For years and years Albuquerque City Employees have signed up for insurance benefits and have had the option of choosing their provider. It seemed only fair. Lovelace, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Presbyterian all were available health care providers that had both pros and cons. Finding a primary care physician can sometimes be a feat in itself, and when you finally find a good provider you do not want to have to change.
Unfortunately, Mayor Berry helped to make sure that city employees no longer had a choice in the matter. Earlier this year he forced others out and allowed only Presbyterian to be the sole provider.
This sudden change caused hardships on many city employees. Co-pays went up, premiums were increased, and service went down. For example, prescription medications and treatments that were provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield are no longer being approved by Presbyterian. Employees are left with two options, pay for the treatment and medication completely out of pocket or go without.
In fact, the Eye was contacted by two separate parents of special needs children. These parents are employed by the Albuquerque Police Department.
One parent explained to the Eye that the co-pay and out of pocket expense has risen so much, their family can not afford to get the care their child needs. Another parent explained that they have now been forced to apply for Medicare as Presbyterian does not provide the same treatment that is needed for their child's survival. These parents explained that this lack of service is the exact reason why they did not enroll in the Presbyterian Health Plan when they were hired by the city.
Our last email recieved stated that this employee has been prescribed the same medication for several years for an untreatable medical condition. The medication provides relief for the pain and discomfort this condition is causing. This employee has tried other medications and the one they are currently using is the only one that works. Presbyterian refuses to pay for the medication and it is forcing this employee to spend four hundred dollars just to remain healthy. The employee tried to appeal, however the staff at Presbyterian wants this employee to try all the other medications, yet again and even now is refusing to compensate the employee.
What gives Mayor Berry the right to chose what health plan employees are allowed, especially those that have been long time employees and were promised to be able to make the decision on health care when they first enrolled. What benefits is the Mayor personally receiving to have had this radical change become permanent?
Is the Mayor concerned that his employees are suffering and are inconvenienced at his hands?
Will Mayor Berry ever allow the citizens of Albuquerque to have a choice about ANYTHING or will he continue to dictate everything?
One thing is for sure, Mayor Berry's independant, selfish ways of "ruling" are not only ruining morale, they are physically hurting the employees as well.
22 comments:
It's only going to get worse. Wait til they repeal Obamacare and then we will be back to pre-existing conditions and limits, but hey it what the conservatives want. Based on a variety of studies (taking Obamacare out of the equations) the middleclass won't be able to afford medical insurance by 2016. The studies were not partisan. Welcome - to the real world. Sandia Labs did the same thing and now when you retire if the premium goes up you pay the difference. It won't be based on 80/20 if it's 1000 when you retire at 20 years they pay 750 you 250. If in 5 years it doubles you they pay 750 and you pay 1250 - get the picture. Hold on to your hats!
Simple resolution. If you don't like the benefits and perks of a job, then get a new one! Once again, The Entitled Eye fails! It is becoming clear that The Eye operators/owners are a bunch of crybaby PIGS. Word of advice: get an education and find a real job! Something to keep in mind ladies and gents....Police Depts are a discretionary expenditure. In other words, municipalities put a bigger importance on trash pickup than PD. Aztec NM is a perfect example, so quit your whining and get to work!
Find somewhere else to work....simple solution to the problem
The city's lobbyist is also the lobbyist for Presbyterian. Look for big bucks to flow to Mayor Fairy's reelection campaign. The Pres deal is only one of many insider scams that we get to pay for.
Will the sniveling ever end? In the real world most employees only have one choice in their health care insurance, and that is if they even get health care..............has much has it pains me to say it APD is not the problem in this, the problem lays within the entire health care for profit industry.
What do you people expect from your right wing biz friendly republican mayor. He looks after his contributors first, last and always. Keep supporting the political party that hates government and government workers and this is what you get. Now you expect sympathy from the public which you brutalize and hold in so much contempt.
As someone who has to buy private insurance myself, and chose Pres, I can't say I'm outraged like the Eye. Sure it may hurt some or all of the city employees or APD officers. But the city has to pay for costs somehow. Health insurance has skyrocketed with employers absorbing most of those costs. With the economy that cannot continue. It couldn't anyway, but with a robust economy it just would have taken longer. Like previous posters, non-partisan studies show our system needs some serious changes. Employee based insurance only came around after WWII because of restrictions on how much salary they could offer to returning vets. You may be "stuck" at APD or the city and its insurance, but come on, you retired at 20 or 25 years. That too will change as we find the system we loved in the 80's and 90's is unsustainable.
City employees have it made and still cry the loudest!!!!!!!
all i hear is waa waa waa Lowes is hiring folks, then im sure your gonna be real happy.
Given Berry's comments the other day at lunch, many of us are disgusted that he would actually coddle a nazi over the cops who made the arrest. To try to score political points while talking off the subject as to why we were there by making that Blume character as a victim??? I'm aghast. Does anybody not see the irony?
