NEW BENEFITS FOR ALLIANCE MEMBERS IN 2020 AND 2021
In 2018 negotiations, the Alliance continued the protection and improvement of key benefits that have been part of every National Agreement since 2000:
-- Effective January 1, 2020, members will receive significant improvements in dental coverage across the Alliance. There will be one common dental plan nationally, except for members receiving dental benefits through local union trust funds and in Kaiser dental in the Northwest.
-- Effective January 1, 2020, each region will have a standard health plan. For some members, this common plan is an improvement. For some others, the new plan includes a small increase in copays that is offset in value by the significant dental improvements.
-- And next year there is another benefit improvement coming: In Regions Outside California, employees who retire starting January 1, 2021, will have a 25% increase in their retiree medical benefit. When we raise standards in other regions, we build bargaining strength for all of us!
Benefits for Alliance Members in the Southern California Region
Dental: We won significant improvements in dental benefits by moving to a common dental plan for Southern California, Colorado, MidAtlantic States and Georgia. These improvements can mean many hundreds of dollars in savings for those with significant dental care needs. With a crown costing between $800 to $1,200, Southern California Alliance members would save anywhere from $320 to $480 more with the new dental plan (a 40% increase in coverage). You will still have the option of participating in the DeltaCare USA or United Concordia plans, in addition to the newly improved dental PPO plan.
Active Medical: Our 2018 bargaining team negotiated changes to the active medical plan, creating a common plan design that may result in small copay increases for some. Starting in 2020, Southern California Alliance members in non-flex plans will move to a plan with a $10 doctor’s office copay, a $10 specialty copay, and a $100 hospital admission copay. Prescriptions will be $5 for retail generic and $10 for retail brand, with discounts for 100-day supplies through mail order. A threemonth’s supply of medication through mail order will cost two co-payments. These changes increase office visits by $5, admissions by $100, and retail brand prescriptions by $5.
For the Alliance bargaining units in flexible benefits plans (SCNSC, KPMWON, UTSC, UNAC Pharmacists), we made improvements by moving to a standard package of health benefits that also feature a $10 office visit and $100 admissions copay. This new 2020 plan is even better than the previously included flex plan, which featured a $20 copay. Since the new, common medical plan is removed from the Benefits by Design Program, you do not need to use credits to purchase your medical plan; therefore, you will have fewer credits than in previous years.
You can use your remaining flex credits to purchase optional life, accidental death and dismemberment, or disability insurance, depending on your employee group.
While each individual’s situation is different, our suite of negotiated improvements will offset the relatively small co-pay increases for some members, and will serve our members better in the long run. As a union, we are proud to negotiate standardized benefits that raise the standards of living for many. We continue to enjoy outstanding industry-leading health plans, better than those of Kaiser Permanente managers, unrepresented employees, and the rest of the health care industry. And when we raise our standards, we help workers in other health care organizations raise their benefits, too, supporting health care workers everywhere.
Retiree Medical: Our 2018 bargaining preserved the retiree medical design we negotiated in 2015. During the term of this contract, there will be no changes to the current retiree medical plan in Southern California until 2028, or later. And we raised retiree medical benefits in the Regions Outside California by 25%, a significant increase that helps build bargaining strength for all of us!