Wednesday, August 05, 2015

FOP Geniuses?

  • Mayor Rahm Emanuel's signature wellness initiative may be just a 90-pound weakling, Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson is suggesting.

    In a report issued today, the city's watchdog said there are "serious questions" about whether the much-promoted program, which aims to get city workers to shape up or pay more, actually has accomplished much except to spend money.

    "While the city spent nearly $10.5 million in taxpayer resources from 2012 to 2014 to improve employee health and reduce health care costs through (the program), the city has not formally assessed the program's impact in either area and, at present has no plans to do so," Ferguson said. With national research mixed on the subject, the city needs to set up "specific performance measurements and analysis" to find out.

    Under policies implemented by Emanuel, workers have to participate in Chicago Lives Healthy screenings, counseling and health activities or pay an extra $50 a month for their health insurance. Not surprising, 85 percent of benefits-eligible workers and dependents have signed up.

    But no formal measure of success has been adopted, Ferguson wrote, and the city's health care tab keeps rising.
Wait....a program started by the city just seems to bleed money? So who is getting paid off?

Labels:

59 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Under policies implemented by Emanuel, workers have to participate in Chicago Lives Healthy screenings, counseling and health activities..."

The hiring of an endless, ceaseless number of intrusive Wellness Ladies with clipboards, and office buildings full of their associated "managers" and "coordinators" and "facilitators," is certain to drive down the cost of health care. The more people you pay fat salaries to, the less it costs.

You heard it here first.

The real estate bubble, and now the "healthcare" (one word) bubble.

Scam of the new century.

You don't drink, you don't smoke, you sleep 12 hours a night, there are no guns in your home, you never have bad thoughts, you don't take even prescribed medications, you get into joggers and run ten miles no matter how long you worked that day, and you consume nothing but organic skim milk and sustainable carrots while meditating.

That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

8/05/2015 12:41:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The city has a right to completely control every aspect of the lives of those whom it is munificent enough to hire. Mayor Emanuel is the smartest man in the world and deserves our gratitude, and big government always knows best.

See? I beat the troll!

*

8/05/2015 12:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Slightly off-topic, but the Reader's Ben Joravsky again debunks Emanuel's claims that the city is broke:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2015/07/24/looking-for-rahms-hidden-tif-stash

8/05/2015 12:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HAHA SCC, Guess what I (and almost everyone else does) I Now log into the program website and claim i went jogging 5 times a week. Usually I record that Im doing this from the comfort of my air conditioned location while eating lunch at VRI once a week. I make five entries for a week. This accumulates me five points. You need 12 points a quarter to not have to pay the city the insurance fee. So since I usually have all twelve point with in the first month. On the wellness assement question air to sign up. I answer I hate my job, or don't know, and my goal is to not give the city any of my earned income as my reason for signing up.i can do all this from a smart phone and save fifty bucks.

If they were serious about employees health they would give a voucher to pay for a membership to a health club..

8/05/2015 12:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who runs the screening tests? Gotta be Quest Diagnostics right?

8/05/2015 12:51:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Watch your backs


https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/justiceorelse



Young student leaders were “beating the drum of 10.10.15”, he said, referring to the date of the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March themed “Justice Or Else”, called by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Youth leaders also spoke to the redistribution of pain through economic withdrawal, he added.

8/05/2015 01:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOP geniuses? Actually no. They should have agreed to this as a concession for something else of value. The return on investment for wellness programs is dubious at best, Google the research. With the way the City runs programs do you really think that they save money with employees on the wellness program? It will be discontinued within 5 years.

8/05/2015 02:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How many nephews and nieces work* for Chicago Lives Healthy screenings?

*Definitions of work may vary. For complete terms and conditions, please consult the Ward Captain or Democratic Committeeperson. Offer not valid in non-corrupt municipal governments.

8/05/2015 02:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another case of Fail-cago, the city that used to work!

8/05/2015 02:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off topic but 400 new bicycles, that number sounds familiar for some reason....http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/29703090/mayor-emanuel-to-announce-cpd-bike-patrol-expansion

8/05/2015 03:44:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Such a simple question in Chicago...'so who is getting paid off'?

Such a simple answer in Chicago..."the connected"--past, present and future.

How's the little Daley doing on the water commission or wherever he landed?

