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News
Your source on union-negotiated health care
benefits
Bargaining team wins several gains in health
care benefits
Feb. 27, 2003 -
With the health care bargaining road paved in advance by the union's Joint
Health Care Committee members, OCSEA made several advancements for members
and their families.
Marianne Steger, OCSEA Health Care Expert, says these
benefits enhancements will make an impact for members health-wise and
financially.
The following summarizes the key health care improvements
OCSEA negotiated:
- Birth Control coverage: For
the first time all forms of prescription birth control will now be covered
by the Ohio Med PPO effective July 1, 2003. HMOs had covered them, but
the PPO lagged behind in covering this benefit.
- Health Care Spending
Account: Perhaps as early as 2004, members will be able to pay
for their co-pays, deductibles and other medical expenses with pre-tax
dollars. This will save people 17%-21% depending on their tax bracket.
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- Health Care Policy Expert:
There are a number of things the state could and should be doing to
reduce health care costs and reduce the cost of the overall state budget.
For example if the state did a drug purchasing pool of all the state
employees, Medicaid population, inmates and residents, substantial savings
could be achieved for state employees’ health care costs and the
Medicaid budget, which is the largest part of the state budget. A number
of other states have started similar programs. With the hiring of a
health care policy expert the JHCC will have the expertise to start
such a program for Ohio.
- Wellness Committees:
Perhaps the best way to reduce health care costs is to reduce claims
costs by helping people to adopt healthy lifestyles. With the new language
in the contract the JHCC will have a greater role in establishing wellness
programs for state employees. Additionally agencies can develop wellness
committees. These committees can designate exercise areas at worksites,
bring health and wellness seminars to the worksite, and negotiate discounts
to area gyms among other things.
- Split Premium:
Effective November of this year employees will begin paying their share
of the health care premium twice a month instead of once a month. This
should help employees to budget their expenses better.
Steger is the OCSEA and State of Ohio Joint Health Care
Committee Cochair for labor, and she led the union's health care bargaining
efforts for the negotiations team.
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