Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

I dropped t healthcare and now have ObamaCare.

Family, friends, self have had too many bad issues with United HealthCare.
Has happened so many times that many of us including me will never give them a chance to deny claims & attempt scre.ew us again.
I have a good friend who is a OB/GYN and she handles the wives/executive women above 4th level. She does not take our at&t insurance. She is good enough that women seek her out and she refuses to discount her services as she just sends them a bill & it gets paid 100% and that is because executives above 4th level have a anything goes everything is paid plan. Why? Because they know that our insurance - United HealthCare is c.r@p.

@2qol
UHC is crooked.
I'd agree with that. That said, when Medicare is involved, a lot of the crookedness is directed towards Medicare, not the patient. And appeals because they're denying treatment can involve Medicare, so the patient doesn't have to go it alone. If they deny something for me, Medicare will be on my short list of who to call, because they're obligated to cover what traditional Medicare covers.

For me, a healthy person, the $2400, and the $0 Medicare Advantage (not the ATT plan) that includes dental and vision means that the HRA can be used to pay part B premiums, and the balance in the HRA is accruing. And importantly, the plan provides for an annual physical (not a wellness visit) that includes blood tests.

Everybody's circumstances are individual. For some people, the $900 out-of-pocket in network/out-of-network benefit in the AT&T plan works. For someone not getting the HRA, that plan is competitive. For someone getting the HRA, there would have to be particular circumstances to forgo the $2400 loss to the HRA.

I agree with @2qol. UHC looks for any opportunity to deny. I once wound up in the hospital and they refused to pay the surgeon and I stayed in contact with United for 2 years trying to get them to pay. After getting 3 letters from the surgeon I paid and then informed United after 2+years that I paid because now I was getting threatening letters from bill collectors. Told United to pay or deny. Pay & I'm gone. Deny & I'm hiring an attorney. After about an hour the minority woman for United agrees to pay & starts trying to verbally abuse me & then tells me that I should not have paid the Doc as they could have negotiated the price down. I told her that United had 2+ years and my credit rating was at risk, the Doc wanted payment & I was tired of getting threatening collecting calls. Then that be.aotch starts in with her abusive language, I stopped her short, gave her a taste of what she was dishing and hung up on that mo--n. Wrote a letter to the President of United about them, and her and decided that if given a choice I would never deal with these crooks again & I have not. Will not. UHC is a Piece of 5hit company.

@2guv
So I pay the SS deductible of $233 and then Medicare pays 80% of R&C. Then after I meet a certain deductible my supplement pays at 100%.
Paying 20% after medicare deductible is like $20 to $60 - cheap & I'm not concerned about this small change.
I am concerned when I wind up in the emergency room with a stone and UHC says that is not an emergency, or when it's 8pm and their are no In-Ntwk urologists and the urologist says go in now or your kidney will explode. Then UHC says it's not an emergency and now want to pay out-of-ntwk bennies leaving me with a $30,000 hospital & Doc bill. This is real! Or when I get up in the middle of the night, pass out, wake up with 2 broken front teeth, go to a DDS Surgeon as an "accident" (no difference between passing out on the floor and in a car wreck) and the bill is $25,000 and UHC pays for accidents but not dental - and - they tell me my $1,000 dental benefit is what I should file. When I ask them to define accident they cannot/will not - but claim this is dental which is - but is dental/accident. This is not a root canal, cavity etc. Only after I involve my bro who is an attorney do they pay the $25,000. Reason? They deny all claims and I'm sure make a percentage of what they deny.
UHC is crooked. Dishonest. Liars. and the t is trying to force us upon them.
NO THANKS. I'm saving more money with traditional Medicare + supplement + Rx plans.

Bottom line is UHC tries to deny all claims, saving at&t money
Right. But it's a completely different ballgame when they're spending Medicare money. When I get my annual physical, they're paying everything, blood work and the whole 9 yards. Under AT&T, they were covering the doctor, and that's it.

So far, so good.