8/05/2015 06:41:00 AM  
Blogger Mr. SouthSide said...

It's hard to believe that. A connected person can be paid to conduct a study. Rahm missed that?

8/05/2015 06:46:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"It's all bullshit."

8/05/2015 07:11:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is important is the good intentions of the program. Besides it's only taxpayer $$. there are more $$ where that came from.

8/05/2015 07:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For those not understanding this, a brief explanation is in order. A Chicago Machine politician gets paid off in some way by a company. In this case, a health care company that explains that they can fine employees for not participating. They know that 10-15% will not participate, so there's money in it already. The fact that it doesn't work is inconsequential. Kickbacks flow, donations are made and the Machine politicians will publicly defend the decision as a great deal and beneficial to the city, when in fact it just costs the taxpayers more.

Now substitute health for:

Red Light Camera company
Speed Camera Company
GPS vehicles company
Cameras on every corner that don't work company
Selling buildings for $1 crew
Sewer company (Daley son)
Pension advisor that loses $60 million but walks away with huge salary (Daley nephew)
Parking meter company (Daley works for them now and we're stuck for 75 years)
Rahm's banker buddies
Rahm's friends at DePaul University who learned the game and want to play too

Feel free to add on to this list.

8/05/2015 08:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's typical Rahmenomics for you.
How dare we question him. He knows what's best for us.

8/05/2015 08:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shields was right again.

8/05/2015 09:35:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wouldn't call them geniuses although I'm glad they didn't cave on this.
Anyone using common sense knows nothing is as it appears with Rahm and he absolutely is not to be trusted.
Rahm has an anti employee, anti union prejudice that he exhibits in all dealings with employees.... especially concerning employee "benefits"

8/05/2015 10:16:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

city employee...over 30 years
both knees...gone
both hips...gone
back...gone
mesothelioma...yep
Chicago lives healthy actually make me LESS healthy.
just another thing to worry about...
thanks

8/05/2015 10:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So who is stealing now?

8/05/2015 11:12:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off topic. Why is everyone bailing from Gang Enforcement? Two Sgts last month and now four officers. Anyone over there want to let us know whats going on?

8/05/2015 12:45:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We all know they are just stockpiling our data and at that right moment, sell it to the highest bidder. Or blackmail us. Up to now, the wellness program is almost a joke. I will admit one co-worker learned she had high BP and high cholesterol and was able to address that. But she is the only one. Guess if it saves one life,right?

8/05/2015 01:02:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And now they're paying for sex changes. How much did the junk swap docs contribute to 9.5?

8/05/2015 01:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
The city has a right to completely control every aspect of the lives of those whom it is munificent enough to hire. Mayor Emanuel is the smartest man in the world and deserves our gratitude, and big government always knows best.

See? I beat the troll!

*

8/05/2015 12:44:00 AM

Munificent is a fine word but for some reason it reminds me of "the pompitance" of live. lol

8/05/2015 02:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"the city has not formally assessed the program's impact in either area and, at present has no plans to do so,"

Of course not they got their kickbacks as promised, and that's all that matters.

8/05/2015 02:16:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"If they were serious about employees health they would give a voucher to pay for a membership to a health club..

8/05/2015 12:50:00 AM"

That's why you get a check for passing the fitness test Dummy.

8/05/2015 02:18:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just another worthless contract that reaps huge political donations to selected politicians. Just like Raccoon Eyes taking his pension plan to the Illinois SC. How many expensive outside lawyers will the city hire to fight this losing case. Obvious the city isn't that broke. But this has been going on for years and years and years. Guess nobody cares. Except for the decent hard working taxpayers fleeing this state every day of the year.

8/05/2015 02:50:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
FOP geniuses? Actually no. They should have agreed to this as a concession for something else of value. The return on investment for wellness programs is dubious at best, Google the research. With the way the City runs programs do you really think that they save money with employees on the wellness program? It will be discontinued within 5 years.

8/05/2015 02:04:00 AM

$$$$$$$$$$

Moron..... FOP bargaining members are not in this pile of shit. In fact the only city employees not in the city wellness program are the police officers. The sergeants went into this program voluntarily. Why???

