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Topics in the News:
health benefits
In order to keep the UFT Welfare Fund’s benefits secure not only for the present time but also for the future, changes have been made to the prescription drug plan and the dental plan, reported the Fund’s Executive Director Arthur Pepper. Members were sent a letter and information outlining these changes in December.
As a result of the UFT Welfare Fund’s annual review process, it was determined that changes to the prescription drug plan and the dental plan were needed to ensure that the benefits offered to more than 300,000 in-service members and their covered dependents are protected now as well as into the future, reported the Fund’s Executive Director Arthur Pepper.
Beginning in 2011, the Affordable Care Act required Part D enrollees whose incomes exceed the same thresholds that apply to Part B enrollees to pay an income-related monthly adjustment amount, in addition to their Part D plan premium. The income related adjustment will be deducted from your Social Security check.
Workers’ Compensation can provide valuable benefits if you are a paraprofessional, school nurse or occupational or physical therapist and have a work-related injury or occupational illness. If you are hurt on the job, there are certain procedures you should follow to ensure that you get all the benefits that you are entitled to.
In-service UFT members have the protection of a short-term disability plan that can provide valuable income when personal illness renders them temporarily unable to work. (This benefit does not provide coverage for injuries-in-the-line-of-duty or no-fault claims, which provide their own set of benefits.)
Do you spend a lot each month on child care? Is your out-of-pocket spending on health care adding up? You may be able to save hundreds of dollars a year in federal and Social Security taxes by enrolling in the city’s Flexible Spending Accounts program. The program allows public school educators and other municipal employees to use pre-tax earnings to cover dependent-care costs or medical expenses not covered by your health plan.
The UFT Welfare Fund provides dental benefits through three types of programs: the Scheduled Benefit Plan, which offers more choices but can entail out-of-pocket expenses; Dentcare, a no-cost dental HMO; and the Florida Dental Discount Plan for year-round Florida residents.
The city will begin mailing the 2010 reimbursement Medicare Part B refunds to our members and their spouses or domestic partners.
Another school year begins. Unfortunately this is not a year of hopeful, new beginnings. Our brothers and sisters still in the classroom have escaped threatened layoffs but face budget cuts that mean soaring class sizes, supply shortages and scores of unforeseen problems.
The annual open enrollment period for the UFT Welfare Fund dental plans is from Sept. 1 through Oct. 15. Members who wish to change their dental plans must submit a dental enrollment/transfer form to the UFT Welfare Fund. Any newly selected plan will become effective Nov. 1.
More than 85 UFT members and retirees had an opportunity to learn about new developments in the medical treatment of breast cancer and have their questions answered when Dr. Clifford Hudis, chief of Breast Cancer Medicine Service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, came to UFT headquarters for a presentation on March 29.
In the fall, the UFT Welfare Fund announced important improvements to your health benefits, effective Jan. 1, 2010. This affects the hearing aid benefit, with a reimbursement amount that was doubled from $500 to $1,000.
As we enter the holiday season, many UFT members will pack their bags and head out to join family and friends in hometowns or vacation locations all over the globe. They will return home with photos, memorable experiences and renewed bonds. But sometimes, travel can also present unpredictable circumstances.
Empire's continuing negotiations with the Westchester Medical Center have not to this point in time produced an agreement, and so they are no longer an in-network hospital with Empire as of Nov. 1, 2010.
Read on for a listing of alternative hospitals and other facilities in the Westchester area that continue to be in-network facilities with Empire.
A mailing was sent to affected members regarding this potential termination at the end of September.
UFTers who came to the “Fireside Conversation with Dr. Larry Norton” on Nov. 4 at the union’s headquarters had a chance to hear about the latest breakthrough in cancer research before it hit newspaper front pages the next day.
Read on for some advice on how best to maximize your prescription drug benefit, whether you’re at a doctor’s visit or the pharmacy, or determining how best to order your maintenance medications.
All UFT members will be able to change their health insurance coverage and add or drop optional riders during the transfer period, which this year is the month of November. The changes are effective January 2011. Each plan has its benefits and drawbacks, so the Welfare Fund suggests three sets of considerations for members and retirees to evaluate as they search for the plan that will provide the best coverage for them at a price they can afford.
There are enhanced Health and Welfare benefits available for dependent children aged 19 and over, triggered by new state and federal legislation. Federal health act coverage through age 26 becomes effective at the beginning of the plan year following September 23, 2010. The Welfare Fund will offer this coverage at no cost to members whose children are currently covered by the Fund commencing October 1, 2010. State coverage for dependent children through age 29 becomes effective July 2010 and can be purchased.
UFT members who have dependent children between the ages of 19 and 29 will benefit from new health care legislation. Read more for information on the options for health care coverage.
New federal and state legislation triggers health care coverage for dependent young adults age 19-26 and age 19-29. Read more to understand this important new benefit.
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