Henry Beasley on upcoming contract negotiations

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On another Facebook page another member asked me to clarify their scare tactics concerning the ACA/Obamacare they were using to show others that we are in a crisis for the upcoming contract negotiations with Trimet.  Since they have done no research on the subject, I have cobbled together something I wrote back in 2013 and something I put together in response to their inquiry/ calling out.

 

Well Brothers and Sisters you won’t have to wait much longer, it seems the company has kept its promise in  this video .(Click Here!)  In this video the company said that the costs of your individual medical plans are now being transferred unto the employee.  From what they said in the video, the 2013 plan was considered a “platinum” plan with low deductibles, as of 2014 the union plan will be at “gold” level.  The company stressed that members that “utilize” their individual plans will think twice about going to the doctor if their “wallets get touched.”

That was something I wrote way back in 2013 in an email concerning the reduction in pay due to the company raising the premium costs onto union members, which our union did not step up and cry foul.  Forward the video (Click Here) for ACA/Obamacare and the excise tax conversation the Director of Labor Relations had with the Board of Directors.

Dates to remember:

2015:  The employee mandate: meaning employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer affordable health insurance to all full-time employees and their dependents.  THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO US.

2018:  Under Section 9001 of the ACA, health insurance issuers and sponsors of self-funded group health plans will be assessed an excise tax on any benefits provided to employees that exceed a pre-determined threshold.  This is the same tax that the general media has labeled as the “Cadillac” tax. The excise tax is imposed beginning in 2018.  THE 90/10 PLAN WAS CONSIDERED PLATUNIUM/ CADILLAC.

The Excise Tax was created to reduce health care costs by encouraging health plan sponsors to offer plans that increase member engagement through cost sharing. The tax is 40 percent of the total cost of each employee’s coverage that exceed predetermined thresholds. It does not apply to cost-sharing amounts such as copayments, deductibles or coinsurance. Currently, the thresholds are:

		Standard Professions		High-Risk Professions (law enforcement and construction including electrical and telecommunication installations)
Single		$10,200		$11,850
Family		$27,500		$30,950

These amounts, effective through 2017, will be updated for 2018 when final regulations are issued. The tax will be indexed for inflation in 2019 and beyond.

Since I’m not in there bargaining these issues, I must say is that in order for the company to reduce the unions medical plan again, they would also have to reduce their own plan since we currently have the same plan coverage, post ratification.