jetBlue, I'm ready for a union

[Jumpseater]

I am assuming that you are being mean spirited at me from your rampies comment. If your so upset about the benifits go talk to David.

It wa sarcasam, a lot like your first post when you suggested my last employer would like me back. Law of the play ground, it goes both ways. Sorry if I hurt your feelings.

 

[pilotyip]

Health Insurance costs out of control

Every major company is this country is being hit with rapidly escalating health insurance premiums. Since 2001 our company's per employee costs have gone from $550 to over $900 a month. Part of this increase has been passed along to the employees. Their amount of co-pay went from something like $42 to $52 per month. We have faced other changes also in drug co-pay, minimum deductible. There is only so much money to go around for health insurance and the company has to attempt to contain these costs and maintain profitably. To do otherwise would be corporate irresponsibility.

 

[jb320guy]

You know Southwest is hiring. Maybe someone will loan you the 6500.00 for the type.

 

[dlredline]

On page 32 of my 2005 open enrollment guide on the top left of the page it says "pilot loss of license insurance". It goes on to talk about a maxim benifit of $5,000 paid out for not more than 2 years after a six month waiting perod. I wonder if thats a fancy way of saying we only get this "benifit" for 1.5 years.

Maybe another jetblue pilot will verify that it is in the manual ,you can go back and look. You can then call benifits to reguest a new one since they obviously sent you an incomplete pack.

As to your buddy list don't bother.

First, nice attitude there. Second, it's not on page 32, but page 31, and I think you really need to read the whole document a little slower. The LOL insurance "benifit" (sp) is non taxable income (very different from my past carriers, both majors). The 6 month wait is industry standard, and no, it's not for a year and a half, but for the entire 2 years after the wait, in addtion to which can be supplemented with company paid LTD (up to a max of $15,000/month)for 2 years or all the way to Social Security if the disability lasts that long. Very common, if not a little above average for airline pilot's (ask any USAir pilot how his benefits compare).

As far as the elimination of copay, this basically becomes a standard indemnity policy. If you were indeed paying $92 bi monthly, check the coverage limits you elected, 'cause that's not what full family coverage costs (I know, I pay for it). So you're comparing apples to oranges. The new cost is up only $36/month, so again, compare what coverage/cost you currently have with the comparable coverage/cost on the new policy. It ain't that car payment you're talking about.

And if you bother to look a little closer, you'll see 2 benefits included that have never (that I've seen) been included on a non-union pilot benefit plan. Yes, there's a marginal ($36) montlhy increase for top end coverage, but in return you are covered 100% for preventive care (no deductible, no copay). If you have a family of 4 (wife and 2 kids), this means a ton of extensive, preventive office visits are 100% covered. Don't believe me (read page 4)? Ask your wife how much that yearly mamogram and pap smear cost (all out of pocket on the old plan). Plus, there's a new group legal plan that provides 100% attorney costs for such items as a home purchase or writing of a will (a $300-400 typical cost). So go get you will written or updated and you've paid for it through this marginal increase. All in all, still a very good benefit package, and if you came here from another carrier, it's likely bettter than where you came from.

I don't mind people shooting from the hip, so long as they draw something loaded.

Best of luck to you.

Red

 

[savin47]

Hmmmm. Union dues - 1.95% x 11,000.00 per month = 214.50. Jumpseater, how the heck am I supposed to make my cable bill (including spice channel) if your plan comes to fruition.

By the way JB keeps paying 75% of your insurance costs. Are they to eat all of the higher costs?

 

[COpilot]

Don't worry W. will fix health insurance costs in America, "not"

LOL!!!

Just for the record, my costs for a family of four, is up to $479/mo next year.

 

[Skygod]

A 2% pay cut for a union will be worth all the money in the long term . . . think about it . . . we could get one of them no furlough clauses. Now dat would be sweeeet . . .

