SkyWest celebrates "Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

[COOPERVANE]

It sucks real bad

 

[WalterSobchak]

Instead of just telling us how much it sucks, can anyone actually share what the changes are?

Starting in 2012, the only health care option offered by the company will be a HSA/CDHP. All HMO options will be eliminated in 2011, with the remaining PPO's being eliminated the following year. There is, unfortunately, precedence for this within the industry (Delta, from what I understand, rolled this out overnight, as opposed to giving a two-year warning). The company is double the initial seed money for the HSA and offer these monies twice for people who sign up this year, as opposed to it being a one-time deposit.

If you're healthy, a CDHP is a windfall for the employee. Now that I understand the program a little better...as someone who rarely goes to the doctor and requires little to no prescription medication every year...I wish I had been doing it all along. When it's all said and done, it's your money that carries over and you keep it if you leave the company/program, rather than paying money into an HMO you never use and never seeing that money again. That said, I'm not sure that this is the kind of plan I would want to be on if I and/or someone in my family had health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. I just haven't personally done the research to support this type of a plan in that kind of situation.

While I do think that if they research it further, most people will find that it's not nearly as bad as everyone has initially knee-jerked, the bigger issue at hand...the way I see it...is the fact that the self-proclaimed "Employer of Choice", is taking away choice.

No matter how you look at it, it's not the best situation for an employee group that, at one time, felt they were the best taken care of in the business.

 

[flyboyzz1]

It's great for the employees and not to mention it's great that we get to save INC 20 million smackers!

 

[Jetpig]

20 million that is a lot of savings! To bad they will not share the savings with a yearly contribution to your HSA. Most companies I have looked at, that offer this type of health insurance also contribute $1000-$2000 a year to your HSA.

 

[Skywest Pylot]

For some SkyWest employees, the fight is not only for awareness, but for life itself. “SkyWest supporting an event like this not only contributes to research for treatments and cures, but reminds all of us how precious life is,” said Susan Smith, SkyWest Payroll Tax Accountant and cancer survivor. “Hopefully it will encourage all of us to take preventive measures to protect ourselves and those we love.”

http://www.skywest.com/media/04/10-06-04.php

I realize this press release is from 2004 but I'll have to assume the same program is running today. Are people still donating $5 to this cause in the name of SkyWest? Why not donate directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation rather than giving SkyWest credit for something they obviously don't support? Here is a link.

http://ww5.komen.org/donate/donateonline.html

This employee better hope her cancer doesn't come back or she'll be in a World of hurt.

Kathy Hayes-Wurzburg, the Company’s Director of Air Cargo Services, is currently fighting her second battle with cancer. “SkyWest has supported me both times I learned I had cancer,” said Kathy. “There are thousands of worthy causes out there, so it pleases me to no end that SkyWest is involved in the fight against breast cancer. The fight for awareness is not only for me, but for all those that may need help and research in the future.”

Very sad.

 

[WalterSobchak]

Very sad.

Sadly, Kathy Hayes-Wurzburg lost her battle with cancer in January of this year. I never met her but, from all accounts, she was an incredible woman who fought to the very end.

 

[USCtrojan]

Add ASA to the CDHA plan SkyWest is changing to.

Trojan

 

[SiuDude]

Add ASA to the CDHA plan SkyWest is changing to.

Trojan

The PPO should still be offered to the pilots unless we get a new contract by then...

"1. All Insurance benefits (e.g., life, dependent life, medical,
long-term disability, dental, loss of license, etc.) that are
presently offered to the pilots, or hereinafter made available
to Company employees, will continue to be offered
and will be made available on the same terms to the pilots.
If any improvements or additions in the current policies are
offered to other employee groups within the Company, the
same improvements or additions will be offered to the
pilots."

However, I've been on the HDHP plan for the last 2 years and think that it's a good deal for relatively healthy people.

 

[OCP]

So with the CDHA do you have to pay full price for prescriptions until you reach your cap of $3000?

 

[homerjdispatch]

So with the CDHA do you have to pay full price for prescriptions until you reach your cap of $3000?

They have some sort of prescription "discount" program, but it really isnt a discount, so yes!!!

 

[SLUF4]

so...i just read the memos. I'm guessing i should still go for the PPO for now, but the question is why are they pushing this CDHA so much? I'm guessing it saves a lot of money.

 

[inthegoo]

Chip "away" Childs

dont forget who coined that one

 

[inthegoo]

so...i just read the memos. I'm guessing i should still go for the PPO for now, but the question is why are they pushing this CDHA so much? I'm guessing it saves a lot of money.

you forgot one word in your post, its the word "them" and it belongs after the word "saves" and before the word "alot"

we dont want anyone to get the impression that we (the employees) are saving squat, quite the contrary!

 

[SLUF4]

yeah that's what i meant

 

[OCP]

Yeah this doesn't look like a good option at all as we all get older. Hopeing to hear something from ALPA addressing this as its pretty clear in the contract that they can't just force this thing on us.

 

[goahead]

So which one do you do if you have kids and are in good health, other than hangovers?

 

[COOPERVANE]

From the IDIOTS in ASA communications department

1Q: Why is SkyWest, Inc. moving to only Consumer-Driven Health Plans (CDHP) in 2012?
1A: [FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]SkyWest, Inc. believes that Consumer-Driven Health Plans (CDHP) are the way of the future, and want to position ASA and SkyWest employees favorably for any changes coming as a result of health care insurance reform. A CDHP, coupled with appropriate wellness programs, will result in significant savings for many of our employees as well as for ASA. The majority of employees are unaware of the cost of certain medical procedures or hospital visits. Without the exposure in purchasing health care services, it is nearly impossible to be aware of these costs. With a CDHP, all of us are motivated to think about the overall costs of services obtained, and not just the premium paid for health coverage. SkyWest, Inc. and ASA support the idea of consumerism and wants employees to take control of the money they spend on their health care. [/FONT][/FONT]



[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]So let me get this straight....You want to force this plan on us so we become aware of health care costs? ie.. because WE WILL PAY FOR THEM NOW instead of the insurance company.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Arial]This memo looks like a high school senior wrote it. Thank God I will be motivated to think about costs now!!!! Great benefits!!
[/FONT]

 

[ace6453]

The PPO should still be offered to the pilots unless we get a new contract by then...

"1. All Insurance benefits (e.g., life, dependent life, medical,
long-term disability, dental, loss of license, etc.) that are
presently offered to the pilots, or hereinafter made available
to Company employees, will continue to be offered
and will be made available on the same terms to the pilots.
If any improvements or additions in the current policies are
offered to other employee groups within the Company, the
same improvements or additions will be offered to the
pilots."

However, I've been on the HDHP plan for the last 2 years and think that it's a good deal for relatively healthy people.

I sure hope this is correct. The union better not cave to the company on this.

 

[LazyLightnin']

This sheds a little light on the situation. Apparently, there are a lot of large employers making this move. http://www.aishealth.com/Bnow/hbd092509.html

And a video: (although its msnbc) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33351063#33351063

 

[SLUF4]

Yeah; I thought that was funny too, Coopervane. Kinda like lube for the ramming about to come down from Obama.