Insurance Debacle Hits Media
And the City claims they're working on a fix (warning - Tribune link):
- Some city employees who have gone to doctors and pharmacists since the start of the New Year have been told they no longer have health insurance, a mistake in the automatic renewal process that City Hall officials said Wednesday would soon be corrected.
"The city's health care vendors reported a technical error to the city's benefits division last week and are working to correct the error," city spokeswoman Mary Kay Accurso said in a prepared statement, adding that it affected both HMO and PPO members. "These employee insurance plans remain active, and there should be no issues accessing coverage once the issue is resolved."
The problem became public when someone anonymously posted on a Chicago police blog about being turned away from a doctor's office and also being told by a pharmacy worker that his wife's $10 co-pay for generic heart medication would now cost him $590. Others weighed in with similar experiences, identifying Blue Cross-Blue Shield as the insurer.
Labels: info for the police
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
53 Comments:
Its the 14th day now that i have been uninsured.Was actually able to speak to a representative from Blue Cross.According to them this was no computer glitch.The City of Chicago terminated the coverage effective 01JAN17.
Maybe the city forgot to send a letter... shit like that has happened before...
And you worry about having it when you retire. They can't get it right when you are still a active employee. They have no problem taking the payment out of our paychecks!
Believe me, you don't know the half of it. Blue Cross Blue Shield is going through a current transition of laying off 90% of their IT Infrastructure people and outsourcing to a consulting firm (HCL) that specializes in employees with H-1B Visas. They did the same thing earlier in mid 2016 with their application development people to a different consulting firm. The place is a complete joke and falling apart from the inside. I have never seen the level of incompetence and the amount of application issues that they have daily due to this new direction in their business plan. Expect plenty more customer service issues from them in the near future as most of the Infrastructure IT people are being laid off starting in March 2017. Their transition will not be pretty and they may never get back to the level of customer service that they once provided.
They had to dump all the retirees and , unfortunately included some active duty personnel . Think of it as good practice getting used to being uninsured upon retirement . Keep up the good work .
OT - DNA Info article on why one man will never return to Chicago. Hits the nail on the head.
"The caustic combination of corrupt politicians with nothing but contempt for the public; a police force so broken down in spirit it visibly resents interaction with even law-abiding citizens; a criminal underclass empowered by the incessant drone of liberal rhetoric wandering the streets posing clear and present danger to everyone around them; and the enablers, who are everywhere, to say nothing of the ugly, decaying infrastructure, poor economy and joyless entertainment and leisure opportunities.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170112/downtown/mans-pledge-leave-soul-destroying-chicago-unites-annoyed-chicagoans
No insurance, go fuck yourself, Rahm.
Get your crocodile tears ready for 1600 dead democrats in 2017.
It's just another way for Rahm to rattle our cage.
I agree with you SCC ..... something's rotten in Denmark.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this didn't happen to Rahm and the alderthieves insurance.
This just proves this is a an asshole of a city to work for!
Anyone looking for a job with Chicago should really think hard and consider going else where out of Chicago!
Rahm is just a total tool and this happened on his watch!
Da Pelon
Dean Angelo is well aware of what's going on . Dean cut a deal with Bella , McDonough and Casiano and then immediately went to breakfast with Rham . Since then he has been to opening day Sox Games with the mayor and also been entertained for the Hawks games in Rocky wirtz's suite . Who pays for this ? WE DO ! Dean will be retired after the election and connect bargain for a new contract . Just like last time Ray will go in vacation during negotiations . Dean Angelo has steered all of the law business to HERBERT and now all the health business to HERBERTS college roommate . IT is time to vote these backroom dealers out ! Dean talks about transparency ? We need a President not another politician ! đź‘Ť
This little trick has Rahm's stink all over it.
They can't keep my health care from getting screwed up, well they will really get nothing out of me these days. Updated the resume right now.
The city had to fund the "defense fund" for the illegals somehow.
Got on the job in 1968. Enjoying sunny Flawida every day now. In the last 49 years I've never seen the city make a mistake in favor of the working stiff. always something for the city.
Expect n0othing to change. As long as Dims are in power. And that will be forever as long as the plantation still votes for freebies at our expense.
If need be you can fill prescriptions at an online Canadian pharmacy for much less $.
Northwest pharmacy is one, get Canadian drugs is another. It's really worth a look. My wife had cataract surgery last year, and one of the eye meds were close to $200. at walgreens , and less than $30. at Northwest pharmacy. Americans get bent over big time by big pharma.
