March 2019 Scoop

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Friday, March 1, 2019

We can't wait for fair health care pricing!

House Bill 184 was filed this week, giving in to hospital executives’ demands for the General Assembly to pump the brakes on the Clear Pricing Project.

Sponsored by 25 representatives in the House, HB 184 sets up a study committee to look at the needs and the plan design of the State Health Plan.

The bill also prohibits reference-based pricing until 2022, meaning plan members will continue to overpay for services and taxpayers will be charged nearly $1 million a day while they study the Plan.

We need you to contact the bill sponsors and your legislators and tell them it’s time to put working families over corporate interests.

Governor Cooper sided with the hospitals last week, echoing the call to delay implementation of the Clear Pricing Project. Tell Gov. Cooper the time is now to save our State Health Plan. Let him know that state employees and retirees have overpaid for too long and attempts to delay the Clear Pricing Project only allow hospital executives to keep patients in the dark about the true cost of their care.

We don’t need to slow down, hospitals need to hurry up.

Take action now to let Gov. Cooper and your legislators know that the Clear Pricing Project is the clear choice for state employees, retirees and taxpayers.

Tell legislators to oppose HB 184

Council of State to decide DMV headquarters' fate this week On Tuesday the Council of State will make its final decision on the proposed DMV headquarters move to Rocky Mount. Both SEANC lobbyists and members will be on hand to remind the Council of State that the decision has real-life consequences for the workers there.

It will also negatively affect taxpayers who live west of Raleigh, who will have to drive an extra hour to do business with the DMV headquarters.

A News & Observer story this week highlighted the flooding issues at the Rocky Mount site that has been selected. SEANC Executive Director Robert Broome told the paper that the flooding problems should be a disqualifier for the move.

“I’m very concerned about the state taking on that level of risk for a campus that is supposed to house the headquarters of a state agency,” said Broome. “I think this risk should not be downplayed and should in fact be a disqualifier for this location."

If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to call the Council of State members to tell them to keep the DMV headquarters in Raleigh.

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Friday, March 8, 2019

Republicans: Cooper's budget dead on arrival Republican leaders quickly dismissed Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed budget Wednesday, saying it was “not a serious budget proposal.” Legislators will soon begin crafting their own spending plan, which is expected to look notably different from the governor’s version.

SEANC looks forward to working with the General Assembly and the administration to get the best deal for state employees and retirees.

Cooper’s proposal included the following provisions regarding state employees and retirees: a pay raise of 1.5% or $500 (whichever is greater) for all state employees. five extra days of special annual leave. an additional $500 increase for non-certified school personnel, including teaching assistants, custodians and bus drivers. an additional $500 increase for nearly 37,000 law enforcement officers and institutional employees in the Departments of Public Safety and Health and Human Services. a one-time 2% bonus for retirees. $12 million for facility upgrades and safety improvements at the state's prisons.

Share your healthcare stories with us The Clear Pricing Project made national headlines this week when a prominent healthcare media outlet, Modern Healthcare, took an in-depth look at the issue. The article pointed out that North Carolina hospitals are five times more profitable than the national average.

One expert said N.C. hospitals “are used to a gravy train,” while another said it is “absolutely” possible for the state’s hospitals to make it on the Treasurer’s plan of reimbursing rates of Medicare plus 77 percent.

Legislators and hospital lobbyists are both claiming to speak on behalf of state employees in this fight, but no one is allowing state employees and retirees to speak for themselves.

We need to hear from you. Please take a minute to share your story with us.

We can win this fight, but we can’t allow hospital executives to dominate the narrative about our care. Together, we can stand up and save our State Health Plan for state employees, retirees and our families.

Share your story

Council of State approves lease for DMV move Despite fierce opposition from SEANC members and legislators, the Council of State approved a lease proposal that could result in the Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters being moved from Raleigh to Rocky Mount.

The Council of State passed the measure on Tuesday without any discussion or debate.

Although Gov. Cooper had previously delayed a vote so the Council could learn more about how DMV would assist employees, no details about worker assistance were shared in the meeting.

The General Assembly must agree to fund the lease before the headquarters move can be finalized. Legislation is pending that would require DMV to issue a new request for proposals.

Following the vote, SEANC Executive Director Robert Broome told the News & Observer that the Council of State had shown “disrespect and disregard” for DMV workers.

“They have turned the lives of some 400 employees completely upside down,” Broome said. “It is profoundly disappointing."

Other items of note The N.C. Court of Appeals said Tuesday that state retirees are not exempt from paying premiums on their health care. "Retired state employees are promised nothing more than equal access to health care benefits on an equal basis with active state employees," Judge John Tyson wrote in the ruling for himself and Judges Wanda Bryant and Robert Hunter.

The first meeting of the N.C. Senate's Select Committee on Prison Safety will be held Monday at 1 p.m. Sen. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan) chairs the committee, which will consider recommendations from SEANC's prison reform report issued in January.

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Friday, March 8, 2019

Folwell expands reimbursements for rural health care State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced this week that the State Health Plan would increase the annual reimbursement rates for rural hospitals by 20 percent as part of the Clear Pricing Project.

This adjustment means that the Plan will pay an additional $52 million for health care in North Carolina’s rural communities.

Hospital executives have claimed that the Clear Pricing Project’s strategy of reimbursing care at 177 percent of Medicare rates would shortchange rural hospitals and cause them to close. Folwell’s revised approach would raise the reimbursements to 218 percent.

