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Message from the
Director The people have voted and as a result there has been a shift of power in Washington D.C. It is hoped by all those who voted for the change, that the government will be more responsive to the needs of its citizens. One of the many issues that MAP hopes will be addressed by the new Congress, is the crisis in health care that faces this nation. More and more Americans are losing health care insurance. Over the last six years, over six million Americans lost their health care coverage. This brings the number of Americans without any health care coverage to over forty million. This trend shows no sign of stopping. Over 52% of Employers that currently offer health care coverage are considering dropping this benefit since it is too costly to continue to provide to its employees. The trend among Employers is to answer the cost of rising health insurance premiums by shifting the cost to the employees. It is hard to argue that the Employer should continue to pay 100% of the health care premium when the cost exceeds Eighteen hundred dollars a month. Shifting the cost to the employee involves either premium sharing or deductibles and co-pay or both. This is not cost containment, it is cost sharing. The theory is that the more of the cost paid by the employee, the less the Employer will pay in monthly premiums. MAP believes that this approach is doomed in the long run, for failure. The logical conclusion is that eventually health care premiums will be so high that even with premium sharing and high deductibles and co-insurance, no one will be able to afford health insurance. MAP believes that a joint labor-management approach to this issue is critical to help reduce and contain costs. It needs the involvement of the members and their families by being more savvy when it comes to the health care services and products they receive. Insist on generic drugs. This one item will save millions of dollars. Do not go to Emergency rooms or Urgent care for routine services. The costs for non-emergency services from an emergency room is astronomical. However management and labor can only do so much. The members by being smart consumers when it comes to health care can only do so much. Real relief must come from Washington D.C. Congress must step in and put an end to spiraling health care insurance premiums. The high costs of pharmaceuticals must be investigated. Why does the same drug cost less overseas than here? Why can't we go to Canada and buy our prescriptions there when the same prescription costs two-to-three times as much on this side of the river? MAP has continued to be in the forefront on the issue of the high cost of health care. MAP was one of the founding members of the Coalition of Public Safety (COPS) Trust and the later Michigan Employees Trust (MET). Both of these trusts were designed to help provide MAP members with high quality health care at an affordable price. Additionally MAP has looked to Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) as a way to reduce and contain prescription drug costs. MAP asks each and every member to notify their Senator and Congressman that they are expecting Congress to act on the high cost of health care before everyone loses their insurance. Do this now. Do not wait since the health care insurance you save, may be your family's. Fred Timpner
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