I discovered I had no coverage since 17,Nov 2016 after I retired, when I attempted to refill prescription.
Can the next contract offer 15 and out at some percentage?? I'm done.
I was rahmified when I picked up my meds at CVS and had to pay $180.00. I wonder if the mayor and his fifty thieves' insurance is fucked up?
The City is ALWAYS late paying their bills. Even in the good times, they are 90 days late so imagine now? They're probably at 12 or 15 months.
"THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES IN POLITICS!" Remember the Mayor was Chief of Staff, for the Prince of Peace, (That's what Democrats thought Obama was.) So, how is it possible that we have the current insurance breakdown? Make no mistake about it, Rahm is a Creature of Perception! He is a punk Wannabe Tough Guy. Remember when he sent a political enemy the dead fish, as in Godfather I? Contract negotiations are on the horizon, and the Punk who blames Chicago Police for the destruction of his National Political Career is going to be made to pay! Coppers will actually be suffering physically because of this fiasco. Children; coughing, bleeding and in pain; hopefully their parents who can now pay hundreds of dollars for medications to carry them through the day, out of pocket, to compensate for this INTENTIONAL LESSON ON WHO IS IN CHARGE!Medications that before 1 January would have cost $10. THIS IS A CRISIS, and Rahm is doing this with intent and malice as a first shot over the bow of the FOP! This wretched little chunk of shit, named Rahm, must Not be Reelected! WE ARE WITNESSING THE MOST BRUTAL ACT OF POLITICAL TERRORISM, THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF CHICAGO. Do Nothing, Remain Fetal. Think about: "The Children." Rahm used to whine about "The Children"; apparently he was not talking about OUR CHILDREN! Fu&k Rahm at every opportunity! Baby"G"
Vote everyone of them out of office 19th ward ald better be looking for a new job take it to the bank
Do I get a refund for what they took out of my check? Isn't paying someone for something they are not supplying deceptive practice? Fuck you rahm!
BCBS notified city on 4th of January that 1/3rd of all city employees
had insurance terminated. City did nothing waiting for us to find
who were the 1/3rd. Nice going mayor now ask the IG for an investigation
on why this happen and why no one took any action?
In mean time my kids have no coverage.
This city is a joke.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this didn't happen to Rahm and the alderthieves insurance.
1/13/2017 03:08:00 AM
Anyone know what kind of insurance they have? Do they get any insurance in retirement?
Remember when CPD had banker no problems and no cost.
Insurance lapse done on purpose by Chicago.. City did not pay premium money to Blue Cross .which is why Blue Cross was saying nothing, but call Chicago for answers
Chicago is gone. Rahmbo screws City retires by cutting off health insurance then Emnauel laughs he cut an entitlement ,But gives out Millions to illegals. Hey crap head Emanuel those retires busted their rear ends to work even thru big snow storms .2019???? Rahmbo will be retired
I was affected. Blue Cross told me, after being on hold for an hour, that my city's HR terminated my policy. Called back later and got the same response. I have my insurance back now but I still think a grievance should be filed against HR.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Its the 14th day now that i have been uninsured.Was actually able to speak to a representative from Blue Cross.According to them this was no computer glitch.The City of Chicago terminated the coverage effective 01JAN17.
1/13/2017 12:41:00 AM
____________________________________________________________
I believe this to be true, The shity of Shitcago (Mother Fer's) has a 3rd party insurance- Telligen, who attempts to as they put in their letter" negotiate pricing arrangements for services,in bold type have you! oh yeah and all their letters begin with " Telligen has been retained by the City of Chicago- Active to perform medical necessity for various services for persons covered under your benefits plan" in essence-- BCBS
We pay premium and outrages prices for health insurance , but this shit of a city wants to "negotiate" pricing for our health? FUCK YOU RAHM!! I just wonder if the council and the Racoon have this same in place, seeing how they shit on us but not on themselves..... I think NOT!!!e
Many current POs could care less about the retirees insurance plight. Well now you are experiencing a little taste of what awaits you when you retire. Your current problem with BC/BS is temporary. Are you having fun yet ???
Something is definitely not right with the "glitch" scenario. I have BCBS PPO and had doctor appointments the 4th of January. My doctors were able to confirm my "new" insurance group number on 3 January and I had no problem - so far. By 5 January other officers were not able to log into BCBS and their 800 phone number was disconnected. So, at some point in the beginning of the year we did have insurance and then all of a sudden we didn't? A computer glitch doesn't disconnect your telephone number.
