The Seafarers International Union, like many organizations in the United States today, is continuing its battle against the rapidly rising cost of health care for its members. As noted in last month’s Seafarers LOG, while many employers are trying to shift the skyrocketing health care costs to the employees, the SIU and other unions are meeting the challenge by fighting hard when negotiating new contracts to try and keep a high level of health care benefits with minimal responsibility on the part of the member.
Plans administrators from a number of maritime unions participated in a meeting at SIU headquarters July 22 aimed at combating the continually rising health care expenses. Their goal is to work together to fight the increasing costs of providing quality medical care for their memberships. Their next meeting will take place Sept. 4 at the MM&P headquarters and will include representatives from the Seafarers, NMU, MFOW, MM&P, AMO, SUP, MEBA and ARA.
In addition to the work that the union officials are undertaking, there also are ways that each individual member can help reduce the costs of their medical care.
Before undergoing any medical procedure, be sure to ask the provider if the course of action is, indeed, necessary and, if so, whether they accept the Seafarer’s insurance of 100 percent “reasonable and customary.” After a procedure has been done and the insurance has covered the “reasonable and customary” portion, the Seafarer may wish to call the provider and ask them to write off the balance, since the 100 percent “reasonable and customary” has already been paid.
The Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan has an understanding with the Eckerd Pharmacy chain (including Genovese and Thrift drug stores), which offers a discount for prescriptions to those Seafarers and their dependents who show a Seafarers Health and Benefits ID card. This will result in an immediate reduction in any out-of-pocket monies spent to fill each prescription. Once the discount has been given, eligible members and their dependents should submit their prescription claims to the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan for reimbursement. This results in a lower out-of-pocket payment by the Seafarer as well as a reduced cost to the Plan.
Another way to minimize prescription costs is to ask your doctor to prescribe (or your pharmacist to fill) a generic version, whenever possible, of the prescribed drug. In some cases, the difference in price is significant.
Minimizing prescription costs is one component of affordable health care. Another is checking the invoices from doctors or hospitals. When Seafarers receive a bill from a health care provider, they should look it over carefully to see if it includes charges for services not received or services billed twice. If it does, the doctor or hospital should be contacted to have the mistake corrected. Once a correction has been made, the Seafarer should contact the Health and Benefits Plan office. After verifying the correction, the Plan will pay the Seafarer a bonus which is equal to 25 percent of the amount he or she saved the Plan—up to a maximum of $500.
Printer Friendly Page