Volume 28, No. 13                   Editor: Mark Langer          January, 1998

               

                DENTAL AND EXTENDED HEALTH CARE BENEFIT PLANS



As a result of changing carriers on the Dental and Extended Health Care

Plans there will be a premium decrease during the first 18 months of the

new plan.  The CUASA Benefits Committee proposed using the $25,637 saving

in the following three ways: 



* to allocate some of the savings to purchase twice annual dental check-ups

effective January 1, 1998 at a cost of $13,741  

* to allocate a sum of $5,000 to purchase benefits for widows/ers of those

employees (aged 55 or older) who die in service

* to rebate the remaining $5,000 to members via their pay cheques

(although small, the amount would help to offset the cost of the increase

in premiums for the Travel Assistance Insurance Plan). 



After several meetings CUASA was informed that "senior management" would

not agree to the use of the premium savings in this fashion.  The employer

is only willing to rebate the money to employees through their pay cheque. 

Unfortunately, CUASA has no way of compelling the employer to adopt what

we see as a rational way of dealing with this premium surplus.  Therefore,

members can expect to receive an additional $39.20 each as their share of

the rebate. 



The Benefits Committee (John Callahan and Pat Finn) have been trying for a

year to persuade management to alter the benefit plans.  Before the

premium rebate, CUASA proposed that part of the employer's premium for the

group life insurance be diverted to pay for restoration of the twice

annual dental check-up benefit.  Although employees would have paid more

for their life insurance, this change would have had the effect of moving

money from a taxable to a non-taxable benefit.  The employer is, likewise,

not interested in this option either. 



INCREASE IN TRAVEL ASSISTANCE INSURANCE PREMIUMS



Only one company is willing to provide Travel Assistance Insurance and

only in combination with Accidental Death and Dismemberment (ADD).  This

means that we must accept premium increases or discontinue the plan. 

Unlike Dental and EHC, employees pay 100% of the premiums for this plan. 

The carrier is asking for no change to the ADD part of the plan ($0.035

member; $0.035 spouse, $0.049 family) but wants the Travel Assistance

Insurance to increase as follows: 



Single:    from $0.82/month         to        $0.86/month

Family:    from $2.15/month         to        $2.24/month



[these figures do not include the 8% RST]



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