Too bad the "investigative journalists" in this town will just take the "glitch" excuse as truth. Pathetic.
This is the HUGE story in the industry -- BCBS users can't get prescriptions filled at CVS anymore (I got a letter about it) or at Target -- which dumped its own operations and put in CVS pharmacies. Fewer choices, less flexibility, less freedom to go where suits you best.
One word -- antitrust.
Prime Therapeutics, Walgreens to form pharmacy alliance
"Eagan-based Prime Therapeutics has formed a strategic alliance with drugstore giant Walgreens that would combine the companies’ specialty and mail-order pharmacy businesses.
"In addition, health plan subscribers with pharmacy benefits managed by Prime Therapeutics would have preferred access to Walgreens pharmacies as part of the agreement announced Monday.
"Financial terms were not disclosed, but Prime officials believe it could spur growth that pushes the firm beyond its position as the country’s fourth-largest pharmaceutical benefits manager (PBM).
"Prime Therapeutics is owned by 14 Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance companies, so the agreement with Walgreens brings together two of the country’s strongest brands in health care, said Jim DuCharme, the chief executive of Prime Therapeutics, in an interview.
“Nobody in the industry has integrated and connected the health plan — the Blue plan — with the retail pharmacy network...
http://www.startribune.com/prime-therapeutics-walgreens-to-form-pharmacy-alliance/391668561/
Read Unintended Consequences.
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Anonymous Anonymous said...
Its the 14th day now that i have been uninsured.Was actually able to speak to a representative from Blue Cross.According to them this was no computer glitch.The City of Chicago terminated the coverage effective 01JAN17.
Go online to the BC/BS website and get your temp I'd card or letter
It has all your BC/BS INFO
my guess is when this is run down it will turn out this is not the fault of BC/BS but of the city. The city is responsible for telling BC/BS who they are supposed to insure. It is not up to the insurance company to make that determination.
I still think it's the entry level employees at BCBS, low paid and lazy just showing up for weeks at a time, just enough to get shit-canned so they can collect some SSI disability entitlement. It's an age old tactic. Could be just a sabotage by a police hater too.
Don't forget there's the lazy City administration that doesn't supervise timely follow ups and won't give twoshits about your benefits.
Incompetence is a City Hall institution.
It's called incompetence in all levels. I bet city/ BCBS was cancelling retired cops and cancelled everything
Of course this was done on purpose the city is entirely self insured, BCBS just handles the program, why can't fop look into having the city pay them whatever is needed and they could administer "Cadillac" insurance you know like barry and the rahm crew have! This would be "change we could believe in!" Hopefully President Trump helps "make Chicago great again!"
Just received my insurance cards over the mail.
1 – 9 of 9
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Its the 14th day now that i have been uninsured.Was actually able to speak to a representative from Blue Cross.According to them this was no computer glitch.The City of Chicago terminated the coverage effective 01JAN17.
I hope you don't really believe what you are writing. There is no way the city cancelled active duty police insurance and if you are a retiree you would have gotten your options for insurance and the card would have already been mailed
Anonymous said...
I was rahmified when I picked up my meds at CVS and had to pay $180.00. I wonder if the mayor and his fifty thieves' insurance is fucked up?
1/13/2017 07:37:00 AM
I went to Walgreens twice since January 1 and picked up my prescriptions. Nothing changed. They had the insurance card on file and never said a word Just saying
Anonymous said...
Insurance lapse done on purpose by Chicago.. City did not pay premium money to Blue Cross .which is why Blue Cross was saying nothing, but call Chicago for answers
Chicago is gone. Rahmbo screws City retires by cutting off health insurance then Emnauel laughs he cut an entitlement ,But gives out Millions to illegals. Hey crap head Emanuel those retires busted their rear ends to work even thru big snow storms .2019???? Rahmbo will be retired
Before you talk, know the facts. The city does not pay premiums to BC/BS for insurance. The city is self insurance and uses BC/BS to administer the citys insurance
my guess is when this is run down it will turn out this is not the fault of BC/BS but of the city. The city is responsible for telling BC/BS who they are supposed to insure. It is not up to the insurance company to make that determination.
1/13/2017 12:47:00 PM
BCBS got faulty info from the City.
Emanuel hates us.
Not too hard to figure out how this happened.