Yeah, do the math.
Every time I wound up in the hospital I have to threaten to sue to get them to pay.
I once had a stone & they told me it was not an emergency, then the did not pay the only Dr who could help me before I destroyed a kidney- he was not in network so UHC paid as out of network - even though the hospital was in ntwk. Had a PSA and a c reactive protein that they also didn't want to pay for. Passed out and hit the floor, woke up and had some teeth issues i.e. AN ACCIDENT, & those id--ts told me my dental needed to cover, so I asked the difference between this and having a wreck & breaking teeth on the steering wheel. Yep, had to threaten. Bottom line is UHC tries to deny all claims, saving at&t money and the subscriber pays the bills - IF ONE IS D-MB ENOUGH to BELIEVE THEM.
No thanks! Stay with medicare, get a supl & Rx plan collect the $2700 and it's better, cheaper and more honest.

I am d-mbfounded by those complaining about management healthcare benefits. They are in fact very good , comparable if not better than what most large corporations are offering in terms of cost and actual benefits. You can bi--h about many other things but benefits for management employees isn’t one of themX sorry

@1dfs
Do the math
That is correct. Do that math. I noticed that your math left out actual health expenses, deductibles and out-of-pockets. It is these items that can make the AT&T UHC retiree plan a good fit.

You would not subtract $2700. The amount subtracted is $2400 because you retain a $300 dental/vision benefit. So, the math as I see it is $2400 versus the deductibles, out-of-pocket and medigap/medicare advantage premiums.

It isn't a good fit for me. But it might be a good fit for people with chronic illnesses.

If we really want to drill down and do the math, that $2400 comes in tax free. So, we could adjust that value higher by figuring out what that represents in taxable income.

(Currently on $0 Medicare Advantage)

" Bronze, Silver and Gold are going away. New plan will aim towards being proactive with outside support to get early advice and action to prevent issues down the line and reduce later medical expenses. The focus will be on improving your health not fixing health problems you incur"

In other words, for you active management folks...

Yes, somehow your healthcare coverage is actually getting worse than it was. Hard to fathom really. Thank God I am on my partner's medical plan.

They're right you know!
Stankey thinks he can herd all retirees into the cattle car to the at&t group Medicare advantage plan through united healthcare. Aint gonna happen here.
Stankey has always found a way to put less in the box and charge more! This is no different. Trust Stankey as far as you can throw him. Remember he wrecked a once iconic, historic company called at&t.

Gold, Silver, Bronze are not just an AT&T thing

I pay $544.30 mo. for part b medicare or $6531.60 annually
I pay $61 mo. for supplement or $733 annually
I pay $5.55 mo. for Rx or $66.60 annually
Total medical insurance therefore = $7331.20
Subtract the HRA of ($2700) = $4631.20 MY ANNUAL Insurance Cost

AT&T wants me to take the UHC Advantage plan which is $0.00 but I still pay must pay the Medicare part b of $6531.60 with no HRA.

It's a no brainer - pay $4631.20 vs. $6531.60 AND I don't have to deal with UHC who you have to threaten to pay your medical bills. NO THANKS! I'll stick with traditional Medicare, my supplement & a dr-g plan. I am a high earning retiree. But...............

Stankey and HR is trying to scam retirees to take their 5.hit.y UHC plan. Do the math, don't fall for the Bologna.

HR in a our staff meeting said the medical will be significantly different for mgmt and suggested you attend early meetings as it may not be clear and you would have time to attend another meeting later to clarify questions. Bronze, Silver and Gold are going away. New plan will aim towards being proactive with outside support to get early advice and action to prevent issues down the line and reduce later medical expenses. The focus will be on improving your health not fixing health problems you incur

‘’Gold, Silver, Bronze will be there, who manages, deductibles, and/por cost of each may change.”

Actually, you are wrong. The initial email to management supervisors specifically states that the metallic bronze, silver, and gold are going away in 2023, to be replaced by something the company says will be based on whether an individual is driven “by lower costs, by network providers, or something else.”

There is a traveling roadshow visiting the larger office centers in the US - for supervisors only - to help them learn how to explain the changes to we little people. There is one in Atlanta on Thursday, Sep. 29. There will also be an online version of the same show a little later.

