Monday, April 24, 2006

Health Insurance

We've heard a lot recently about the health insurance that is finally being offered to UNICCO workers on campus. Though there are still no details on what will be covered and on deductibles and co-pays (details that can make a plan with a reasonable monthly premium completely useless to all intents and purposes), you may be interested to learn the following figures for monthly premiums, which have been announced.

Employee - $13
Employee/Spouse - $265.79
Employee/Child - $240.51
Family - $493.30

For a worker making $8.50 per hour, working 40 hours per week, family coverage represents 36% of pre-tax salary. According to the Washington Post, President Shalala makes $516,904 per annum. If she had to pay for health insurance at the same rate, it would cost her $15,507 per month.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

$13 per month! It dosen't get much better than that!

Why not hold a rally this week to celebrate this achievment?

faculty for workplace justice said...

Dear Anonymous,

Can you read more than one line? We respectfully suggest that you take a serious look at line four. UNICCO workers love their children, too!

Anonymous said...

I love my kids as well... $13 is still very affordable!

faculty for workplace justice said...

Dear Anonymous,

$13 is for the individual employee only. To cover the employee's family, he or she must pay a monthly premium of almost $500.

Hence to reference in our comment to the fourth line.

Anonymous said...

I've read the fourth line, I still say...

$13 per month! It dosen't get much better than that!

Why not hold a rally this week to celebrate this achievment?

Anonymous said...

You've been answered twice, and refuse to reflect on the answer.

Anonymous said...

To be sincere, I have to agree the family rate is excessive. My only suggestion on the $13 for the employee (only) is that that is a huge gain to be made in one stride - I certainly wouldn't turn it down!
But to clarify - in the months and years ahead - there is still much improvment to be made on this front. Rome wasn't built in a day!

Anonymous said...

You're right, it's definitely a huge step in the right direction to provide affordable health insurance to the people who work for UNICCO. However, it also seems really wierd to make health insurance for workers' children so unaffordable. If I was a single mother working as a janitor for UNICCO, and I could afford health care for myself but not for my kids, I wonder whether I would really want that health insurance - I think I might actually turn it down, just to not feel the shame and sadness of being able to take care of my own health but not my children's.

Anonymous said...

Indeed. $13 is great for those trendy single UNICCO employees, who live carefree and aren't ready to settle down yet.

Does anyone know how many of the UNICCO employees don't have families? That is, what incredibly small (I would guess) percentage of UNICCO employees should be celebrating this achievement (assuming they even want to celebrate, knowing that most of their colleagues' families are screwed).