UPS Health Benefits Shock for Retired Union Employees

[kumet]

I want to raise the question re. the fact that our retiree, grandfathered insurance plan does not give us certain rights under the health reform act,patient protection and affordable care act .specifically the $500,000 cap on health expenses and dependent care coverage

 

[reydluap]

I can't say why you don't have a UPS benefits booklet. I'm not privy to any special inside hidden information. But my questions are...... Just how did you ever know what your benefits were if you have never seen it in writing? Guess? Word of mouth? How did you know your medical/vision/dental insurance deductables? Did you even realize all of these benefits were availiable to you?



FYI: This 19 chapter,116 page summary UPS booklet spells out our benefits. Here are the chapter titles: Overview of the Plan, Eligibility, Enrollment, Life Events, Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Spending Accounts, Legal, Adoption Assistance Program, Mortgage Program, Personal Lines Insurance, Information About Claims, UPS HEALTH and WELFARE PACKAGE for RETIRED EMPLOYEES, Administration, and Who To Call.

 

[willybad]

looks like this thread has come to a stop.i just talked to another friend that works in a different center than i did.he hadn't heard anything about this yet.as ups teamster retirees(or any current ups teamster that's thinking about retireing) we need to get the word out.ups says it's going to happen,for sure,but the contract says it's negotiable.if we just sit still,we're screwed.make sure the current employees know what's going on.keep the pressure on the union to keep this from happening.

 

[tommysts]

When we got our letter I thought it was a hoax, because it didn't have the sharp crisp print you usually receive from UPS, or Central States. It looked like it had been copied a thousand times on an old copier someone found at the flea market. Then I went on line and Googled it and found out I wasn't the only one who got this letter.

I put in almost 36 years for UPS. I worked a little more than 5 to get a few extra bucks on my pension because I lost half of it through divorce earlier. I guess the extra $500 from working past 30 I get will go towards insurance. If my new wife wasn't working yet, we would be in poverty for sure. I know medical is high, because I just had surgery.

I know for a fact too there is a lot of waste in the hospital system and our doctors offices too. I have always said that insurance has corrupted the country and one day will break us all. It has corrupted our doctors (greed), the patients suing everyone they can, and judges and lawyers! This BS is going to have to stop soon, or we are all going to end up throwing a brick through a window and be arrested, but be covered medically by the law.

I joined this brown cafe tonight just to voice my opinion. I feel a little better now that I have said my peace, but still feel poorer I suppose they will be after our 401 s next. I have heard Washington talking about that, since China is starting to demand some of it's money back. It's only money

 

[brez3903]

hall says that the retiree benefits are negotiated by the Locals, and the International has no say in our benefit package, just wondering how it is every local in the country has the same language for retiree benefits?

 

[Leftinbuilding]

hall says that the retiree benefits are negotiated by the Locals, and the International has no say in our benefit package, just wondering how it is every local in the country has the same language for retiree benefits?

They don't.

 

[beentheredonethat]

I know medical is high, because I just had surgery.

I know for a fact too there is a lot of waste in the hospital system and our doctors offices too. I have always said that insurance has corrupted the country and one day will break us all. It has corrupted our doctors (greed), the patients suing everyone they can, and judges and lawyers! This BS is going to have to stop soon, or we are all going to end up throwing a brick through a window and be arrested, but be covered medically by the law.

The system is screwed up, no doubt. There are a ton of problems, but personally I don't have an issue with the Dr's themselves. These folks have to go four 4 years of undergraduate and then 4 more years of medical school. (Of which the costs are huge and they go into big time debt). Then once they graduate, they can't just go out and hang their shingle and get patients. They then spend 3 to 7 years in residency. (Granted they get paid but the pay isn't that great (30-50K per year)). When you think of it, a person who spent 8 years in college and has the knowledge to save a life, makes less then a UPS driver. FAR LESS then a UPS driver. All while having a debt of hundreds of thousands of dollars due to medical school.

Then once they get out of their residency they then often get a fellowship for more training. Then after that, they then can work as a full fledged Dr. That's a lot of time, a lot of money that they spend just to become a Dr. Then the salary of a Dr becomes quite well, 250K, which is a lot and sounds like a lot. But it still takes quite a few years (decades) before the total returns (no earnings while in college + debt of going to college) is offset by the salary you earn when you are a full fledged Dr. vs if you just went to a 4 year college and got a professional career. Also when your little girl is being operated on, the last thing on your mind is hey.. I could have gotten a Dr that's a bit cheaper and he's almost as good.


I think a big problem is the US government rules on medicine. They and the AMA, try to make it so preventing disease and curing disease is not their goal, it's treating a disease. A large part of problem though is us. How many of us, weigh 10 lbs or more over an ideal weight? How many of us, don't make the healthiest decisions on our diet? how many of us don't get enough aerobic exercise? How many of us don't get enough sleep? Then we wonder why we feel bad and go to the Dr and expect to get a magic pill to fix our problems.

I was amazed about a year ago when I visited a friend in a rehabilitation hospital. The guy in the next bed was an older gentlemen who had fallen and hit his head. He was 70 ish and had Type 2 diabetes. Well, the nurse came in after dinner and determined what he ate (ie mashed potatoes, apple sauce etc) and then said he needed x amount of insulin to counteract the carbs\sugars he just consumed. I was appalled. Helloo..... why didn't you offer him healthier food, why didn't he have a nice healthy salad? Why didn't he have some fish? It's our culture that "this drug fixes this problem" etc.

I'm no angel, I've lost weight, and still need to lose more, I exercise some, but need to exercise more. I eat better, but could eat better still. But it just amazes me how bad we treat our body and expect a Dr to fix and then complain about how expensive medicine is.

A lot of folks out here are car buffs. If you had a really really nice car, many people would take care to wash it, wax it. Change the oil's\fluids. Fill her up with the proper fuel etc. If there is a problem to fix it right away before it gets worse. Yet often the same people don't treat their body the same.

 

[tommysts]

I too talked to the teamsters, and they don't care what is going on. I need all the money I can get too, because of a divorce settlement I only get half of my retirement. This extra payment going to really hurt. I am physically unable to work because of the 5 major surgeries I have had this past 2 years, and will never be able to work like I did. I can't get SSS yet, too young. I gave them 36 years of my life and now this! They are mostly the reasoned I ended up in divorce too! I guess I might have to throw a rock through a window and get arrested to be taken care of. Thanks UPS & Teamsters!

 

[balland chain]

Yup, thanks to all the YES voters.. Hopefully when they are close to retirement, the young kids will do them the same favor..What a joke.!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

....or.......they could financially prepare for retirement and be able to deal with divorce or other life-changing event....

 

[CaliforniaPaul]

Its cheaper to keep her!!