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Healthcare - The cause of our lives
When Colleen Williamson’s daughter, Samantha, reinjured her broken foot, the family’s medical bills added up to $26,000.
Colleen Williamson has a 4-inch thick file filled with her daughter’s medical bills.
"We're managing our own health care,” she said. “I’m sick of our health care system and ready for reform."
As president of UAW Local 9212, which represents State of Indiana Employees, Williamson has reason to be fed up.
On Jan. 11, 2005 – his second day in office – Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican and former Bush administration official, did something that wasn’t part of his campaign platform: He unilaterally rescinded all collective bargaining rights of state employees such as highway police, hospital attendants, corrections officers and other state workers, to negotiate for wage and hour increases, working conditions and other benefits.
Daniels’ move also voided pre-existing contracts, shredding agreements that were set to last as late as 2007 for about 25,000 state employees – 14,000 represented by the UAW.
Local 9212 in Indianapolis went from 9,600 members then to about 700 now.
“Our members still have a right to representation, but we haven’t had a raise in three years and we can’t negotiate health care benefits,” said Williamson, 49.
Two years ago her teen-age daughter, Samantha, broke her foot. Now 19, she reinjured the foot and underwent surgery in January to insert a plate and pins.
"We're managing our own health care. I'm sick of our health care system and ready for reform."
The Williamsons’ medical bills through their new insurance plan totaled $26,000. Then the insurance company reduced it to $15,000. It’s about $5,600 today, not including costs for anesthesia and other hospital charges.
“Under our previous collective bargaining agreement, most of my daughter’s medical care would have been covered,” said Williamson, who recently did a cost analysis of her membership’s four benefit plans.
About 25 percent of the workforce selected the “traditional plan,” which costs about $400 a month (premium increases were just announced for November re-enrollment). In addition, there are two health savings accounts (HSAs) offered, including one with no premium but a $4,000 out-of-pocket deductible.
“Basically, if you don’t get sick, you can save your money and go with the health savings account,” said Williamson, who chose an HSA. “I gambled and lost.”
Robert Sisler
UAW Local 6000 retiree
Detroit
“I worked in clinical social work for 30 years, and our local’s retirees have been diligent about getting health care reform. I consider myself a fiscal conservative, and to see my tax dollars and insurance dollars being used for record profits in the health care industry while people are dying due to denial of care is unacceptable. I join with Walter Reuther and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who both believed health care was a right and not a privilege.”
Victor T. Gomez,
UAW Local 455
president and retiree
Saginaw, Mich.
“Those who are against health care reform try to scare senior citizens into not accepting President Obama’s plan because they do not want health care that is run by the government. But what is Medicare? It is health care run by the government, and it works well.”
Deborah Layton
UAW Local 12
St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center
Toledo, Ohio
“I’ve been an X-ray technician for 40 years, and for a long time I’ve thought there should be health care reform because insurance and drug companies have had way too much control over our medical care and treatment. … I’m confident Congress will pass legislation before the end of the year because we are closer to achieving this than ever before. I think people realize there has to be change. It just makes sense.”
Plan for action
What we support
As the health care reform debate enters another crucial phase on Capitol Hill, UAW members – in conjunction with other unions – are mobilizing to send a loud, clear message to Congress about what we support.
Specifically, the final legislation must meet the following four principles:
• Equitable financing. There should not be any tax on employer-provided health care benefits (such as the tax contained in the Senate Finance Committee bill). Instead, health care reform should be financed through progressive measures that require all employers and wealthy individuals to pay their fair share.
• Fair and meaningful employer responsibility. All employers should be required to either provide health coverage for their workers or to contribute a meaningful sum to help pay for this coverage through other mechanisms.
• Affordability. Coverage should be affordable for all individuals. This means including sufficient subsidies to ensure that lower- and middle-income families do not have to pay exorbitant amounts for their coverage.
• Public health insurance option. To ensure there is real competition in the health insurance market that will help to lower costs, there must be a robust public health insurance option that has the authority to establish fair provider rates.
What to do
To help drive home this message, the UAW encourages all of our members and retirees to engage in the following grassroots activities:
• Commit to have 10 percent of your members make phone calls to their senators. Ask members to make calls at membership meetings, during break times at their worksites or at any conferences you are having in your UAW regions. You can use the following toll-free number to facilitate these calls: 1-866-960-0611.
• Organize events in your region, such as rallies/meetings/press conferences, to focus attention and pressure on the senators in your areas.
Again, the message to all senators should be that we want them to insist that the legislation which will be brought to the Senate floor in the near future must meet our four principles.
These efforts, along with those of other unions, could make the difference in the fight for real health care reform.
