Bulletin Board Posting

double click image to make it bigger

Bulletin Board Posting

double click on the image to make it bigger

Bulletin Board Posting

double click the image to make it bigger

HCAN Truth Squad and Anthem

Health Care for America Now! held a press conference today, in an effort to get answers from Anthem Health Plans of Maine about their skyrocketing profits.

According to a report by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations titled Insuring Health or Ensuring Profit?, Anthem Health Plans' annual net (profits) income have almost doubled between 2004 and 2007.

Anthem's net income in 2004 was $40.0 million, in 2007 it was $75.7 million, a 89.2 percent increase. How many of you have seen your premiums increase over the course of those years? How many of you have had to drop your insurance because your premiums have increased beyond affordability?

Anthem's per member per month profits have increased from $11.07 per member to $20.45 per member. That means that everyone who is insured by Anthem Health Plans is a $20.45 profit to the company. Is this right? What do they do with these profits? Anthem's membership has increased only by 2.4 percent.

The Health Care for America Now! Coalition is concerned that Anthem may be denying reasonable claims, and therefore we request an answer to these questions:

How many claims did you receive and what percentage of them did you deny in 2003-2007?

What percentage of these denials were for lack of medical necessity, pre-existing condition exclusion, experimental treatment, lack of prior authorization, or other reasons?

HCAN is concerned that Anthem enrollees are struggling with the increasing cost of basic necessities such as health care and insurance, while Anthem's per-member per-month profits have grown by 84.8 percent since 2004. Therefore we request an answer to this question:

For each year between 2002 and 2007, what percentage of health care claims costs has been borne by your company, and what percentage has been borne out-of-pocket by enrollees in the individual, small group and large group markets, respectively?

For each of your products, how much have you raised premiums each year for the past five years?

HCAN is concerned that there may be disproportionate representation of people of color, seniors, women and low-income people in Anthem's insurance plans that provide the least benefits and therefore we request an answer to this question:

What is the demographic breakdown of enrollment in each of your products by age, race/ethnicity, household income, gender or geography?

In 2007, Anthem Health Plans of Maine reported $75.7 million in dividends to its parent company. We are concerned that these profits are far above and beyond a healthy profit margin and offer no benefits to Mainers who are struggling to get by in our difficult economic climate. Therefore we request an answer to these questions:

For the past five years, how much has your company sent in dividends to your parent company? What was this money used for and how does your company determine how much it will send in dividends?

What is the complete compensation package for your top five executives?

After the press conference at the State House, HCAN went to Anthem's office in Augusta and demanded answers to these questions.

HCAN was stonewalled by the secretary. We didn't expect anything different. We were told we could not leave the questions but had to contact Anthem's spokesperson directly in order to make arrangements with him to get the questions to him.

The secretary did give HCAN his phone number. Outside Anthem's office, we called the spokesperson, got his voicemail and cell number, and left a message. We then tried his cell and left a message there too.

Check out Channel 6's report on the press conference and the action with Anthem. http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=91259&catid=2

Boycott "Tropic Thunder"

The movie Tropic Thunder will be released on August 13th. I am asking you to boycott the film. You will find below two links to articles regarding the upcoming release of the movie "Tropic Thunder", which features Ben Stiller portraying an "intellectually challenged" adult. The term "retard" isused frequently throughout the film, as noted on the movie poster featured in the movie "once upon a time . . . there was a retard" and the discussion between two of the starring actors during which Robert Downey Jr.'s character advises Stiller's character to "never go full retard." There are an estimated 14.3 million Americans with cognitive disabilities. These people share a history of segregation and exclusion, and report that what many call the "R-word" reinforces negative social attitudes just as surely as racial, ethnic and sexually oriented slurs do. http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/01/once-upon-a-time http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/08/01/never-go-full-retard There are efforts underway in some parts of the country to organize boycotts of the movie, from what I have heard. Please consider how you can participate in making clear that use of this type of language and characterization is offensive and hurtful to people across the country, and reflects poorly on our society as a whole. Please ask everyone you know to boycott this movie! Empty movie theaters would speak loudly! This came in an email from Julie Moulton, fellow Maine PASA member and fellow VOICES Institute Graduate.

Corporate Attack Dogs Targeting Rep. Tom Allen for Support Working Families

Last week brought us news of Wal-Mart pressuring employees to vote against Democrats like Rep. Tom Allen who are fighting for working families. Now we’re learning that corporate front groups are taking it a step further and unleashing vicious, misleading attacks on Allen. Corporate-financed groups like the misnamed “Coalition for a Democratic Workplace” and “Center for Union Facts” are on the attack because Rep. Allen supports the Employee Free Choice Act to restore workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain without employer harassment. Across the country, these front groups are running misleading TV, radio and newspaper ads attacking candidates who are doing the right thing. It is important that Rep. Tom Allen knows you are behind him and the other candidates 100 percent. Please take a minute and tell Rep. Tom Allen that you appreciate their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act, when enacted, will restore balance between corporate power brokers and workers trying to form unions. Right now, corporations have ALL the power— Corporations decide how workers will form their union. Corporations illegally fire workers for supporting a union. Corporations force workers into intimidation meetings with supervisors. Corporations threaten to shut down if workers unionize. Corporations delay contract negotiations. And corporate fines for violating our rights are so insignificant that these fines are treated as just a regular cost of doing business. And as a result, 60 million workers who want to join unions cannot. Which means millions of working men and women are intentionally denied the higher wages and better benefits that come with a union card—and America’s middle class dwindles. Please thank Rep. Tom Allen for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act isn’t complicated. It would enable workers to choose for themselves whether to form a union by majority sign-up or through a National Labor Relations Board election. It would strengthen penalties when corporations trample the rights of workers trying to organize and bargain. And it would ensure that once workers form a union, the company can’t indefinitely delay reaching a contract. With wages stagnating, prices rising, health and pension benefits disappearing and the middle class shrinking, what could be more important than giving every working man and woman a fair chance to bargain for a better life? Please take a moment to let Rep. Tom Allen know that you support the Employee Free Choice Act, too. Thank you. In solidarity, Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO

Got a Good Story about Quality Public Services?

It could win you $100 MSEA-SEIU members consistently make a positive difference in the everyday lives of Maine people. When we tell those stories, it helps remind everyone in Maine about the importance of quality public services that are sometimes easy to take for granted. What is your favorite story about how the quality public services provided by one of our members improved or continues to improve the lives of Maine residents? If you have such a story, please write it down today and enter it in the first MSEA-SEIU Quality Public Services You Can Count On contest. The top four entries will be turned into newspaper ads promoting the quality public services our members provide. The four MSEA-SEIU members who submit those winning entries will receive cash prizes of $100 each. To submit your idea, go to http://www.mseaseiu.org/ to get the form or contact MSEA headquarters for a contest entry form. Fill it out and fax to MSEA at (207) 623-4916 or mail them to MSEA-SEIU Contest, P.O. Box 1072, Augusta, Maine 04332-1072 or drop them off at MSEA-SEIU headquarters on State Street in Augusta. Deadline is Friday, August 19, 2008 by 5 pm at MSEA-SEIU headquarters. I urge 771 members to participate in this. What a great opportunity to share with other MSEA-SEIU members the important work you do for your consumers. This is a wonderful chance for us of 771 to educate our union brothers and sisters on what we do on a daily basis to help fellow Mainers.