Insurance SG14

[Cindy Luna]

Hi Everyone!

I have done some research and have found out that family plans are pretty expensive, so, we will all have to acknowledge that no matter what we are paying bi-weekly, it's still better than full price...

Now, I looked at 5 different company sites that offer insurance, and so far the top 3 are what you would expect...Aetna, Blue Cross-Blue Sheild, Humana.

They all three have very similar plans and premiums, with, in my opion, the best premium/plan combo with Aetna.

I was also asked by a superior to pass along what ever I find to headquarters, so "they" can see what's out there.

If you want to know what the costs are (be prepared), e-mail me at cindyluna85@hotmail.com and put HMO in the subject line.

As a side note, unless the magic insurance fairy comes along before open enrollment, I will have to go with the crappy coverage for next year and keep my fingers crossed that the new sheriff will make our insurance a top priority for 2010.

Cindy Luna :shock:

Hey cindy if no one has said anything THANK YOU for all youve been doing

[Cindy Luna]

Thank You!

I figured that as long I was looking anyway, why not share what I find?

Cindy Luna

[Peter M. Napoli]

What I would recommend to everyone involved in this situation would be to consider putting your dependents on individual health insurance as this appears to be less expensive than the group policy being offered to you. I do believe as employees, the county is paying a large portion if not all of your premium, however they are not contributing anything towards dependents. There are health questions with Humana, Blue Cross and Aetna, however Aetna and Humana appear to be gentler. Aetna is the only company that will consider a Type 2 Diabetic.

LEO Affairs has requested my services to address this type of situation, so please feel free to email me at peternapoli@bellsouth.net or you may call my cell at 386-566-0433 or toll free at 800-758-1495 if you have any questions regarding rates and company/ plan options which are available.

Be Safe,
Peter

[Cindy Luna]

Peter,

Thanks for the info, however, that leaves my spouse out in the cold. His employer does not offer insurance. So even though it would be cheaper for just me & spouse, after a premium for 4 dependents, I would still pay more.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Cindy Luna

[Peter M. Napoli]

Hi Cindy,

I do believe you will benefit by having your husband and children go on individual health insurance while you maintain the option of either going on the group policy or on individual. I am also assuming that the sheriff's office is paying your portion or the majority of your premium, while your dependents portion of the premium is your responsibility. As far as the number of children, whether it is 1 or 9 children, the price is not affected by the number of children. I write all of this assuming that you are working for the sheriffs office and not your husband. If you would like, please feel free to email me at peternapoli@bellsouth.net with everyone's ages and I will email you brochures as well as the rates and lets see if we can save you some money while providing comprehensive coverage.

Be Safe,
Pete

Sort of. A few patrol deputies took it upon themselves to gather some preliminary information. They then passed it on to the PBA reps. The reps made some phone calls to get information. They called the person that serves Charlotte County along with other counties. The information sounded pretty good. The insurance rep was given the name of Captain Marshall to contact since he is in charge of the HR Bureau. The person from the insurance company put calls in to the HR department, Captain Marshall and also tried to contact then Acting Major Hoffman. When the union rep called the insurance rep to check on the status and to see if any other assistance was needed, he was informed that no one from the SSO had contacted him even though he left messages and voice mails. It just so happened that on that day the union rep had a meeting with his captain and the subject was brought up. It appeared that the union reps' captain was very interested because that captain sent an E-mail to then acting Major Hoffman asking him if he could look into this. That captain received a response from then Acting Major Hoffman saying that the captain "...need to caution your staff not to independently seek out these individuals on behalf of the Sheriff's Office." "...I told [him] that when we are ready to sit down I will contact him." "Captain Marshall and I have this on the TOP of our priority list."
Really at the TOP of the list????? So that's where we are with this thing. Seems like somebody talking out of both sides of their mouth. The PBA was trying to assist management and locate a potential savings not only for deputies but for the entire department and was repaid by being told, in not so many words, keep your noses out of our business. Too bad they don't realize that money out of our pockets is our business!

Sort of. A few patrol deputies took it upon themselves to gather some preliminary information. They then passed it on to the PBA reps. The reps made some phone calls to get information. They called the person that serves Charlotte County along with other counties. The information sounded pretty good. The insurance rep was given the name of Captain Marshall to contact since he is in charge of the HR Bureau. The person from the insurance company put calls in to the HR department, Captain Marshall and also tried to contact then Acting Major Hoffman. When the union rep called the insurance rep to check on the status and to see if any other assistance was needed, he was informed that no one from the SSO had contacted him even though he left messages and voice mails. It just so happened that on that day the union rep had a meeting with his captain and the subject was brought up. It appeared that the union reps' captain was very interested because that captain sent an E-mail to then acting Major Hoffman asking him if he could look into this. That captain received a response from then Acting Major Hoffman saying that the captain "...need to caution your staff not to independently seek out these individuals on behalf of the Sheriff's Office." "...I told [him] that when we are ready to sit down I will contact him." "Captain Marshall and I have this on the TOP of our priority list."
Really at the TOP of the list????? So that's where we are with this thing. Seems like somebody talking out of both sides of their mouth. The PBA was trying to assist management and locate a potential savings not only for deputies but for the entire department and was repaid by being told, in not so many words, keep your noses out of our business. Too bad they don't realize that money out of our pockets is our business!

I'm extremely disappointed to read this, but am not surprised either. :?

I know that we (the SSO) are in bed with the County of Sarasota, so breaking away from the County of Sarasota could be a political mess because millions of dollars are involved. If we leave the County of Sarasota's plan, then it could lower our costs, but it could drive their costs up. That means it's a political mess that nobody wants to touch, especially with an incoming new sheriff!!! :|

I hope that the reason you looked at CCSO's insurance was to get a model for what you dont want.

Out insurance is chit. Its free they say! Its free for a reason; it sucks. It doesnt pay for anything.

Sort of. A few patrol deputies took it upon themselves to gather some preliminary information. They then passed it on to the PBA reps. The reps made some phone calls to get information. They called the person that serves Charlotte County along with other counties. The information sounded pretty good. The insurance rep was given the name of Captain Marshall to contact since he is in charge of the HR Bureau. The person from the insurance company put calls in to the HR department, Captain Marshall and also tried to contact then Acting Major Hoffman. When the union rep called the insurance rep to check on the status and to see if any other assistance was needed, he was informed that no one from the SSO had contacted him even though he left messages and voice mails. It just so happened that on that day the union rep had a meeting with his captain and the subject was brought up. It appeared that the union reps' captain was very interested because that captain sent an E-mail to then acting Major Hoffman asking him if he could look into this. That captain received a response from then Acting Major Hoffman saying that the captain "...need to caution your staff not to independently seek out these individuals on behalf of the Sheriff's Office." "...I told [him] that when we are ready to sit down I will contact him." "Captain Marshall and I have this on the TOP of our priority list."
Really at the TOP of the list????? So that's where we are with this thing. Seems like somebody talking out of both sides of their mouth. The PBA was trying to assist management and locate a potential savings not only for deputies but for the entire department and was repaid by being told, in not so many words, keep your noses out of our business. Too bad they don't realize that money out of our pockets is our business!

Take into consideration that we are currently under contract and can't change until it runs out, 1/1/2010. This is an excellent time to start looking for next year. These things can't be done in a matter of a few months as the current contract is ending. Everything would need to be in place long before the time to do your selections (September). The process also requires that we "shop" and get bids, not just chooses one vendor. While I am hoping for better insurance now, I am more interested in med benefits upon retirement than I am changing what we have now.

And no, I am not management. I was in the insurance industry long before I came here and understand a little about setting up a program. It takes time and a lot of work.