What are your ideas for the next contract (2013-2015)?
As we look at and work with our new contract, let's capture the ideas and questions that arise right here.
This article is a "parking lot" for our ideas for the next round of bargaining.
So, how does this work? Simply leave your ideas as a comment and we'll let the list grow until it's time to convey our ideas to the new bargaining team.
Click on the comment link to park your idea!
2 comments:
First I applaud those who’ve fought over the years to protect our health care coverage and keep premiums fairly low.
But we are going to keep fighting as costs continue to go up. We need to consider saving money on health care through incentive programs for wellness, and dis-incentives for unhealthy behavior. Early in her first term Governor Gregiore wanted Washington to be the healthiest state in the nation. We didn’t meet the mark, and the Tri-Cities recently was ranked the 9th fattest metro in the U.S.
I shouldn’t have to pay for that statistic.
In all other types of insurance, there are different premiums based on behavior, sex, and age.
Car insurers charge more for teen drivers, yet students with good grades can get a "good student discount".
Life insurance costs more for men, because they don't live as long as women. It costs more as people age because their risk goes up.
Home insurers sometimes charge higher premiums for homeowners with specific dogs, or who smoke. They may give discounts for alarm systems, or deadbolts.
Smokers pay higher healthcare premiums.
It is time to start charging overweight people higher premiums as well. And the Union should go ahead and put that out there.
Consider the attention Unions pay to workplace safety issues. If a worker were killed on the job from an accident, work would stop and an investigation would ensue. Reports would be issued and changes would be made in safety plans, work routines, etc. If a worker has a heart attack, or stroke, or needs medical attention because of their diabetes, work goes on as normal.
The sad truth is VERY FEW people who are overweight have a disease or genetic predisposition. Most are so because of eating habits and lifestyle choices. You simply need to visit a restaurant or grocery store to see how folks treat their bodies.
I should not have the same premium, when I eat almost no packaged food, drink almost no soda or alcohol, and eat vastly more whole grains, fruits and veggies, as a co-worker who has soda for breakfast and fast-food for lunch. No matter how much I respect him or her professionally, or enjoy them as a person, it just isn't fair.
An article titled "Workplace Health Protection and Promotion" in American College of Occupation and Environmental Medicine, (JOEM Volume 53, Number 6, June 11) cited a study showing obese people are more likely to die of workplace injury. Further those with poor scores on health risk assessments were more likely to file worker's comp claims or short term disability claims.
Finding ways to increase and incentivize wellness activities and penalize unhealthy activities would be better for all of us in the long run. And if it helps keeps our premiums down, even better.
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