Cause of Death: Denied Claims

WellPoint's policies to deny insurance claims and hike up premiums so working families can't afford insurance has resulted in death, bankruptcy, foreclosure and destruction. Spending our premiums to fight health care reform is almost as heinous.

The WellPoint corporate headquarters at 120 Monument Circle will be declared a crime scene. Stand together against corporate greed, and WellPoint's role in increased bankruptcies and foreclosures in Indiana.

Tuesday, Oct., 6 NOON

Volunteers will setup crime scene tape and draw chalk outlines to represent the thousands of people who have died as the result of no insurance or the denial of their claims.

from Jobs With Justice, Central Indiana

Health Care Reform Now!

 

Have insurance and think your save without Health Care Reform?

 

Prepare for open enrollment season

---

Changes to your health care plan could come soon.

---

It's almost that time again, when companies roll out their new plans for health insurance, and the news is not good. Rising health care costs and the recession mean employers are cutting back more than ever before, says Jennifer Calhoun of the benefits consulting firm Mercer. Her sneak preview:

Your insurer may change. Lots of strapped companies aren't willing to stomach the hefty annual increases their health insurers charge and have taken their business elsewhere. Be sure to read the new carrier's fine print: You could end up with less coverage for more out-of-pocket costs. At the least, you should become familiar with a new claims system, websites, etc.

Dependent coverage may be eliminated. More companies are eliminating coverage for an employee's spouse and/or kids. Those that still offer coverage may ask to see proof of dependent status.

Expect a lot of questions. More employers are asking workers to fill out questionnaires about illnesses and lifestyle habits to help estimate health costs. Many companies are giving employees incentives, such as discounted co-pays, to entice them to respond.

From USA Weekend

emphasis added [in red]

Higher premiums, reduced coverage, constantly changing providers. So much for choice under the current system.

Treat The Troops: Mental Health Matters

   Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Campaign
    [Indianapolis Star, 9-2-2009]

FAQs at a Glance:

• 1 in 8 deployed military will exhibit signs and symptoms of PTSD.
• Last year, Indiana led the nation in the numbers of our returning deployed military. PTSD could potentially affect literally thousands of Indiana citizens, including wives and children. 
• Early screening and treatment may prevent long-term illness and permanent disability.

from the ISMA website

   I’m tentatively planning on attending, GlennDL

MoveOn.org Political Action

Tuesday, 9-22-09 @ noon on Monument Circle in Front of Wellpoint:

MoveOn.org Political Action: "'Big Insurance: Sick of It' Rally We're organizing Big Insurance: Sick Of It rallies in front of health insurance company offices across the country. Insurance companies make hundreds of billions of dollars every year from denying coverage and denying care, no matter how many people suffer as a result. We'll hear stories of people who have suffered from our broken health insurance system, and we'll demand that the companies stop trying to kill the public health insurance option."

Facts are Stupid Things

Med Mal & Health Costs

by Doug Mason on September 21, 2009

Maureen Groppe, writing for Gannett, has an article about increased attention to “tort reform” in the context of the health care debate.

Medical malpractice costs are getting increasing attention in the health care debate, despite studies that show capping jury awards in malpractice cases would do little to lower health care spending.

I mentioned last week Jeff Hagedorn’s opinion piece in the Perry County News citing studies that suggest the rise and fall of medical malpractice premiums correlate much more strongly with shifts in the stock market than they do with malpractice costs….      Read More

Tracking Your TSP Funds:

I am investigating installing a ‘ticker’ or stock market chart tracking the indexes/funds associated with the TSP funds so that TSP members can check those fund performances on a daily basis here on postal-indy.org .

Any links or information that anyone may have would be helpful as I am not the most informed person on this subject.  I have found several ‘gadgets’ to use but would need to know the exact ‘symbols’ that relate to the corresponding TSP funds.  Any ideas?   GlennDL

Public Option vs. Private:

Chocolate, Whiskey and More at the Union Store

by Tula Connell, Sep 18, 2009

Last week, the UAW published a list of 2010 union-made cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles. It’s also Union Label Week, which we hold annually to highlight how union-made goods are high in quality and help support middle-class communities. These two events reminded me: Making a case for Buy American means we in the union movement need to do our job and show U.S. consumers how and where to buy American, and buy union.

Or at least we can try. I’ve seen an awful lot of brand-new BMWs, Mercedes and Lexus brands of all types driving around here in Washington, D.C., recently. Something tells me my money helped purchase those vehicles—no doubt some of the drivers are beneficiaries of taxpayer-bailed out financial institutions.

Still, not everyone is laughing all the way to making high-end purchases of foreign-made goods with U.S. taxpayer dollars. And for those who still have a conscious that can be appealed to, this list is for you….    
……Read More

Severance Pay For Early Retirees:

From the APWU Website:

Q. What is the status of the union’s grievance seeking severance pay for employees who accepted offers to voluntarily retire early? If the grievance is sustained, would retirees who accept the current offer be eligible for severance pay, and how much would it be?

A. The APWU grievance contesting the denial of severance pay (Q06C4QC08268987) is pending arbitration.

The grievance was filed on behalf of all employees who voluntarily retired through the VER offers over the past several years, including those employees who volunteer for early retirement with the current offer. The $15,000 incentive payment is unrelated to severance pay.

The amount of severance pay is based on the number of years of service. Employees are credited with one week of compensation for each year of service up to 10 years, plus two weeks’ compensation for each year in excess of 10 years. For an employee with 25 years of
service, the employee would receive 40 weeks of compensation. This allowance is increased by 10 percent for each full year that an employee’s age exceeds 40 years at the time of separation.
The maximum compensation through severance pay is 52 weeks. This payment would be made bi‐weekly.

If we prevail in arbitration on the USPS obligation to pay severance to employees who accepted VER offers in 2008 and 2009, management and the union would discuss ways of identifying former employees who would be eligible for payment. This process and the payment would depend on the specific wording of the arbitration decision.

Three Myths About Health Care Reform:

The three major myths about Health Care reform are addressed by the non-partisan group the Association of Bioethics Program Directors:

Myth #1: Health care reform will mean giving up control of my own health care decisions.

Myth #2: Health care reform will control health care costs by depriving patients of important, but costly, medical treatments.

Myth #3: Health care reform will deny older Americans medical treatments at the end of life.

All three myths are untrue, for an explanation read the full article.

Health Care Rally:

Highway to Health Care rally in favor of health-care reform.

“Let us resolve that the state of a family’s health shall never depend on the size of a family’s wealth”  Sen. Ted Kennedy

Two rally's for Health Care Reform at The AFSCME Union Hall and at the kickoff for the Labor Day Parade downtown. 
Speeches by U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, State Rep. Bill Crawford, CICL President Lettie Oliver and speakers from AFSCME and the state AFL-CIO

“I believe we are called to bear some of the burden of the least, the last and the lost. If we spend billions on war, surely we can spend billions on the sick.”     Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin of
Light of the World Christian Church
Aug. 20, 2009

To see pictures from the Labor Day Parade over the last few years click here.

Health Care Rally: Kickoff to the Labor Day Parade

9/5/09 Health Care Rally Kickoff to the Labor Day Parade. 

The rally starts at 10:00 a.m. and the parade steps off at 11:00 a.m. from North and Pennsylvania Streets.