April 8, 2016 - MNA Nurses:  Stay Informed

The Question of the Week:  Why have MNA Nurses rejected the idea of eliminating the MNA health plans?

For the last 20 years, MNA nurses worked hard to protect health insurance benefits. During this time, MNA nurses have continued to defend these benefits, while the Employer has made many demands to reduce or eliminate the MNA plans. This is also during a time when nurses paid substantially higher premiums than employees in other industries did for the same benefits. For example, 15 years ago, an employee at Medtronic paid as little as $50/month in family health insurance premiums, while nurses were paying $250/month in family health insurance premiums. Employees working in healthcare have almost always paid more than employees in other industries.
 
Since 2007, the Employer has called for a change — a change meant to reduce plans, reduce benefits, or impose larger premium increases. The nurses chose to maintain the benefits, which protect nurses and their families when they need healthcare, and to pay slightly more in monthly premiums. For example, on the Advantage Plan, nurses have a small network of providers. Yet, if nurses or their families seek healthcare, they do not have to pay any additional money for services.
 
The Employer suggests that nurses should pay a lower premium in exchange for paying more when nurses or their families access healthcare. For example, nurses currently participating in the Advantage Plan do not pay a copay for an office visit. The Employer’s plan requires nurses or their families to pay for an office visit plus any additional services, such as lab, x-ray, or specialty care.
 
The Employer also suggests that they provide free preventive care. They fail to mention that they are already required to provide free preventive care under the law. The Employer also fails to mention that the copays nurses pay for visits are subject to a $300 or $900 (employee only or family) deductible and then nurses must pay a percentage of the cost.
 
Finally, the Employer suggests that very few (“3 percent”) of participants reach out-of-pocket maximums. Allina does not mention that 3 percent of 30,000 employees is a lot of people.
 
MNA nurses have a challenge: Do we stand up to maintain the best health plans as nurses have done in the past?
 
What change is really needed? The Employer wants to save $10 million by shifting that cost to you.
 
Is this really a change for the better?