8/05/2015 02:56:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And on Wednesday, the Aldermenaces from the City Council passed an ordinance that would allow for City of Chicago Insurance to now cover....
Wait for it...
Sex changes!
Can't make this stuff up, check it out.
But police pensions, pfffft.

8/05/2015 03:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Police (FOP 7) were never going to get the wellness.....an arbitrator had previously ruled on that.

8/05/2015 04:18:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

we are the government!.....we are the liberal Democrats!......and we know what is best for you!....signed, Rahm the Commissar....

8/05/2015 05:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank God FOP through the years kept us out of the city program. Every once in a while they get it right.

8/05/2015 06:02:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"*Definitions of work may vary. For complete terms and conditions, please consult the Ward Captain or Democratic Committeeperson. Offer not valid in non-corrupt municipal governments."

8/05/2015 02:32:00 AM

WONDERFUL!

You have really got the sense of these times we live in! Everything rotten is hidden down there in the ten pages of legal boilerplate in five-point type.

8/05/2015 06:45:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gee wasn't this a reason the unit Reps gave members for signing the contract. Unless naw no collusion not in this city

8/05/2015 07:04:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8/05/2015 12:41:00 AM

I am a professional realtor and a police man. There is no real estate bubble this time around. Current real estate prices are based on sound valuation and people are willing to pay the current prices. Real estate is the one sound investment that gives a steady return year after year. People will always need a place to live.

8/05/2015 08:17:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(OT) thousands of blacks detained by Chicago police in warehouse! SCC have the officers strap in the seatbelt this is going to be a bumpy crazy lying ride:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/05/homan-square-chicago-thousands-detained

Polcing looks to be doa wow!!

8/05/2015 08:38:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
FOP geniuses? Actually no. They should have agreed to this as a concession for something else of value. The return on investment for wellness programs is dubious at best, Google the research. With the way the City runs programs do you really think that they save money with employees on the wellness program? It will be discontinued within 5 years.

8/05/2015 02:04:00 AM

$$$$$$$$$$$$

Is that you Billy Dougherty? Markie Mark? The shields kid was right about you guys.

Markie Mark "The puppet Master" got his job what were you promised Billy?

Remember Billy boy gave an interview in a south side newspaper that quoted him as saying Obamacare was a good deal for retiree's.

http://truenewsusa.blogspot.com/2014/02/phil-kadner-trying-to-restore-image-of.html

8/05/2015 08:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry for going off topic, but does anyone have any inside info that might let me know if we (sergeants) will be getting our scores for part one of the lieutenant's exam before we take part two? This is insane....

8/05/2015 09:41:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Shields was right again.

8/05/2015 09:35:00 AM


His best friend on the board was a lawyer, in civilian life and in the Army as a JAG attorney and Shields couldn't ask him about the wisdom of making those kinds of outlandish charges without hard evidence? What Shields might have known was the equivalent of squad car conversation. Any detective knows what it takes to bring a case. And a case like that takes a lot and much investigation by the Feds, not simply some wild accusations to a reporter. I still have not seen or heard of any evidence. You couldn't get misdemeanor charges with what Shields had much less a fantastic case like that was portending to be. Knowing something and proving it are different things. He was supposed to be the police. It was like he read it on the shithouse wall.

8/05/2015 09:44:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The City could have bought a few million in gym equipment installed at at every district. Let who ever wants to sign up work out for a half hour on city time 3 times a week. with some teen age trainer making 10$ an hour.

Setting up websites
phone personal asking dumb question
renting buildings to staff these operators

Its a tax on the fatties,smokers, and the working disabled.

8/05/2015 09:59:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now comes city hall including 'gender reassignment' under city employee's health benefits. WHAT the FRIGG?? This city is self-insured. What if the city employee wants to become a dog or a cat? How nuts is this thing going to get...Or maybe the city employee wants to marry the dog or the cat? Our society is in deep, deep trouble....regular acts are being passed over for ultra-not regular acts. Stop the merry-go-round...some folks want to get off. This world is going crazy fast.

8/05/2015 10:25:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off topic but 400 new bicycles, that number sounds familiar for some reason....http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/29703090/mayor-emanuel-to-announce-cpd-bike-patrol-expansion

8/05/2015 03:44:00 AM



Bikes are cheaper than buying cars.

8/05/2015 10:41:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You guys saying the city will pay for my sex change? Uh, asking for a friend.