This concession was still not enough for the greedy hospital lobby, which dismissed the increase as a waste of tax dollars. It was a bizarre argument to make, considering that the Clear Pricing Project would still save taxpayers $258 million annually and reduce outof-pocket costs for plan members by $57 million per year.

Hospitals are pushing a bill, HB 184, that would put a stop to the Clear Pricing Project and keep Treasurer Folwell from doing his job. We cannot afford to let them continue overcharging us for our health care. Take action today and tell your legislators to oppose HB 184 and let the Treasurer do the job he was elected to do.

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Bill filed to extend $15/hour minimum salary One of SEANC’s policy priorities for this year is to broaden the state employee minimum salary of $15 per hour to include non-certified school personnel. Our lobbying efforts resulted in the filing this week of HB 359, which would raise the pay for tens of thousands of custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others.

The bill has broad, bipartisan support and is sponsored by Reps. Terence Everitt (DWake), John Hardister (R-Guilford), Rena Turner (R- Iredell) and House Minority Leader Darren Jackson (D-Wake). More than 20 representatives from both sides of the aisle have signed on as co-sponsors.

Now comes the hard part – getting the bill passed. If you’re a SEANC member who knows a non-certified school employee that hasn’t joined SEANC, tell them the importance of standing with us on this bill. Ask them to join SEANC today!

Drewery speaks at Senate prison reform meeting SEANC Past President Stanley Drewery was among the first to present to the newly formed Senate Select Committee on Prison Safety that held its first meeting this week.

Drewery told the committee that after the deaths of five state employees at the hands of inmates in 2017, he has seen a marked change in the attitudes of officers on the job who are now “in fear for their lives.”

“Something really has to be done because we are losing a lot of really good people,” he said. “As soon as they get the opportunity to retire, they are heading out the door. They would stay on if they were making the money that was promised to them.”

SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins also spoke to the committee. The committee’s chairman, Sen. Bob Steinburg (R-Chowan), has been a staunch advocate for prison safety and supporter of SEANC’s efforts to give the employees on the ground a voice in reform.

Creation of the committee comes on the heels of SEANC’s release of “From the Inside,” a report detailing recommendations collected from hundreds of comments from correctional personnel.

DMV lobby day planned for Monday The Council of State voted last week to approve a lease to move the Division of Motor Vehicles’ headquarters to Rocky Mount, but SEANC continues to work with lawmakers on a solution that will keep the DMV in Raleigh.

The General Assembly must agree to fund the lease before the headquarters move can be finalized. Legislation is pending that would require DMV to issue a new request for proposals.

SEANC District 43, which includes the headquarters, has planned a Lobby Day effort for Monday, March 18 beginning at 5 p.m. at the General Assembly. All members are encouraged to attend and support these employees.

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Friday, March 22, 2019

Take action now to stop HB 184 This Tuesday, legislators in the House Health Committee will vote on HB184 – a bad bill that will cost taxpayers and State Health Plan members more than $1 million per day if it’s enacted.

HB 184 was written at the behest of hospital lobbyists to stop Treasurer Dale Folwell from moving forward with SEANC-supported reforms to the State Health Plan. Our initiative – the Clear Pricing Project – will save Plan members $57 million every year in reduced out-of-pocket expenses. It will also save taxpayers more than $258 million annually.

Hospitals want to delay these important reforms, and HB 184 would block Treasurer Folwell from implementing the Clear Pricing Project in 2020. Even though the State Health Plan Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Clear Pricing Project last year, hospitals want the General Assembly to “study” the issue for two years. That’s code for “let the hospitals keep overcharging for care while we prevent the Treasurer from doing the job he was elected to do.”

We need you to take action now to save your health plan! We have listed three easy ways for you act right now and again on Tuesday at the legislature to tell lawmakers that HB184 is a bad bill for state employees and retirees. We will provide transportation from the SEANC office to downtown. If you are able to come, please click here to let us know.

If you are unable to come in person, you can still take action by contacting your legislator here: tell your legislator to put working families first and vote NO on HB184 quickly and easily through our Voter Voice system.

Contact your legislator

Theme park tickets go on sale April 1!

Theme park season is right around the corner! Get ready to pick up your discounted tickets for 11 parks in four states at any State Employees' Credit Union branch, beginning April 1! There are lots of new attractions out there, like the new Copperhead Strike at Carowinds featured above!

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Friday, March 29, 2019

House Bill 184 cleared the House Health Committee on Tuesday, and we expect it to be voted on by the House next week. This bad bill will cost the state more than $1.3 billion for the next two years.

We can kiss goodbye any hope of a pay raise or a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees because the legislature will need to spend that money on our health care. What's more, our premiums are likely to skyrocket as well.

We have no time to waste. The bill will be heard in the House Rules Committee at 2:30 p.m. Monday. We need members to come to the legislature for this important vote. If you are able, please click here to let us know you are coming.

If you can't come, please take a few minutes to email your legislator to tell them to oppose H184. We also encourage you to give them a call. We have provided all the information you need to have a productive conversation here.

If legislators reject H184, there’s already a plan in place to save members $57 million every year in reduced out-of-pocket expenses. It will also save taxpayers more than $250 million annually.

Hospitals are playing a political game with your lives. H184 allows them to continue to overcharge state employees and retirees while the legislature “studies” changes to the plan.

Tell your legislator to reject H184 and let the Treasurer do his job.

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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