THE federal budget bill, authored by US House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and approved this month in the House of Representatives, privatises Medicare and takes billions from Medicaid, warns the AFSCME federal and local government workers union.
It’s so unfair to current and future retirees that even many arch-conservatives refused to endorse it, the union says. ‘One of its worst provisions would raise the age when people can start receiving Medicare benefits. Here are four ways that could hurt you:
The House budget would delay the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 67, starting with baby boomers born in 1959. Those retiring at 65 without employer sponsored health care coverage would be left to fend for themselves for two years. This section of the Ryan budget should be called, ‘Good luck to you – just don’t get sick.’
Retirees who do have employer coverage also could be in trouble. The reason is that employers would carry the full cost of health care for those ages 65 and 66 – retirees who currently have Medicare as their primary insurance.
If the eligibility age were 67 today, employer health costs would be $4.5 billion higher. So it would be no surprise if many employers shift these costs to retirees by raising premiums, deductibles and co-pays. Even worse, some employers will drop early-retiree coverage altogether to avoid paying so much more.
Retirees who are 65 and 66 won’t have an easy time buying individual insurance policies. That’s because the Ryan budget repeals provisions in the Affordable Care Act that protect consumers from the worst insurance company abuses.
Once again, insurers will be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. So, if you’re one of the millions of younger retirees who had cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes, good luck buying health insurance at any price.
Finally, if the eligibility age was 67 today, Medicare’s Part B premiums would go up three per cent for all participants. Why? Because the healthiest and youngest retirees would no longer offset spending for the sickest and oldest retirees. The result would be higher costs across the board for all who remain in Medicare.
Americans need a federal budget that sets a course for a better future, not one that curtails health care coverage for those who need it most.’
• When residents and workers of the small town of Olivia, Minnesota, discovered that its school board members planned to outsource its custodial staff, they made a BOLD move to stop it – the Bird Island Olivia Lake Lillian District (BOLD) coalition sprang into action.
BOLD quickly mobilised with AFSCME custodians, the teaching staff, paraprofessionals and the food service staff in the school district, as well as parents and local residents to hold a rally to show strength and solidarity with the custodial staff.
School custodians, members of AFSCME Local 1686, first heard about the outsourcing scheme in March. In mid-April, a special school board meeting was called to vote on the action to secure formal proposals to outsource the work, and that’s when BOLD really showed its strength.
More than 150 concerned citizens contacted school board members and packed the board meeting to voice their concerns and tell the board they did not support outsourcing the custodians’ jobs.
Outsourcing often has a negative impact on the quality of public services and lowers wages in a local economy.
The call to preserve high-quality public services by preventing outsourcing was heard loudly and clearly. The board voted six-to-one against taking bids for the work.
‘We really mobilized in the community and made sure that the school board members understood that parents and taxpayers and school employees did not support the outsourcing ploy,’ said Council 65 staff representative Serena Vergin. ‘BOLD showed that the entire community stood with these workers.’
The AFSCME custodians are now in contract mediation with the school system and hope to reach a contract settlement covering them through 2015. Meanwhile, there have been harsh words between an AFSCME local union and the SIU School of Medicine. Some AFSCME Local 370 members say they were illegally removed from the union.
Workers received notification from SIU on Monday, and now those same employees are letting their voices be heard. When the latest union contact was crafted, certain positions, or job titles, were eliminated from union coverage. It impacts about 250 employees, all in Springfield.
Those workers say they no longer have representation, meaning their pay and their job security could be impacted. That is leaving their future with SIU in question. Workers shouted, ‘stop the lies we will organize’, and that’s just what members of AFSCME Local 370 did. About 50 picketed outside the SIU Human Resource office in Springfield.
Workers claim they were forced out of the union. ‘This is clearly union busting activity on the part of SIU School of Medicine,’ said Lisa Hensley, Vice President of AFSCME Local 370.
On April 21, some workers received a memo from SIU notifying them their job was no longer a part of local 370. Union representatives say they were blindsided. Although SIU wanted to remove some job titles during contract talks, they agreed to keep everyone on and take the proper legal action.
‘At the end they seemed very agreeable to making the updates with the titles,’ said Hensley. But instead, nine job titles were left out, impacting nearly 250 workers.
‘I thought that my rights had been taken away because the only one that can decide if I am out of the union is me,’ said receptionist Tracy Guinan.
‘I worry about my position. The union backs us. It kinda scares me,’ said certified medical assistant Penny Falzone.
Upset employees that were letting their voices be heard were not only worried about their future, but how it could impact patient care. We want what is best for our patients. We want to do the best job we can, but we want to be compensated for it, fairly,’ said receptionist Denise Wills.
Wills says the union helped workers recently get a raise, which is now bringing more questions as to why fewer job titles are represented by that same union. It’s like the elephant in the room. Is this payback? I don’t know. I hope not,’ said Wills.
Local 370 said: ‘We did reach out to the SIU School of Medicine for comment. They denied our request for an on-camera interview, but released a statement.’
This quoted Penny McCarty, Director of the Office of Human Resources at the SIU School of Medicine as saying: ‘SIU School of Medicine bargained in good faith and is abiding by the language of the negotiated agreement, which was ratified by the union.’
AFSCME local 370 says they are considering taking legal action against SIU if nothing is changed.