8/06/2015 01:31:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
8/05/2015 12:41:00 AM

I am a professional realtor and a police man. There is no real estate bubble this time around. Current real estate prices are based on sound valuation and people are willing to pay the current prices. Real estate is the one sound investment that gives a steady return year after year. People will always need a place to live.

8/05/2015 08:17:00 PM

You might be a realtor, but you're no 'police man'.

8/06/2015 01:49:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
FOP geniuses? Actually no. They should have agreed to this as a concession for something else of value. The return on investment for wellness programs is dubious at best, Google the research. With the way the City runs programs do you really think that they save money with employees on the wellness program? It will be discontinued within 5 years.

8/05/2015 02:04:00 AM

$$$$$$$$$$

Moron..... FOP bargaining members are not in this pile of shit. In fact the only city employees not in the city wellness program are the police officers. The sergeants went into this program voluntarily. Why???

8/05/2015 02:56:00 PM

Are you soft in the head? Your reading comprehension skills are lacking.
This wellness program will be GONE in 5 yrs, tops. The City is not saving money by having employees in this program. Private companies DON'T SAVE MONEY by having employees in this type of program. The WHOLE POINT of the wellness program is to save MONEY$$$$$$$$. IT DOESN'T WORK.
If the FOP had done some research on Google they would have known this and been a step ahead of the City. If the FOP had said to the City (for example) "Give us our full retro and we will agree to the wellness program." The City would have leapt at it. Then a few years down the line the City cancels the well program (money loser) and would would still have your (just an example) full retro$$$$$$$$$$. Which could have been worth thousands to 10s of thousands depending on your work situation. Moron.

The City has a history of stupid money saving ideas. Remember the unpaid furlough days under Daley? They didn't save money. The other unions took them and got 3-4% raises per year. The FOP said no and we got 1-2% an year. Those guys sat home for a few days and got a good raise. We went to work and got a shit raise. It was a financial wash, except we worked-basically for free.
Then the next year the unpaid furlough days were cancelled. Now the other unions got a good raise, and they work (and get paid) those days. We work those same days and got a shit raise. Brilliant negotiations.

8/06/2015 02:33:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im done in a few months. You coppers will continue to get screwed because you are to fuckin stupid to stick together. Before you know it, you will be walking around, unarmed kissing ass wondering ... How did this happen?

8/06/2015 05:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Anonymous said...
Shields was right again.

8/05/2015 09:35:00 AM


His best friend on the board was a lawyer,

in civilian life and in the Army as a JAG attorney and Shields couldn't ask him about the wisdom of making those kinds of outlandish charges without hard evidence? What Shields might have known was the equivalent of squad car conversation. Any detective knows what it takes to bring a case. And a case like that takes a lot and much investigation by the Feds, not simply some wild accusations to a reporter. I still have not seen or heard of any evidence. You couldn't get misdemeanor charges with what Shields had much less a fantastic case like that was portending to be. Knowing something and proving it are different things. He was supposed to be the police. It was like he read it on the shithouse wall.

8/05/2015 09:44:00 PM

Ask the lawyer about the letter.

Ask the lawyer who told him to forget about it.

Ask the lawyer about the oath he told as an officer and a lawyer.

Ask the lawyer about the oath he took at FOP.

Never trust a lawyer.

8/06/2015 07:22:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I earn my 12 points per quarter in 10 minutes...I hit the "like" icon for a few recipes (tofu BBJ sammiches, anyone?) and log all my excercise (some imagined, some not) and I'm done. Which one of Rahm's relatives is getting a cut for this shit?!

8/06/2015 07:59:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To add to the list!!!!


The list means nothing if you don't do nothing about it.
The list means nothing if you voted for the Ram

You have no rights if u
You don't defend them. How is do they have more power than your right.
They have the right to steal tax payer money if you don't defend them.

And to Ferguson Shut up and move on. Your the one that shores in ethical people and complain about others doing the same. Put a sock in it!!!!

8/06/2015 08:10:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

9:41...

If you don't know your score yet, you ain't in the in crowd.

Now go handle a couple of court deviations.....

8/06/2015 10:08:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I am a professional realtor and a police man. There is no real estate bubble this time around. Current real estate prices are based on sound valuation and people are willing to pay the current prices. Real estate is the one sound investment that gives a steady return year after year. People will always need a place to live."