 

[Jumpseater]

As far as the elimination of copay, this basically becomes a standard indemnity policy. If you were indeed paying $92 bi monthly, check the coverage limits you elected, 'cause that's not what full family coverage costs (I know, I pay for it). So you're comparing apples to oranges. The new cost is up only $36/month, so again, compare what coverage/cost you currently have with the comparable coverage/cost on the new policy. It ain't that car payment you're talking about.


Red

Thank you for taking the time to respond a get some real numbers. I went from memory on what I was paying which was wrong. After looking it up on BCSS I pay 232.46/mt currently the new benifits will run 269.86 for similar elections. We are going to drop vision ( even with our benifits Costco is cheaper ) and we are adding dental for the whole family. The new total is 278.96.

I reacted a little strongly when I first saw the numbers. I am affriad though the real cost bump will be next year while using the plan.

 

[Ty Webb]

Well, the pain is not limited to JB, far from it. At AirTran, I am paying $200./ per pay period (2x per month) for the highest-level plan (PPO with pharmacy). That's right . . . $400./month, for a family of four. It's pre-tax, but it still hurts. If I lived in an AirTran city with an HMO, I think it would be about $300/month.

 

[English]

Yikes!!!

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

The insurance costs you describe are OK, maybe even better than average. My wife works for a Fortune 100 company, with 20K+ employees. If we used her plan, our monthly costs would be $350, with a copay every time, we have to pay 20% of everything, and there is a $1500 deductable we would have to meet B4 the insurance pays anything.

Luckily, my airline has a better insurance plan (which a bunch of our pilots are complaining about).

If U want a better insurance system in the US, U need to look to some kind of nationalized system (note-U may not agree with me, but the CEO of Ford says we need a nationalized system).

Cliff
YIP

PS-The total spending on health care for our family of four, including what we pay, and what my wife's company would pay, exclusive of any accidents or surgey-type events for next year would be about $32,000. That's insane!

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

I'll take a splice on that spice, please!

Hmmmm. Union dues - 1.95% x 11,000.00 per month = 214.50. Jumpseater, how the heck am I supposed to make my cable bill (including spice channel) if your plan comes to fruition.

How much coaxial cable do you have around the house?

 

[English]

Do most airlines charge the employee monthly for medical benefits?

 

[G4G5]

What you may want to look at is your medical plan once you retire. I just had my B6 buddy over diner and he was pretty angry about the change in the plan. Now you folks would no better but his point was. The former plan allowed a retired pilot to use his last couple of years of sick and vac time to pay for his med bennies. Now that folks might actually start retiring. The plan was changed to 50% of COBRA.

His point was it was easy for Dave to promise something that no one could use, then change it. Talking with him yesterday, he told me that he actually brought this up to Dave last month during his recurrent. He got a whole lot of double talk and now feels that a union would be in his best intersts. Hummmm.

As far as health care. Getting a family of 4 covered for under $300 is a bargin and I would not be complaining. FYI mine is $350.

 

[roughneck]

Not to rub salt in anyones wounds, but I pay $0 (zero) for health, basic life, dental, and AD&D for myself and my entire family (including kids).

SWAPA is pretty good for us, you might think about an in-house union. It can't hurt.

BTW, SWA posted its 54 consecutive profit this past quarter. 199M. (Costs must stay low, but there are other ways of doing it than taking it out of employees pay checks)

 

[LJDRVR]

It's tempting to look at an erosion of medical benefits quality, along with an increase in cost, then assign blame to our employer.

"Jeez, why can't these guys do better than this?"

What you should keep in mind is that it's not your employer saving money by switching you to the cheaper plan, it's the managed care provider changing their product costs and profile to increase their bottom line. In my opinion, (Flame away if you disagree) there are several reasons for this.

Managed care companies have evolved from service providers with more of an eye towards providing a fair product at a reasonable price, to giant, greedy corporations, with a lust for cash and growth, whose management are provided with bloated compensation packages at the expense of your health.

This business model encourages your physician to provide as little care as possible for you, with writing a script for a drug as the end result of most encounters.

