Healthcare

Just recieved a letter from Central States stating our TeamCare PPO will be switched over to BlueCross BlueShield effective January 19th.
The list of physicians and hospitals is one the way they say. I can't believe this is a good change. What I have heard of BlueCross in this area is not good.(Texas) Opinions please.

My father is a retired teamster policemen.His benifits are awful. He has blue cross and Blue shield. To show you how hated blue cross and blue shield is ...I was talking to one of my customers one day and asked what his wife did. He responded She is a systems manger. I said for who. He said unwillingly Blue cross and blue shield. He made it a point that his wife had nothing to do with the working of the business of blue cross and blue shield and just did the computers. In Maine they are a 4 letter word.....My fathers premiums jumped like 50% last year. Bad news for a guy on a fixed income.

We need a benefit plan administered by UPS. The Teamsters have a history of squandering money, so why let them handle something as important as H&W? I know the first argument against this is, “UPS will be able to do what ever they want with our H&W!” So you’re telling me the Teamsters don’t? The Teamsters at the brewery (the same one that sponsors Dale Earnhardt Jr) have a company run plan with negotiated benefits. Why can’t we at least have a similar situation? As it stands now we are at the mercy of the Teamsters. We have 25 and out in Joint Council 83, but who can afford to retire when your after retirement employment is limited, and you’re faced with a retirement health plan that has a 100k life time maximum? One serious illness and your insurance is gone. If an employer offered such a plan the union would be up in arms.

Do we need a Union? Yes. Do we need the Teamsters? No. What we do need is a UPS Employees Association, owned and operated by UPS employees. As long as the Teamsters represent hourly employees at UPS, I’ll continue to exercise my rights under Virginia’s Right to Work law and just say NO to the Teamsters.

UPs dude, nice post!

But I dont trust the company 100% either. I think the best would be oversight by both teamster and UPS might be an option. But you know as well as I do that the teamsters will never allow all that power to get loose from them. And that is what UPS employees means for them, power. And money.

IF you really want to see what kind of crap insurance is, have a wife that has insurance, that we are paying for out of pocket, that is primary. Instead of teamsters insurance being glad they only have to pick up the deductable, they refuse to pay anything. Or if they do, only when you have spent hours on the phone with them and threatened action with the insurance commissioners office.

But I dont see it getting any better, unless as you state, we form an oversight commitee to watch what is going on.

d

Back to my original question. Does anybody know anything about BlueCross BlueShield?

"Back to my original question. Does anybody know anything about BlueCross BlueShield?"

I did a search on the ‘net and couldn’t find anything (nothing negative). If your state has an Insurance Regulation department, check with their office for a list of complaints.

I did a google search for Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas and I found a lot of info from the company explaining what their service is. I then did a google search with the same subject but did a "Groups" search and found many, many posts that were negative comments. Hard to tell if the complaints are valid as people post whatever they want without any consideration of libel on the internet. Anyway....it's a start

Bill

Some BlueCross-BlueShiels companies are under the name of ANTHEM BC-BS. (ATH on the NYSE, so you might want to check out this name.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield are just administering the policy. The policy belongs to UPS, they are what is called self insured. They pay BC/BS (or Aetna, etc.) to just pay/deny claims according to the policy UPS has set forth.
If they are not doing so contact the HR office, the union and the insurance commissioners office in your state.

It's like working for UPS, they will only do what is right if pushed to a wall.

Thanks to all. I think my main concern has been the fact that they can change the list of doctors that I am able to see without taking a 10% penalty. Don't get me wrong, I don't see the doctors every week, but I had cancer surgery almost 2 years ago and I have to be checked every 3 months. I don't think changing doctors at this point would be a good thing. I guess I will have to wait and see what the list says and then take it from there. I appreciate the input.

In a situation like that you may be able to get the doctor covered so you wont have to pay the 10%. If the doctor comes off the list contact the insurance company and start the ball rolling to request coverage for a non-part doctor. It may takea bit of time on your part but will be well worth it in the end.

You might be able to get them grandfathered in. I aggree that changing doctors would be a bad move. But as 1903 stated, it is UPS that sets the rules, BCBS just carry them out according to the rules of the state insurance commission board.

Post back if you have problems.

d

Will do. Thanks for the input.