverage.
How will UPS find people willing to put up with all the b.s. for such low wages ?
Honestly its very hard and demanding work.
Finding the right people even today is a challenge, how can this company survive ?

 

[Bad Gas!]

Their will be side effects to Obama Care for all of us..It should ride him out of town in 2012..

 

[bigbrownhen]

I am by no means up on on the information as to what this healthcare bill includes. There were a few points that I could grasp:

Children would be covered under their parents insurance to the age of 24.

Insurance companies will no longer deny coverage for previous conditions.

Insurance companies couldn't cancel your policy when cost of treatment of serious injury or illness.

In 2014 a fine to anyone who doesnt have insurance.

All of the above will do nothing but increase costs accross the board, and we all know who will pay for that. I think there are some good points to this bill, but it isn't quite finished yet. If the powers that be in Washington would stop bickering and get along, maybe there will be progress. Yea right!! One can dream...

 

[705red]

Their will be side effects to Obama Care for all of us..It should ride him out of town in 2012..

Would you care to share teh side effects of this bill? Or would you rather slam Obama beofre we see how the bill works itself out?

Health care is not a luxury! Evevryone gets sick and needs to see a doctor, not everyone needs to eat lobster in order to survive.

Everyone on this site has held UPS medical and has taken benefits for granted for as long as we have worked there. Ask the retirees how good there benefits are now.

Go sit at a CVS or walgreens for 8 hours and see how much people pay out of pocket for scripts. And then go rent the movie John Q.

Then comeback here and tell me thta you dont care about people that dont have insurance.

 

[Babagounj]

I am by no means up on on the information as to what this healthcare bill includes. There were a few points that I could grasp:

Children would be covered under their parents insurance to the age of 24. no 26

Insurance companies will no longer deny coverage for previous conditions.

Insurance companies couldn't cancel your policy when cost of treatment of serious injury or illness.

In 2014 a fine to anyone who doesnt have insurance. a fine and possible jail time

All of the above will do nothing but increase costs accross the board, and we all know who will pay for that. I think there are some good points to this bill, but it isn't quite finished yet. If the powers that be in Washington would stop bickering and get along, maybe there will be progress. Yea right!! One can dream...

 

[brownrod]

I too wonder how much our benefits are worth.

I'd think that it would be in UPS' best interest to make sure we know how much our benefits are worth. Wouldn't it give them leverage when negotiating our contracts?

As it is, I take my benefits that I never use for granted.

Please put it in perspective for me. How much are my benefits on top of my 29.82$ per hour?

 

[705red]

I too wonder how much our benefits are worth.

I'd think that it would be in UPS' best interest to make sure we know how much our benefits are worth. Wouldn't it give them leverage when negotiating our contracts?

As it is, I take my benefits that I never use for granted.

Please put it in perspective for me. How much are my benefits on top of my 29.82$ per hour?

It all depends on where you live. I would say around $1,000 a month on an average, now that is groupsing in all the states, because some are cheaper and some cost more monthly. Cobra here in Chicago will run you between $700 and a $1,000 a month for single to dependent coverage. So add at least an additional $10,000 a year in towards your earning package un top of your hourly income and pension.

 

[FAVREFAN]

here's a link to the laymans terms breakdown for how the new health care reform bill affects people:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html

"If you are insured through your employer:

Insurers will have to pay a 40 percent excise tax on high-value group plans – those in which premiums for families are $27,500 or more, for instance – starting in 2014. Experts say the tax will likely be passed on to employees through higher premiums or lower benefits and wages."

^^i read somewhere that that 27,500 number for families is something like $10,200 for individuals, not 100% sure though.

this is the so called "cadillac" tax you've probably heard about

now I don't know enough about our own benefits to know how much our plans cost... but I can definitely see these basic things happening:

1 - aetna/blue cross begin charging UPS more to cover all of us
2 - UPS wants to pass that cost along to us
3 - union caves and we end up chipping in ~$100/a month
or 4 - we don't pay for healthcare but get screwed on raises

also please - lets not make this a left/right debate i just want to know what the final word will be in my wallet when its all said and done

Yeah but lets say the 27,500 premium is correct for a family......that's $2,291.66 per month. That is extremely high. You'd have to have a lot of kids or have some type of pre-existing conditions to come anywhere near that number. From what I have heard, the tax would only be on amounts over that number as well. Remember it's the premium, not the pay out coverage amount. My friend in NW Indiana is paying insurance for his wife and 4 kids but none for himself.(Not through an employer) He is at $990 p/month with reasonable coverage. I don't see how you could pay $2,291.66 per month. Maybe as rates go up say in 10 years or more.