Drug companies are totally and completely out of control. In their zeal for money, the system is structured to provide you with an expensive "purple pill" instead of diagnosing the behavior that may be a part of your symtoms or the cause of your condition. You are never encouraged to take personal responsibility to get out there and change your behavior in such a way that you are healthy and don't need a purple pill. ("God forbid the customers get cured, who are we going to sell this garbage to?") So, your HMO's denial for an expensive test that might help rule out a life-threatening condition, not to mention the ever increasing cost of benefits, are directly attributable to a "sytem" that encourages irresponsible behavior and disease, because that's where the profit is.

Here's something to think about. In our utopia of fat, corn-syrup swilling, locust-like, overeating consumers, 1 out of 3 children born in the year 2004 will be diagnosed with diabetes during their lifetime. If the kids are black or hispanic, the number is an astounding 50%. How much do you think this is going to cost us? Look beyond the cost of a lifetime of treatment, and examine the associated costs of heart disease, strokes, liver failure, loss of vision, etc. The list goes on and on.

Now this is not to say that some companies don't take advantage of these syrocketing health care costs. GM is now involved in a major public affairs campaign to educate us about how they cannot continue to provide the health benefits they promised to their retirees, and remain a viable company. How much you want to bet their senior executive's health-care remains untouched?

O.K., hippie rant over. I just wanted to say look beyond the impulse to assume it's the employers fault. We're all experiencing similiar instances to the one you describe. Who's to blame? Ultimately a society of over-eating unhealthy slobs, who do nothing for their bodies, but are happy to stand up at a town hall debate and ask the politician why their health care costs so much. It's not entirely their fault though. The system is well constructed to prevent the consumer from ever finding out what's really important. The HMO's, drug manufacturers, beef, pork, poultry and sugar industries most certainly have a vested interest in you continuing to consume their products, even if it's killing you. (And destroying our ecosystem)

We deserve better. So do our kids. Educate yourself.

 

[capt. megadeth]

"Not to rub salt in anyones wounds, but I pay $0 (zero) for health, basic life, dental, and AD&D for myself and my entire family (including kids).

SWAPA is pretty good for us, you might think about an in-house union. It can't hurt."

That's awesome. What that takes is management that actually gives a $hit about employees....very hard to come by these days. Hopefully, it will stay that way for you guys/gals.

LJDRVR,
Very good post....don't forget the spiraled out of control sue happy mentality in this country that has driven costs up. It's a vicious cycle.

 

[TexaSWA]

You know Southwest is hiring. Maybe someone will loan you the 6500.00 for the type.

Then when you get to SWA you can pay back the loan in about 18 months with the money you will save on health insurance. Or pay it off in about two months with the difference in 2nd year pay.

 

[jetblue320]

On page 32 of my 2005 open enrollment guide on the top left of the page it says "pilot loss of license insurance". It goes on to talk about a maxim benifit of $5,000 paid out for not more than 2 years after a six month waiting perod. I wonder if thats a fancy way of saying we only get this "benifit" for 1.5 years.

Maybe another jetblue pilot will verify that it is in the manual ,you can go back and look. You can then call benifits to reguest a new one since they obviously sent you an incomplete pack.

As to your buddy list don't bother.

Well, I did not look in that "company publication" since you did not refer to it by name. I was looking at the handout I got in the crewroom the other day. I haven't received the newest one in the mail yet either. I could've sworn you said you were out on the road and got your info first hand from a mechanic and a flight attendant's copy? Anyway, not my point. How does the fact that our medical insurance co-pays and premiums went up (apparently a lot of other companies have as well) have anything to do with David building this company on your back? "David" does not even get involved with decidions of this nature, that is done in the People Dept, FYI. And how, more importantly, is a union going to solve this apparent financial situation for you AND the rest of us? ANd lastly, why do you seem to think that this is a "junior guy versus senior guy" battle, or even view it as a battle at all? Really, I would seriously like to hear what you have to say provided it's not just ranting.

C yaaa

 

[heilhaavir]

At my outfit I pay 92$/month for a family of 5 (Cigna)