All articles tagged with #health plan
Individual health plan rates in Minnesota are set to increase by up to 5.5% next year, affecting residents who purchase coverage on their own. The rate hike, approved by state regulators, is attributed to rising healthcare costs and increased utilization of medical services.
The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has extended health coverage for qualified participants who would have lost it on October 1, 2023, due to the Writers Guild strike. The extension takes into account jobs lost in May and June of this year. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher emphasized the importance of not weaponizing the health and well-being of members during contract negotiations with the AMPTP. The National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, expressed disappointment in the studios and streamers for putting members in a position of worry. Qualified participants must meet certain earnings or days-based requirements to be eligible for the extension, while others will receive COBRA offers.
The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by Ed Asner and nine other performers who alleged that the plan had discriminated against older members by raising the earnings floor to qualify for health benefits and excluding residuals from the earnings threshold. The settlement also includes a provision to formalize the process of disclosing the plan’s financial condition to members and hiring a consultant to advise on further cost-cutting measures while protecting benefits.
A discrimination lawsuit filed by former SAG president Ed Asner and nine other SAG-AFTRA members against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has been settled. The suit claimed that changes to eligibility for benefits "illegally discriminated" against older members. Under the settlement agreement, participants known as "Senior Performers" who no longer qualified for the same health coverage from the Plan that was available to them before the 2020 changes will receive monetary relief worth $15 million, less any Court-approved attorneys' fees and costs. The Plan will also allocate an additional amount up to $700,000 per year for eight years into the Heath Reimbursement Accounts of certain Senior Performers who no longer qualify for active health coverage from the Plan.