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APWU Health Plans Deserve a Good Look
Burrus Update #15-07, Oct. 1, 2007
The Open Season for postal and federal employees is approaching, and I encourage bargaining unit employees to take a good look at the health plans offered by the APWU. The benefits are comparable to all the other federal and postal plans and, as a result of the 2006 contract negotiations, APWU members can save significantly by enrolling in our Consumer Driven Health Plan.
The Consumer Driven Option is a relatively recent concept, based on the idea of empowering individuals in the selection of their healthcare services. APWU members who do not anticipate exorbitant healthcare costs can enjoy significant savings compared to other plans, while continuing to enjoy broad coverage.
The Consumer Driven plan has lower premiums, and does not require enrollees to pay deductibles or co-pays for the first $1,200 of expenses per year (for individuals) and $2,400 (for families). It permits them to pay the full cost of medical care from their plan’s Personal Care Account, while significantly reducing their healthcare premiums.
The premiums for the APWU offered plans are as follows:
Consumer Driven (Self Only) |
$ 7.77 bi-weekly |
Reduced by $10.63 |
Consumer Driven (Family) |
$17.48 bi-weekly |
Reduced by $23.92 |
|
|
|
High Option (Self Only) |
$24.01 bi-weekly |
Reduced by $.56 per |
High Option (Family) |
$54.30 bi-weekly |
Reduced by $.06 |
This means that APWU members can receive health insurance for as little
as $3.88 per week for individual coverage, or $8.74 per week for
family coverage.
The Consumer Driven Plan is not recommended for everyone; but if your medical expenses are expected to be less than $2,000 per year for individual coverage or $3,000 for family coverage, the savings can be substantial. The absence of deductibles and co-pays and the savings from lower premiums can really add up.
If an employee saves $50 per pay period in premiums, the savings equal $1,300 per year. When combined with expenses the enrollee will avoid — deductibles of $200 or more per person and co-pays — the savings are significant.
For members who have serious medical conditions and anticipate significant costs, the top-rated APWU High Option Health Plan provides tremendous value and it is highly recommended.
William Burrus
President