I see the irony. The mayor's gestapo threw those guys under the bus, and they are all blatantly trying to use them as a way to get out from under the DOJ's possible review. They did nothing wrong. They based everything on a video they knew nothing about, framing their investigation on lies, and fabricated accusations. They all screwed up. That is why they are sitting on important information along with the truth, and they will try to destroy anyone who is against them on it. They are trying to get out of it with their asses intact. They will make accusations about an admittedly assumed chest bump, lie, and say Woolever hit the suspect with a baton, claim he wasn't patted down, and call him only a car thief, BUT they leave out the FACT that he was wanted for murder, kidnapping robbery, aggravated burglary, agg batt, had threatened officers previously, had a history of violent behavior, had a stolen firearm that he dropped, was resisting arrest, and trying to get into a hotel where he was staying and was high as a kite that night on liquor and meth. They never mention the other suspect he was with, nor do they discuss that APD was under threat of DEATH from Gang members at the time due to the shootings of AB gang menbers.
If you can't see through this, and the timing behind it, you have got to be crazy. The writing is right there on the wall in front of you. I don't know why we are posting on these topics about that incident. There should be half a blog about it here.
Miss me yet?
Miss chavez are you kidding me. He is the exact reason we are in this mess. Chavez brought back schultz and he is like a booger on the end of you're finger. Chave and his budget woes the reason we took pay cut, his fake back injury, What a piece of crap he is.
At least the air has been clean without Farty Marty around! Besides, to Mr Glover's comment, I don't think taking care of contributors is a Republican thing. It's a politician thing. If anyone is having memory trouble, let me remind you of the Farty Marty corruption at APD and on the 11th floor.
Rumor is there's some recordings of shultz and levy having some not so nice conversations. Any truth to the rumor?
To the posters here complaining that WE City employees should NOT be complaining about our lack of health care choices, you don't get it. Part of the benefit package that the City HAD is the reason we accepted a position with the city. It certainly wasn't the pay -- the money was way less than what the private sector would pay. That benefit package included 3 medical plans to choose from and 3 dental plans to choose from -- from low to higher depending on your salary, grade, etc. And who of us takes the choice of medical & dental benefits over a higher salary? Right, people with a families. Now Berry has pulled the rug out from those of us with big families and low paychecks by giving us NO choice of health care providers. Pres. is and was the most expensive of all.
In reference to Marty...yeah things were not that great at his departure BUT things got a whole hell of a lot worse under Berry/Perry and the republiCANTS so yeah, gasp, we miss you because they made it much much worse.
If this is what it looks like with Schultz having free reign god help you albuquerque....
It is true about Presbyterian Health . After I retired I was able to stay on with city coverage by Presbyterian because my wife still works for the city. When it was sign up time we went to the meetings held by Presbyterian we were told we could keep our same doctors ( TRUE IN PART ) and any medication we were taking at the time would be covered ( NOT TRUE ). I have been denied medication that I have been on for ten years. Presbyterian answer is sorry !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a way out and went on retired health where I have a choice of three health plans. I chose Lovelace and now my medication is covered. City Employees have no choice it is Presbyterian or nothing. So if Presbyterian is the only game in town they can do whatever they want. In truth I pay a little more for retired health but I don't mind paying a little more for good health care. I am sure all City Employees feel the same. I must say that the employees at City Insurance are nicest most helpful people you will ever meet. They will help you all they can. But to a large extent their hands are tied.
First, I will say this, a dirty cop has no business wearing a uniform and should be hunted down and removed from employment.
Political motivation has no business in this decision.
One question. Why are Ray Schultz and Nate Korn allowed to sit in on hearings against APD officers? Ray sends the letter calling for sanctions, and then sits on the board making the decision on taking an officer's certification. In every other place, where people try to do things fairly without bias, these two would have to recuse themselves. How is this even legal?
It would be like a judge firing one of their employees for a criminal or administrative infraction hearing the case against that person, then administering the punishment themselves. Talk about judge, jury and executioner!
And just what is Korn's qualifications to be sitting there judging officers? Was this guy ever shot at? I guess a ride along qualifies anyone to be a judge. Selling body armour and being a business owner with a contract with the city should disqualify this person immediately. Conflict of interest???? This is criminal, and violates ethical and moral principles on all levels.
The mistrust of the police starts at the top. When citizens see this they immediately think because the top is rotten the whole institution must be also. They should know that there are alot of officers who care about the citizens of Albuquerque and want to do the best job they can for them every day. The rank and file are under siege and afraid of being persecuted for going against this administration.
What he doesn't control is his fat mouth. Schultz wants compassionate, caring forgiving loving tender soft littls police officers, but he can lack the understanding to yell at an old man who lost his veteran son with psychological problems to a police shooting. Schultz couldn't control his mouth or ego ald let it go. No, he had to intimidate teh poor guy. The chief is the ultimate hypocrit.
Ray Boy wants 34s to make split second decisions and not make a mistake. However, he can't control his temper in a public meeting with no threat what so ever. He intimidated that elderly man because he can get away with it. If a 34 does that they will be fired and prosecuted if Ray Boy can arrange it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He is a coward. Plain and simple. One with no shame who grovels to anyone he can to pull his sorry ass out of the fire every single time he screws up which is all the time. The inmates are running the asylum with the head moron in charge. That boy cried wolf for the last time.
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