SHIP keeps giving back to members

Once again SHIP, the RTC’s Supplemental Health Insurance Program, comes through for us, improving out-of-pocket savings for its 67,000 members — 47,000 retired UFTers and 20,000 spouses.

The seven-member SHIP Board of Trustees, which includes the RTC leader and UFT President Michael Mulgrew, has approved several benefit changes to SHIP coverage for all eligible members starting Jan. 1. 

Since the last changes were made in 2010, SHIP has paid out $4 million in supplemental benefits for that year and almost $4 million up to November of last year.

As SHIP Director Irene Lospenuso noted, “The aim of SHIP is to give back to members. Whenever we see a gap in coverage, we evaluate how we can help close that gap to compensate for soaring medical costs.”

To provide additional nurse’s aide (or home health attendant) at-home coverage, SHIP had to limit the overall period of coverage to six months for a three-day-or-more consecutive hospital stay in order to add the new benefit of two-month coverage for a two-day hospital stay. The lifetime maximum benefit remains at $20,000.

To simplify benefits for all members, the rules for private duty nursing (or licensed practical nurse) inpatient hospitalization coverage and surgery/anesthesia are now the same for all eligible members despite different deductibles in different plans.

The dental stipend has increased $100 — up from $200 to $300 — to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses incurred in one calendar year. This benefit is provided once every two or more calendar years.

SHIP has enhanced accessibility to durable medical equipment by covering items previously rejected by primary insurers because of frequency of usage.

Emergency room visit reimbursements of $50 are increased to two visits a year, up from one last year.

The new detailed benefit information package will be sent to all members by April 1 and will also be available on the UFT website.

SHIP was established by RTC members as a supplement to primary health coverage and is administered by a board of trustees — four UFT officers and three RTC Executive Board members — who determine rules on eligibility and benefits.

UFT members are eligible to apply for SHIP membership only at retirement and if they are also members of the RTC.

Lospenuso reported that the costs for the most utilized benefits in 2010 were: $900,000 for nurse’s aides/home health attendants, $870,000 for the dental stipend and $710,000 for hospital deductibles.

The program, she said, “will continue to review benefits to help members defray out-of-pocket medical costs in any way it can.” 

SHIP could very well be considered the best buy in health coverage at a $10 monthly premium, with no premium increase since 2007.