[Vision2020] ID Public Records Law: UI
Rosemary
donaldrose at cpcinternet.com
Mon Oct 5 16:54:52 PDT 2009
Hi Sam,
Believe me, it's not the Wellness Program that Dennis Dolney ran so
successfully many years ago. You can find out more about the current
program at http://www.uihome.uidaho.edu/default.aspx?pid=35588
The Work-life programs appear to carry additional fees beyond the $5.50 per
pay period deduction . It is impossible to determine why, for example,
Weight Watchers was chosen as the weight reduction program over similar
commercial enterprises, and I like to know if that specific program was
awarded following a bid process. The hours open for UI employees to use
the rec center are either in the early, early a.m., or, during working
hours, which, in most cases, is not practical for UI staff.
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/wellness/09%20Wellness%20schedule.pdf
Wellness Programs are not inexpensive:
http://www.campusrec.uidaho.edu/Wellness/PT Incidentally, the $5.50 pay
period deduction applies only to the UI employee and does not cover spouse,
partner or children.
Since my public records request was ignored, I can offer no particular
insight into the program. Some of my unanswered questions include:
1. Please provide the total amount of money deducted from employees
pay in calendar year 2008 and ytd 2009 for the Wellness Program.
2. Please provide the number of on campus employees enrolled in 2008
and ytd 2009 Wellness Program activities/ programs. Please differentiate
between drop- by users of equipment, and those registered in preplanned,
on-going programs.
3. Please provide the number of on-campus employees involved in the
Weigh Watcher Program. What additional fees are assessed to participants
beyond the mandated $5.50 bi-weekly payroll deduction? How was the Weight
Watcher program selected over other weight loss programs? Does the Wellness
Program or any UI employee receive payment from the Weight Watchers
organization for representing the program on campus?
4. Please provide the number of on campus UI employees enrolled in the
Freedom from Smoking Program in calendar year 2008 and ytd 2009. What
additional fees are assessed to participants in addition to the mandated
$5.50 bi-weekly deduction? Who conducts the program? Does the Wellness
Program or any UI employee leading the group hold a contract with a smoking
cession business? What role does Blue Cross of Idaho play in this program?
Do they assess a fee for their involvement /services?
5. Why are UI employees who are located away from the Moscow campus
allowed greater freedom of choice for a self-defined wellness program? For
example, reimbursement is provided for: Purchase of exercise equipment
(other than apparel or recreational in nature) and health club membership.
Are these items reimbursed for Moscow employees?
Maybe a public record request from someone other than me will be more
productive. If so, could any information acquired please be shared on V
2020.
Thanks,
Rose Huskey
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Sam Scripter
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 4:21 PM
To: vision2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] ID Public Records Law: UI
This is about "fitness"/Wellness at UI . . .
I agree with you, Wayne, EXCEPT, Saundra's original language, near the
bottom of this thread, was about "wellness", not your "fitness".
If this means the "Wellness Program," which used to and maybe still
does apply to both active employees and retirees, then it covers
reduced rates on psychological counseling, reduced legal costs,
reduced accounting costs, fitness evaluations, and I don't remember
what all.
So the Wellness program which I knew, while it included evaluations and
programs to foster employee physical "fitness", it addressed much
more.
Besides, improved physical being probably fosters "better" [whatever
that means] employees of the U.
But a difference I see is that I did not pay for the Wellness program
when I was an active employee, it was a "Free" employee benefit. Sigh.
But if employees are in fact aware that they are paying for it, maybe
a few will actual partake of fitness evaluation and enhancement . . . Maybe.
Does anyone on the V know if the Wellness Program is extant, and if
so, just what the full list of benefits comprises?
Sam Scripter
Wayne Price wrote:
Paul,
I think the point that Saundra and Rosemary were trying to make is
that here on the hill (U of I) we pay 191.00 per pay period ( 26 x 191=
$4,966.00 per year) for the same type of coverage that LCSC or anyone
in the state insurance fund pays 1,308.00 for! (12x 109=$1,308.00).
Now, where is the EXTRA $3,658.00 going? And if ONLY 1,000 of the
employees are getting that type of insurance from U of I, that means
$3,658.000.00 OVER. Based on the track record of the U of I, I sure
as hell don't think they are responsible enough to be let loose with a
slush fund paid into by the employees! Does "Idaho Place", ring a
bell? Something stinks with the current program, and I'm hoping
someone or some organization (Faculty Senate?) can get some answers to
these questions from the HBT!
And that $5.00 dollar fitness tax is also a joke! When are the run of
the mill employees supposed to use those facilities? Who has time to
take off DURING THE DAY and get down to the gym? Or, is it a "hidden"
benefit that employees can and do take off and use the gym during
working hours?
Wayne
On Oct 5, 2009, at 1:39 PM, Paul Rumelhart wrote:
Saundra Lund wrote:
Visionaries:
As some of you know, I'm on a quest to understand why UI employees
pay so
much more for health insurance than other state employees, and Rose
Huskey
has kindly been helping.
The cost difference is shocking -- we're not talking chump change
here. For
those interested in details, an employee in the state insurance
pool with a
spouse and two children pays $109 per MONTH for decent Blue Cross
of Idaho
PPO coverage while it would cost a UI employee about $191 PER PAY
PERIOD for
similar but inferior coverage. This doesn't include the mandatory
$5.50 per
pay period "wellness" TAX Moscow campus employees are assessed.
I'm not trying to take away from anything you're doing, but I wanted
to
show another perspective. I'm a single guy with no dependents. I
used
to pay around $25 a pay period for health insurance, I now pay about
$3
a pay period. I'm on plan H, the HSA plan, with much of what I don't
need dialed down to bare minimums. I also currently have about $1500
stashed in an HSA bank account somewhere as a result of this. Plus,
my
ceiling is lower - so I won't pay as much if I do suffer a
catastrophic
accident or illness, and I have that $1500 I can throw at it first.
Obviously, this won't work for everyone. But it's not true that all
UI
employees pay more for health insurance now than they used to. A
lot of
them do, sure, but not everybody. That's why I like the cafeteria
plan,
you can choose how much each facet of your insurance means to you and
spend accordingly. The health spending account also goads me into
shopping around more and paying for less, because the first portion of
it comes out of your account which is real money instead of thinking
"well, the insurance will cover it". Better for everybody that way, I
think.
Paul
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