Keeping you up-to-date on our work to increase your salary, improve and protect your benefits, and aggressively represent your professional interests in every forum where they are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
CalPERS Approves 2024 Health Plan Rates. This week, CalPERS approved the results of final rate negotiations with their health plan providers to establish monthly premiums for 2024. The overall weighted average increase for CalPERS health plans will be 10.77% next year. Last year, the average rate increase was 6.75%.
CASE Members receive a monthly Consolidated Benefits (CoBen) allowance to cover health, dental, and vision premiums. Under CoBen, the state pays 80% of the premium for Unit 2 rank and file employees and their dependents. The state’s share of the premiums for CASE-represented employees is based on the weighted average percentage of the four most utilized plans. For 2024, those plans are Kaiser Permanente, PERS Gold, UnitedHealthcare SignatureValue Alliance, and Blue Shield Access+ HMO. Confirmation of the 2024 CoBen amounts and the employee’s out-of-pocket cost will be published in an upcoming CASE Files to help you determine whether you wish to make any changes to your coverage for 2024. These changes can be made during the open enrollment period from September 18 to October 13, 2023.
Rate changes in 2024 vary widely from plan to plan. All HMO and PPO Basic plans will see an increase over 2023 rates, and only two Medicare plans will see a decrease. The largest HMO Basic plan increase is for Kaiser Permanente Out of State at 13.59%, followed by Kaiser Permanente California at 13.07%. Medicare Advantage plans will see an average increase of 13.17%.
For Basic PPOs, PERS Platinum and PERS Gold premiums will increase by 12.18% and 12.17%, respectively. Medicare PPO plans will see an average increase of 6.62%. To view the complete list of health care rates for 2024, please click here. Keep watching CASE Files for more updates on this important topic.
State Fund Personal Data Concerns: CASE Can Help. CASE has received a number of inquiries from members at State Compensation Insurance Fund about the extent to which State Fund is collecting private, personal information about employees above and beyond the basic name, social security number and other data necessary to process payroll and benefit information. For example, State Fund measures individual emotional, cognitive, and social skills and talents employees through a mandatory completion of a detailed personality questionnaire, such as the Clifton StrengthsFinder workshop.
Many members are concerned that State Fund, or the third-party contractors used by State Fund, may use this information. They have also expressed concerns that it could be hacked by identity thieves.
Fortunately, California has some privacy protection laws that may apply to State Fund which could allow employees to request that State Fund and all third party contractors delete this type of personal information. This deletion request can be made by you, or an authorized agent on your behalf. If you would like us to serve as your registered agent for this limited purpose, you simply need to submit this form. Any member who submits a completed form by August 16 will have deletion requests submitted to State Fund by CASE on their behalf.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
News of interest to CASE legal professionals:
- California Supreme Court rejects SCOTUS decision, keeps state labor law alive – San Francisco Chronicle
- California restricting state-funded travel to Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming, AG says – ABC 7 (Los Angeles)
- J&J must pay $18.8 million to a California cancer patient in a baby powder lawsuit, jury decides – NBC News
REMINDERS
2023 CASE ELECTION INFORMATION. The CASE Elections Committee has released the calendar and nominations process for this fall’s CASE Board of Directors Election. Seats for CASE President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 5 Director-at-Large positions are up for election. The nominating period is open from now through 5:00 pm PDT on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Balloting will take place from October 13 through November 3, 2023. Nomination Petitions are available on the CASE Website, along with the full calendar, election rules, and descriptions of available positions. (password: membersmatter22)