 

[FAVREFAN]

here's a link to the laymans terms breakdown for how the new health care reform bill affects people:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/21/us/health-care-reform.html

"If you are insured through your employer:

Insurers will have to pay a 40 percent excise tax on high-value group plans – those in which premiums for families are $27,500 or more, for instance – starting in 2014. Experts say the tax will likely be passed on to employees through higher premiums or lower benefits and wages."

^^i read somewhere that that 27,500 number for families is something like $10,200 for individuals, not 100% sure though.

this is the so called "cadillac" tax you've probably heard about

now I don't know enough about our own benefits to know how much our plans cost... but I can definitely see these basic things happening:

1 - aetna/blue cross begin charging UPS more to cover all of us
2 - UPS wants to pass that cost along to us
3 - union caves and we end up chipping in ~$100/a month
or 4 - we don't pay for healthcare but get screwed on raises

also please - lets not make this a left/right debate i just want to know what the final word will be in my wallet when its all said and done

Great link man, thanks.

 

[KingofBrown]

No I believe we should go to strike if they don't want to negotiate accordingly and fair. STRIKE!

 

[TechGrrl]

I too wonder how much our benefits are worth.

I'd think that it would be in UPS' best interest to make sure we know how much our benefits are worth. Wouldn't it give them leverage when negotiating our contracts?

As it is, I take my benefits that I never use for granted.

Please put it in perspective for me. How much are my benefits on top of my 29.82$ per hour?

As a mgmt. retiree, UPS pays about $9700 for me (single, plan 2); buddy of mine who left company last August, is paying $1300/month for COBRA coverage for family of 4 (parents, two little kids) That's under United Healthcare in Kentucky. Both of us were management, so can't speak to the union plans. Would assume the union could tell you that.

 

[fxdwg]

No I believe we should go to strike if they don't want to negotiate accordingly and fair. STRIKE!

What is "Fair"?

Is (you) sharing in the costs of you and your family's health care "Fair"?

Is the amount of health care that you and your family receive commensurate with the amount of time you put in at UPS (PT versus FT) "Fair"?

Is it "Fair" that union members choose to go on strike for something that non-union members think is "Unfair"?

Is it "Fair" that so many people think they should share in the profits of UPS, but fight tooth and nail when asked to share in the costs of something like health care costs for them and their families.

What is "Fair"???

 

[tieguy]

Then comeback here and tell me thta you dont care about people that dont have insurance.

One of the sales points has been the poor people and their children denied health care.

Interestingly enough financial analyists think this bill will have positive effects on Insurance companies. most of the people that will now be forced to acquire health insurance are the young ones that don't carry insurance because they don't feel they will need it. These people will now be forced to pay for health plans that they will rarely use.

So while Obama and his people keep selling this as a war on the greedy insurance companies reality suggest that the democrats just helped Insurance companies increase their profits. but the starving children without health care pitch does sell well.

 

[22.34life]

I have seen people die because they could not afford the treatment,and that doesnt seem right and a big part of me says everone should have healthcare.You know that old saying "lifes not fair"really applies here when you think about it ,some people have medical care and some dont, thats life just like some people are rich some are poor .really sucks but thats the way it is ,hard to really say how i feel about it but alot of this seems to be a way of making everyone equal but thats another word for socialism,everyone does not have the same entitlements.what i would like to see in healthcare reform would maybe be coverage for people with life threating conditions or children under the age of 18,now im not smart enough to figure out how to make that work or i wouldnt move boxes for a living.

 

[705red]

One of the sales points has been the poor people and their children denied health care.

Interestingly enough financial analyists think this bill will have positive effects on Insurance companies. most of the people that will now be forced to acquire health insurance are the young ones that don't carry insurance because they don't feel they will need it. These people will now be forced to pay for health plans that they will rarely use.

