The Market Made Us Do It: Increasing Low Level Employees' Health Plan Deductible While Paying Executives Millions

A small news item from the Seattle public radio station, KUOW, provides our latest example of the contrasts between how hired executives and "regular" employees are treated even at non-profit health care organizations, and between these organizations' actions and their stated missions.  Hospital Employees Strike Against Reductions in their Health InsuranceThe report was about a small job action going on at a single hospital.  Ironically, the strike is over the employees' own health insurance.  Along with housekeepers, nursing assistants and other staff, surgical technologist Bob Wilson is a member of the Service Employees International Union local 1199NW.'You see all the guys on TV that hand the doctor the scalpel? That’s me,' he said from the picket line on Friday. 'We’re out here because we think we deserve affordable health care.'The union and Providence St. Peter have been in contract negotiations since last summer. SEIU represents about one fourth of the hospital's employees.In January, employees' health insurance changed. The union says the higher deductibles and out of pocket expenses hurt for a union whose median member makes $31,000 a year.I’m forgoing care,' Wilson said. 'I’m not going and seeing a doctor unless I absolutely have to. A lot of people here at Providence are doing the same thing: They’re trying to save their money.'An piece on the Huffington Post further described the strikers' concerns about the new health plans'...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: executive compensation mission-hostile management health insurance Providence Health Systems Source Type: blogs