When I started my career 22 years ago my doctors office told me I had one of the best healthcare plans. Twenty-two years later my doctors office told me I have one of the worst. What a difference 22 years make in healthcare.

@wlw
I'm not in denial. (I've never been to Egypt.)
I'm just saying that there is no official notification at this point.

If come 2024, we can get the AT&T UHC retiree plan, especially for free, I'll have a smile on my face. The in-network and out-of-network arrangements can't be beat.

If we wind up getting nothing, I'll still be all right. Weight control has a lot to do with it.

To @1yq+
I see you are still stuck in the denial phase! Don't feel bad, it could happen to anyone.

Stankey, that's who. T is cash strapped, they are looking at anything and everything to save cash. It makes sense that retiree bennies would be cut. I hate to lose the $2700 HRA bennie, but that's the price paid for poor CEO decisions. If you want to believe the company funded HRA will be available in 2024, have at it!

"The healthcare plans for management aren't any better than what you'd get running a register at Costco"

Believe it or not, Costco's healthcare benefits for full time employees are significantly better. I happen to know because I'm a T management employee on my spouse's Costco insurance. Run the numbers every year and it's not even close.

Last year for the T funded HRA of $2700.

Says who? While that might be likely, I haven't heard of anything said on it. Last word I heard on that is:
The experience within the Exchange plans has been positive and we are able to keep your HRA crediting amounts through 2023. Beyond that, future changes in HRA crediting amounts, if any, will be based on several factors. These factors may include business conditions, government actions, marketplace changes and the general consumer inflation rate.

IBEW's reports:

• Retained current plan coverages.
• Negotiated a first time ever Fertility benefit.
• Additional Option 3 is now available with different cost structure starting 2024.
• For the first time, newly hired employees will enjoy most benefits from day one of employment.
• Tobacco Use Medical Contribution of $75 begins in 2024 unless the employee enrolls in the Tobacco Cessation Program.
• Cost increases were stabilized and in some instances reduced.
• Annual Out-of-pocket maximums starting in 2023 were lowered from 2022 amounts.

Yes, i hate it. It seems like I find myself saying "i remember when" more than ever, when it comes to retiree benefits! Thanks Stankey and Stephenson, you ruined this once financially healthy company in ten short years

Last year for the T funded HRA of $2700. Don't you just hate it?

What ever the changes are, if you're management the changes may be "new" but I seriously doubt they're "improved". The healthcare plans for management aren't any better than what you'd get running a register at Costco.

They're probably changing all wellness visit coverage to some online webmonkey survey some call center in India reviews for health issues.

Gold, Silver, Bronze will be there, who manages, deductibles, and/por cost of each may change.

"Any retiree that take the at&t group Medicare advantage plan is being duped"

If you read some of the retiree forums (Facebook)...many (I'd venture to say most) are very happy with that plan. Just do your homework and make sure your docs are in network and all that.

All of you reluctant to change (I get it) and clinging to your $2700 HRA payment...surely you can read the writing on the wall and understand that is no longer going to be an option for you, right?

An unmarked van pulls into the office parking lot and a side door slides open for any appointment needs.

The AT&T retiree plan has low deductibles, and a cap on prescription costs. It's not worth jettisoning $2400 of the $2700 payment under my current circumstances. It is a good fit for some.

For management....they couldn't possibly be even HIGHER deductible plans?

Could they????

Got my letter from Alight. Says I get $2700 for 2023 health and $1500 for dependents. Says if I'm happy with the plan, no action required.

Could be wrong, but I think ALL plans are changing not just retiree.
I Heard the Gold, Siver, Bronze are going away and new options are coming.

Any retiree that take the at&t group Medicare advantage plan is being duped. Please evaluate other healthcare options, at&t does not have your best interests at heart. It's all about saving money for T. Stephenson and Stankey squandered all the company resources, now they want us to help bail them out, no thanks.

@cbo+1iVSPXgX I'll be 65 next year & I just received info on that yesterday. What's in it for T is my question, because it sure can't be anything we can benefit from.

The company is trying to herd all retirees into the at&t group Medicare advantage plan through united healthcare. He'll no, I won't go! Just another example of T herding the sheeple.