So while Obama and his people keep selling this as a war on the greedy insurance companies reality suggest that the democrats just helped Insurance companies increase their profits. but the starving children without health care pitch does sell well.

Tie you sound like a driver that just had his route relooped and going out with the new diad 5 today without any training Give it a chance and lets see how it works before dismissing it. Alot of people have put their careers on the line to pass this bill.

On a serious note Tie, have you ever seen the movie John Q? A family struggling to get by, but they keep on trying. They refuse handouts and wont apply for Gov assistance, and when the fathers hours get cut from 40 down to 20 his insurance gets lowered without him even knowing it. But when his son needs a life saving surgery, even though hes paid his bills and kept current on his medical he is denied. If I have to pat a little more to ensure that someone like this can receive the treatment they need than in all for it.

It really hits home when your in the hospital with your own kids and the Dr's dont know whats the matter. I can tell everyone not one time did I ever question that if our insurance would cover this or cover that. Now I could not imagine having to have that worry along with my sick son.

Tie your insurance was good enough to pick up most of teh tab on your Heart surgery, imagine not having that insurance. Where would you be? The burden that puts on families should not have to happen. IMO

 

[705red]

I have seen people die because they could not afford the treatment,and that doesnt seem right and a big part of me says everone should have healthcare.You know that old saying "lifes not fair"really applies here when you think about it ,some people have medical care and some dont, thats life just like some people are rich some are poor .really sucks but thats the way it is ,hard to really say how i feel about it but alot of this seems to be a way of making everyone equal but thats another word for socialism,everyone does not have the same entitlements.what i would like to see in healthcare reform would maybe be coverage for people with life threating conditions or children under the age of 18,now im not smart enough to figure out how to make that work or i wouldnt move boxes for a living.

Hold on sparky! We live in a COUNTRY that says land of FREE home of the BRAVE. How did we get title? Because we fought for it and earned it. Anyone and everyone was welcomed. I can tell you that when our founding fathers wrote the Constitution at that time everyone had the right to medical treatments. Dr's even made house calls. Do you think that if England was refusing us mediacl treatment back then, it would not have been covered than?

 

[22.34life]

Hold on sparky! We live in a COUNTRY that says land of FREE home of the BRAVE. How did we get title? Because we fought for it and earned it. Anyone and everyone was welcomed. I can tell you that when our founding fathers wrote the Constitution at that time everyone had the right to medical treatments. Dr's even made house calls. Do you think that if England was refusing us mediacl treatment back then, it would not have been covered than?

so doctors worked for free back then somebody had to pay for that house call.what it should say is land of the RICH home of the ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR.thats what everthing is always about,washington and obama could give a crap about people who die because thay dont have insurance,in the end someones getting paid on this and it sure aint you or me ,believe that.

 

[tieguy]

Tie you sound like a driver that just had his route relooped and going out with the new diad 5 today without any training Give it a chance and lets see how it works before dismissing it. Alot of people have put their careers on the line to pass this bill.

Red I'm sure someone on the Nazi side of things also told doubters to give Hitler a chance for the same reasons.

In this case though I'm commenting on the sales approach used to sell this bill. I'm sure you have your people who need health care. they will now be forced to go out and buy that health care with the promise of tax credits to help them pay for it.
I guess the question I would have is where will they find the cash to pay for it when they never had it in the first place.

I'm also commenting on the war on the greedy insurance companies and how this bill actually helps insurance companies profits. Obama sold the classwarfare message to stick it to insurance companies only to help their bottom line.

You couldn't write a movie that is more entertaining then the BS coming out of the white house.

Three votes passed this bill. Is this bill really a good thing for america if they could not get all the demcrats to vote for it?

 

[tieguy]

you see this from the posted new york times link?

Starting in 2014, most Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

• The penalty will be phased in, starting at $95 or 1 percent of income in 2014, whichever is higher, and rising to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016. But families would not pay more than $2,085.
• American Indians don’t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement. And if you would pay more than 8 percent of your income for the cheapest available plan, you will not be penalized for failing to buy coverage.
• Those who are exempt, or under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs. It must allow for three primary care visits a year as well.

the good news is you can get a tax credit. you pay first and I guess you use the tax credit when you file. Not much good if you don't have the money to pay up front.