Halon1211

So it’s open enrollment time and as per our CBA our premiums are going up 6.7%. I’m guessing this 6.7% is compounding ever year...that seems like our insurance can get pretty expensive soon. My question to you all is this industry standard or not? Not sure what our last CBA was since I wasn’t around for the last one. But just seems like 6.7% increase ever year is a lot...maybe it’s something we had to give up at the bargaining table.

Ducttape

It increased 6.5% for 2018, and im sure it did the years prior. And I expect it to raise the same for the years to come. It is the state of health insurance for the time we are in.

Health insurance is getting expensive. For those with spouses, ask them about their work health insurance and the increases offered at their work. I know my wife's company has not only increased premiums YoY but have cut benefits too.

Bottom line is I imagine all airlines are increasing premiums with the amount allowed within the contract; I cant imagine non union occupations and Spirit pilots are the only ones seeing premium increase while other union shops are seeing smaller increases.

Not to sound like the contrarian to popular forum complaining, but I happy to have a reasonable cap on increases for our benefits while still maintaining the same benefits, and not seeing a reduction in benefits with an increase in premiums.

Health Care is a mess in this country, no matter what side you're on, and having dependable, collectively bargained insurance, with controlled premium increases, is the best I can really hope for in this mess.

Next CBA cycle we can poll the pilots and see where we stand with the 6.7% increase. I know we had to fight hard this cycle with the threat of the excise tax ever coming to a reality and not delayed for another year.

elmetal

Normal folks saw double digit percent increase.

GrumpyCaptain

I’m more upset we can’t choose plan B this year if not grandfather in...

elmetal

Were you not aware when the TA came out? it's pretty clear... Only people who can be plan B are those who have used it in past....

26.k
. As of the effective date of this Agreement, POS-Plan B will not
accept new entrants except that existing POS-Plan B participants
as of the effective date of this Agreement who choose to leave
the plan may elect to return to the plan.

GrumpyCaptain

Yes I’m fully aware of this language in our concessionary contract.

Hence my comment, I’m bummed that many in our pilot group cannot choose plane B.

One of the many paper cuts that 70% voted yes for.

airsense00

I’d like to show the comparison between plan B and the diamond HRA plan. With a flexible spending account added to the diamond plan I don’t see a scenario that makes plan B better, except if you were on some really expensive meds that are not generic.

Plan B: Family cost $9654.96 out of checks
Family Deductible $750 Out of pocket max $3000
$11 copay per doc visit, 0% coinsurance

Diamond: Family cost $4227.60 out of checks
Family deductible $4500 max out of pocket $7500
$3000 HRA fund paid by company
No copay but 10% coinsurance up to out of pocket max

The diamond plan saves a family $5427.36 per year over plan B. Even with a medical nightmare year where you get 100k bills the diamond costs less. In this scenario Diamond total costs $8727.60 (with up to $2700 of that in a pre tax FSA) vs plan B at $12654.96

Ducttape

Only paper cuts i'm getting is counting them stacks of cash from my larger paychecks....

If you liked Plan B, I assume you had it, and still have it. Newhire pilots cant get it, but they never had it, so they never lost it. Those of us that could have had it, did not want it, and did not get it prior to the contract.

TrojanCMH

Why do so many think the B plan is so great? Diamond is cheaper no matter how you slice it unless you or someone in your family is on some super expensive medications.


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Qotsaautopilot

^^^^
Math is hard for some.


To the OP:
Btw expressjet had a 25/75 pilot/company share that could not change. If the cost of the plan went up 10% our premiums went up 10% but so did the company’s to keep the ratio intact. If the cost went down so did the preiums.

We are at about 31/69 on the diamond plan this year.

Now if the total cost of the plan stays the same next year I don’t think anything stops Spirit from raising our share of the premiums by 7% essentially bringing down their share for a 33/67 split. (Our 31% increased by 7% = 33% of the total plan cost). I don’t know if the actual cost of the plan is increasing and Spirit is sharing in that increased cost keeping our 31/69 split in place.