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A state agency that provides health insurance benefits to Hawaii’s public employees has announced that it will allow employees to switch their health insurance from Kaiser Permanente to Hawaii Medical Services Association due to a prolonged strike by Kaiser’s mental health clinicians. We are considering offering a special open registration period.
The Board of Directors, which oversees the Hawaii Employers Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, held a public meeting today amid concerns that employees with Kaiser Health Insurance are struggling to access mental and behavioral health services. I plan to take up this issue.
According to a staff filing outlining the agenda item, active employees will be offered a special registration period extended until December 23 or file an appeal with the EUTF seeking to switch insurance plans. You may be notified of what you can do.
EUTF is the largest purchaser of health insurance in the state and provides health insurance benefits to all eligible state and county workers throughout Hawaii. It includes approximately 68,000 active employees and 60,000 dependents, 47,000 retirees and 20,000 dependents.
About 60 Kaiser clinicians, including psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses and chemical addiction counselors, have been on strike for about 100 days, according to the National Union. Health workers and the unions that represent them.
“I have very serious concerns about Kaiser’s mental health services and the impact of the ongoing strikes on members’ access to potentially life-saving care,” said a member of the EUTF Board of Directors. Osa Tui, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said: In a Union news release. “We need to learn more about the availability of Kaiser mental health services to ensure our members receive the care they need.”
Kaiser clinicians argue that understaffing at Kaiser’s clinic has led to overwhelming case numbers and that Kaiser needs to improve its compensation package to attract new employers. , during contract negotiations, Kaiser management is instead proposing salary cuts and cutting severance pay for new hires. The union said in November that Kaiser was proposing starting salaries for many Kaiser mental health therapists about 20% less than those in Northern California.
Kaiser, meanwhile, said NUHW employs standard bargaining tactics and criticized union employees for leaving their jobs.
‗Unfortunately, the NUHW has standard tactics it uses in its negotiations on the mainland, which include strikes and making baseless claims that raise undue concerns about access to mental health services. I’m trying to wake you up,” Kaiser said in a statement.
Kaiser says it has plans to attract more mental health clinicians and has more than 100 contract mental health providers accepting new patients.
“We are very grateful to the new and existing community providers and about 40% of Kaiser Permanente’s therapists who have chosen to come to work and care for their patients during the strike.” It is sad that so many therapists are under unnecessary stress and sacrifice, disrupting patient care and doing nothing to reach consensus.”