8/05/2015 08:17:00 PM

"In recent years, local officials and real estate developers have touted a resurgence in young tech workers and affluent empty-nesters revitalizing the city's core. Yet those trends are seemingly being overshadowed by more powerful factors, as other parts of the city and close-in suburbs send even larger numbers of prosperous, college-educated people to DuPage County and beyond."

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140215/ISSUE01/302159988/well-educated-highly-paid-residents-leaving-cook-county

8/06/2015 10:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Now comes city hall including 'gender reassignment' under city employee's health benefits. WHAT the FRIGG?? This city is self-insured. What if the city employee wants to become a dog or a cat? How nuts is this thing going to get...Or maybe the city employee wants to marry the dog or the cat? Our society is in deep, deep trouble....regular acts are being passed over for ultra-not regular acts. Stop the merry-go-round...some folks want to get off. This world is going crazy fast.

8/05/2015 10:25:00 PM


Plus your same-sex spouse can get the surgery so when once you had a wife, soon you will be able to have a husband. And the kids can become something else too. Got to be fair, all people have rights to become whatever screwball thing they want to be. City will pay, they City just will not pay into the pensions.

And this morning the City announced they will spend $250 million on an "upgrade" at Midway Airport, that's more millions not going into pensions. They must be getting ready to privatize Midway, sell it off. Why keep a revenue producing asset when they can lease it to some secret partnership in some oil rich arab country?

8/06/2015 10:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

His best friend on the board was a lawyer, in civilian life and in the Army as a JAG attorney and Shields couldn't ask him about the wisdom of making those kinds of outlandish charges without hard evidence?

McCarthy and wisdom should never be used in the same sentence

8/06/2015 11:40:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8/05/2015 12:41:00 AM

I am a professional realtor and a police man. There is no real estate bubble this time around. Current real estate prices are based on sound valuation and people are willing to pay the current prices. Real estate is the one sound investment that gives a steady return year after year. People will always need a place to live.

8/05/2015 08:17:00 PM

_______________

You are definitely not a professional thinker. That is the same argument that was used during the first bubble. Also, currently, the prices are almost as high as during the first bubble. And the economy is not doing so well, foreclosures are making a comeback, and businesses are closing down. The current real estate prices are unsustainable. (There is plenty of support for this, research.)

By the way, how did you arrive at your sound valuation?

The sad part is that customers believe you.

8/06/2015 12:00:00 PM  
Blogger The Keesing Bandit said...

Tofu BBJ sandwiches kick ASS!

Now, kees me you fool!!!!

8/06/2015 12:23:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@@@@Are you soft in the head? Your reading comprehension skills are lacking.@@@

Hey hair Gel!!!

There are TWO wellness programs in the city. FOP's and the other one all other city employees are in. That's the one that fines you and the one the IG is talking about.

Too much college and not enough grade school. Get out of you mama's basement and off of your smart phone ( an oxymoron in your case ) and maybe go to the year's worth of meeting and talk to the older guys after the meeting. Maybe we can get you out of diapers in a year or so...

8/06/2015 03:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Moron..... FOP bargaining members are not in this pile of shit. In fact the only city employees not in the city wellness program are the police officers. The sergeants went into this program voluntarily. Why???


They will be in 16 months

8/06/2015 03:46:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"You might be a realtor, but you're no 'police man'."

8/06/2015 01:49:00 AM

It's the wife too, "full-time realtor," as he keeps telling us.

What do you expect to see and hear? Both thumbs up, "hot area! Hot, Hot, Hot!"

"Buy quick, quick or else all gone!"

Just like the last bubble.

8/06/2015 04:53:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ask around. Ask other coppers and firemen that are selling their homes. Who are the most interested in buying? There are a lot of "investors" interested in those single family homes in 022, 008 and 016. Whose buying on your block? I know several coppers who are selling and it seems that those investors are the only ones that are really looking and buying in the neighborhoods. While, this article appeared in the Trib on June 5th: Chinese parents snapping up Chicago condos for their college kids, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/globalcity/ct-met-chinese-condo-buyers-0607-20150605-story.html#page=1

8/07/2015 08:21:00 AM  

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