Chair Talk
October 2014
Healthcare
There seems to be some confusion as to when the dates of certain health benefit changes are effective. I talked to Lauri Schmidt (Employee Benefits Director) and she provided me with a flow chart that should take care of some of the questions about effective dates. The flow chart will be shared with all Chapters and will also be posted on the mi-sera.org website. We will also post on the website the various examples of cost share (Medicare and non-Medicare) that were provided to us by Employee Benefits.
Okrie vs State of Michigan
On September 19th, Gary Supanich filed an Application for Leave to Appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court requesting the Court to reverse the August 19th Court of Appeals decision. We will send updates as we are made aware of them.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Litigation
Many retirees have been receiving post cards indicating that they may be part of a plaintiff class in a lawsuit settlement with Blue Cross. This litigation settlement involves hospital charges between 2006 through 2014. If you receive a notification about this you need to do exactly what the notice requires. For more information on this litigation go to: www.MichiganHospitalPaymentsLitigation.com
November 7th Coordinating Council Meeting
I have invited Lauri Schmidt (Employee Benefits Director) and Danielle Fell to do a program on the Health Benefit Changes that were outlined in the September 2014 Retiree Benefits Bulletin. I also will be inviting staff from Blue Cross to attend.
Editor’s note: Bob Kopasz is Chair of the Michigan SERA Council. He may be reached at P.O. Box 692, Mt. Morris, MI 48458; phone 810/240-8380.