Union owned Insurance Company is already suffering the fallout of Budget Repair
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
March 14, 2011 5:42am CST
"The survival of WEA Trust's health insurance corporation will depend on its ability to compete with other providers that have more pricing flexibility and a greater range of services, said Dale Thoma, managing partner for insurance broker Willis of Wisconsin Inc. Until now, the insurer was negotiated into contracts by adamant union leaders."
One of the biggest things the public sector unions in Wisconsin worried about with Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill is already being felt. The insurance company the biggest teachers union owns will now have to compete for members. Just like any other insurer.
Why are public school districts so quick to jump ship from this albatross? Because it is, by far, the most expensive insurance provider in the state. Now that the new law allows for FREEDOM OF CHOICE, the school boards are discussing their options.
Sorry union thugs, your illegal monopoly is dead.
3 people like this
5 responses
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
14 Mar 11
At first it didn't make sense to me that they would choose such an expensive carrier but then maybe they got kick-backs that offset the expenses, money they could spend elsewhere to promote the union's own interests.
Competition is always a good thing! If insurance companies would be allowed to compete across state lines we wouldn't need ineffective legal measures trying to reduce costs!
2 people like this
@MrCoolantSpray (1005)
• United States
14 Mar 11
That just opens up a whole 'nother kettle of fish in regards to Obamacare. If it were so great, how come all the major unions are getting waivers?
2 people like this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
14 Mar 11
Indeed. Last week, the number of waivers was up over 1,000 and those are mostly the unions that fought so hard so that the rest of us would be forced to have Obamacare.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
14 Mar 11
Kenzie, do you think that that could be the whole goal of Obamacare? To herd people towards unions to avoid health insurance regulations and laws that severely curtail their choices? Reading your reply, this just occurred to me--force something on the people that they don't want and make them join unions if they want decent health coverage.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
14 Mar 11
Just another example of how the unions work to increase their own power and the benefits of any decision for their members are secondary.
When I worked for a large company, they would make insurance companies compete in price and benefits so that they could offer their employees the most comprehensive plans for the best prices. That's right, one of those evil for-profit companies whose human resources department worked hard to protect their bottom line and the bottom line for their employees.
Monopolies never lead to anything good except for the company that holds the monopoly and those who are getting kickbacks and perks from them.
If union leaders cared about their members, why would they contract with a company that is over-priced?
2 people like this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
15 Mar 11
When I was in my youth and negotiating with school boards for wages we would put our insurance out for bids. WEA Trust was supposed to be cheaper and at first was, because it insured only teachers - a healthier group. Over the years the Trust added more benefits and slowly raised their rates. Other companies did not have policies with all the benefits that the Trust had. Teachers bargained for benefits and only company that could provide them was the Trust. With the new rules the school will be able to provide insurance with a company other than the Trust.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
15 Mar 11
Cant remember whe we lived there what Ins company we were under withte package hubby got when he worked there. BUt I do know other staes had a very good ins package in the contract for its members ya just had to work there for 3 months before covered.
Butthen too they paid for 2 eye operations for our son and we had no out of pocket expiences
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
14 Mar 11
I don't pretend to understand how insurance works. The loopholes and all the other things that are done so that the insurance company can make a profit and stay in business. I only know that I am opposed to the government telling me I HAVE to buy it. Whether on my car, or on my personal health. How to pay for accidents or catastrophic disease if I don't have it? I don't have an answer for that. So, perhaps if I understood how insurance really works I could change my mind. It just seems that it is so shady and underhanded on the surface.
I do understand that monopolies are not good for the economy and one reason why we have such mega rich people in this country. Now, I do not begrudge anyone being rich, if they come by that from hard work and honest intelligence. THAT is good for the economy. So why are monopolies allowed?
1 person likes this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
14 Mar 11
You know, Debra, we didn't used to have a problem with insurance companies not covering the big things because that's all insurance was for. We paid for all of our own prescriptions (which never, ever were so high because Big Pharma thought they had to get all of their research paid for by every consumer!!!). We paid our own doctor visits. And we had insurance for emergency room and hospital stays and expensive tests. Insurance costs were low. People actually had savings accounts to help them with unexpected, but inexpensive compared to today, doctor bills.
Now, everything you do medically is expected to be covered by insurance. If that's the case, it has to cost more money. If people are going to be covered for pre-existing conditions, it has to cost more.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
14 Mar 11
Don't get me started on BigPharma. I pass medications and I have to know something about them to do so. That led me to some pretty upsetting research.
I agree with you. I don't remember my parents stressing over going to the doctor. Perhaps that is just because I was a kid, but there was not the feeling that it was earth shattering to go. Heck, when I was a girl down here in the Ozarks, doctors still came to the house. That was 40 years ago (oh my). And if you needed to 'run a tab' with the doctor and pay later, that was ok too. I've seen doctors refuse to treat children who were sick, just because the parents did not have the $90 office visit fee. So, they go to ER and run up a $500 fee. Does that make sense? Sure, some will say that the healthcare bill will take care of this. NO it won't. If you live paycheck to paycheck which many in this part of the country do, and they take $50 a week out for insurance that you HAVE to buy, you won't have grocery money that week.
Medicine is big business. I blame the AMA and BigPharma for that. But that is for another discussion.@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
14 Mar 11
I will say one thing about the AMA and BigPharma...as pertains to monopolies. They have made medicine a monopoly by pushing for laws that prevent alternatives to their services. All in the name of protecting us from ourselves. I don't deny that there are some very good reasons for going to an allopathic doctor with certain conditions. I cannot repair a broken hip. But I've actually been threatened with the loss of custody of my child for not bringing them to the doctor for minor illnesses like ear infections 20 years ago. Ironically, now they are saying that the way doctors handed out antibiotics 20 years ago has led to superbugs that we may soon have no weapons against.
