02 Jul Understanding the Recent Message on Health Insurance
- State employees’ health plans offered by UIC are changing. See our review of the impact on your health plan for details.
- A special enrollment period will be offered by UIC this Fall, specifics TBD
- Thanks to union (AFSCME) negotiations, state employees’ premiums have not increased over the past 5 years versus a 20% average increase in premiums nationally
- Cost increases will average $13/month for employees, $18/month for dependents each year starting Jan 1, 2020
- The 4% average raises secured in our contract will keep most faculty well ahead of rising health costs
Faculty, along with other UIC employees, will have likely just received an email from the University of Illinois Human Resources department, explaining that your health insurance plans are about to change. This email unfortunately lacked significant details about the nature of those changes, and we want to add context so that our members can continue to enjoy their summer and their 4th of July holiday without undue concern.
Most importantly, our union affiliates at IFT have supplied detailed information about the changes to your health coverage hinted at in the HR email, so that you can track exactly what will happen to your health plan. If you wish, you can use this information to opt for a new plan during the upcoming Special Enrollment Period, which UIC has pledged to offer during Fall Semester.
We also want to clarify that it is due to union negotiations, via the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), that state employees have enjoyed a period free of premium increases over the last 5 years. The increases anticipated pursuant to the ratification of their new contract will begin January 1, 2020, and will average $13/month for employees, and $18/month for dependents each year for the next 4 years. Our own negotiations this year, which will yield, on average, 4% annual raises for faculty, should keep most members’ pay well ahead of these increases, and we do retain the option to reopen our contract to negotiate on health coverage should premiums rise at unsustainable levels (Article VI.C.2).
We hope this information helps you better understand upcoming changes to your health care costs and options, and invite you to email us directly if you have further questions, at UICUnitedFaculty@gmail.com.
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