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This is about "fitness"/Wellness at UI . . .<br>
<br>
I agree with you, Wayne, EXCEPT, Saundra's original language, near the<br>
bottom of this thread, was about "wellness", not your "fitness".<br>
<br>
If this means the "Wellness Program," which used to and maybe still<br>
does apply to both active employees and retirees, then it covers<br>
reduced rates on psychological counseling, reduced legal costs,<br>
reduced accounting costs, fitness evaluations, and I don't remember<br>
what all.<br>
<br>
So the Wellness program which I knew, while it included evaluations and<br>
programs to foster employee physical "fitness", it addressed much<br>
more.<br>
<br>
Besides, improved physical being probably fosters "better" [whatever<br>
that means] employees of the U. <br>
<br>
But a difference I see is that I did not pay for the Wellness program<br>
when I was an active employee, it was a "Free" employee benefit. Sigh.<br>
<br>
But if employees are in fact aware that they are paying for it, maybe<br>
a few will actual partake of fitness evaluation and enhancement . . .
Maybe.<br>
<br>
Does anyone on the V know if the Wellness Program is extant, and if<br>
so, just what the full list of benefits comprises?<br>
<br>
Sam Scripter<br>
</font></font><br>
Wayne Price wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:9E9A7C0D-AFF1-4282-A066-5147EDD81A41@moscow.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Saundra Lund wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">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.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">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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<pre wrap=""><!---->
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