From the AMFN:
Blue Cross Blue Shield is experiencing technical problems with their eligibility system and as a result, some City employees’ coverage has been terminated. Employees should be encouraged to first call Blue Cross with coverage questions (see phone numbers below). Employees whose coverage has been terminated by mistake will be reinstated retroactively to January 1, 2017. An alert will be posted on the City’s benefits website directing employees to call Blue Cross Blue Shield with coverage questions. For HMO members who need to verify coverage at the doctor’s office or emergency room or for other HMO general questions call HMO GENERAL CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-730-8504. For HMO members who need help filling a prescription call HMO PHARMACY CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-423-1973. For PPO members who need to verify coverage or for other general PPO questions call PPO Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO customer service - 1-800-772-6895.
Only took the Police department 12 days to figure out they had a problem and who WE needed to call to fix it. I just want to know the name of the person who's responsible and how many days off without pay they will be taking....
Just to clarify, you do NOT have blue cross-blue shield insurance. Ultimately, the city of chicago is your insurer, blue cross-blue shield only manages the insurance. What seems more likely to have happened is that the city sent them a list of insurance policies to cancel.
So if we had no insurance for the past two weeks, what happened to our money that we paid for insurance? can we get our premiums back?
Rahmmy is just playing!
That explains why my Dr's office said they were checking i had coverage when i called for an appointment
Maybe it is the fault of Russian hackers!
None of these problems are associated with the Medicare Advantage policies. All of the those policies went active on the 1st of Jan.
i'm glad to hear that you officers are starting to receive your BC&BS medical cards and that you once again covered for medical
insurance. Hope all of you get the cards soon and the problem or mistake gets corrected but I really think the problem is
growing. I received my medical cards yesterday for BC & BS. What troubles me is that I am retired also on medicare, and my coverage for retiree health care via BC & BS was terminated on 31 Dec. 2016. I don't understand what is happening. Did the retiree's case pending before the Illinois Supreme court get the medical benefits restored ? I find it hard to believe that the court has heard the case and ruled on the matter this fast. I enrolled in the new plan that the FOP worked out with Etna and have made a few visits to the doctor and pharmacy and it seems to be a very good plan. At this time I am not certain if I am enrolled and paying for both plans or just another mistake by who ever is trying to right the insurance system back to normal. In any case I think that things are more screwed up than anyone realizes. Did any other retiree's get a BC & BS medical insurance card sent to them ?
SCC, I am not to savvy with transferring documents, if the below link opens it will show the 2017 Blue Cross Blue Shield rates for a non Medicare retiree. I retired with 30 years of service before turning 55 years of age. Within the first year of retirement my premium went up $4k, then doubled after 18 months then tripled the following year. As you will see in the BC/BS rate chart I attached the 2017 rate for my family is $43,464 per year. That is nearly 5 times the cost of my premium when I retired. Emanuel has found the single largest way to diminish not only my pension benefits but a substantial part of my pension annuity. How could the court allow this, what happen to the understanding back in the 1980's that our pension benefit would carry us through in retirement with a little deferred comp assistance. Well, I did a good job saving in my deferred comp, but that will not offset this financial mess. After talking to many of my friends still on the job, I was surprised those contemplating retirement before 55 did not know about this ridiculous premium.
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Anonymous Anonymous said...
SCC, I am not to savvy with transferring documents, if the below link opens it will show the 2017 Blue Cross Blue Shield rates for a non Medicare retiree. I retired with 30 years of service before turning 55 years of age. Within the first year of retirement my premium went up $4k, then doubled after 18 months then tripled the following year. As you will see in the BC/BS rate chart I attached the 2017 rate for my family is $43,464 per year. That is nearly 5 times the cost of my premium when I retired. Emanuel has found the single largest way to diminish not only my pension benefits but a substantial part of my pension annuity. How could the court allow this, what happen to the understanding back in the 1980's that our pension benefit would carry us through in retirement with a little deferred comp assistance. Well, I did a good job saving in my deferred comp, but that will not offset this financial mess. After talking to many of my friends still on the job, I was surprised those contemplating retirement before 55 did not know about this ridiculous premium.
Hang in there. You still may have a shot at getting premiums reduced. The Kirshac case is still going. It will be before the Illinois Supreme Court this spring. In a case almost exact as ours the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state employees
If they ruled in favor of the state employees in a case that mirrors ours, we have a good chance of winning
Keep your chin up, there is still a chance
Hopefully ALL the city unions will support the case and make some donations to the law firm handling it. Currently the FOP is carrying the financial burden of the case
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