SOCCCD

HEALTH and WELLNESS COMMITTEE

Meeting Minutes

December 10, 2009

ATTENDEES:

Alliant Services / Vickie West
District Risk Management/Benefits / Earl Pagal
Brooke Childers
Academic Administration Rep / Jim Wright
CSEA / Not represented
Classified Senate, IVC / Dan Rivas
Linda Renne
Classified Senate, SC / Jan Mastrangelo
District HR / David Bugay
Bev Johnson
District Business Services / Candi Kincaid
Beth Mueller
Faculty Association / Lee Haggerty
POA / Santos Garcia
Faculty Retiree Rep / Cal Nelson
  1. CALL TO ORDER: 2:39 PM
  1. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 15, 2009 MINUTES

Minutes from the Health Insurance Committee meeting of October 15, 2009, were approved with the following amendment: Add Dan Rivas to attendee list. Minutes will be posted on the Health and Wellness committee website. Earl will send information out to the committee that explains how to access the information.

The subject of insurance coverage for dental implants was raised. Dr. Bugay reported that he has discussed this concern with the Board of Trustees. Research and data is needed so that there can be further discussion with the Board. Vickie West advised that she has data from ADA that indicates some dental patients are not good candidates for implants; implants are recognized as better than a bridge; implants are still viewed as a kind of cosmetic service; there are increased costs for implants; and if implants were covered by a dental HMO, most employees would not sign up.

  1. COMPANION CARE VS. PPO COB
    - Retiree Medical Plans
    - Schedule Retiree Workshop 2010

Vickie provided a matrix that lists coverage for COB to Medicare-Blue Shield PPO (Plan 65) and explained the difficulty in comparing the plans side-by-side because one is a supplement. The committee reviewed the matrix and possible effects of a national health plan that could potentially extend Medicare benefits down to age 55, which would eliminate coverage gaps. Vickie reported that she is working with Earl and Brooke to produce separate comprehensive brochures for employees and retirees that clarifies benefits.Vickie asked the committee for feedback to help her improve the brochure. A suggestion was made to include a chart with timelines, with information such as “Three months before retirement, contact…”, or “before turning 65, you should…”
Earl reported back on a meeting he had with future retirees and their spouses that was helpful in educating them about their options and responsibilities in preparing for retirement. Another meeting is planned for February 19, 2010. The committee commented on the importance of explaining benefits to potential retirees as a matter of course. There was much interest expressed in offering retiree workshops to help prepare for retirement. Vickie volunteered to provide a series of workshops. She will work with Earl to coordinate.

Plans were outlined as follows:

2 - Faculty Retirement Benefits Workshops (one at IVC, one at SC)

2 - Classified Retiree Benefits Workshop (one at IVC, one at SC)

1 – Administrator Retiree Benefits Workshop

2 – Medicare Workshops (one at IVC, one at SC)
Workshops to be 1.5 to 2 hours

  1. PLAN CHANGES 2009
    -ER $100, Ambulance $100 (HMO Only)
    Vickie confirmed that there has been no change in co-pays for PPO.
  1. UCI CONTRACTING UPDATE
    Vickie explained that UC Irvine Physicians and UC Irvine Medical Center have dropped their contract with Blue Shield. Any visits by plan members will be out-of-network charges. Earl has sent additional information on transitionary care, including a transition of care form. Vickie recommends affected members contact UCI and Blue Shield provider relations or vendor management to share concerns. Earl will send out information on contact numbers. Five people are thought to utilize UCI Medical services. Lee requested that the District direct the proper entities to contact any employees affected by this change. Vickie explained that Blue Shield and SISC do not communicate directly with individual members. Vickie suggested that a course of action for an affected member would be to complete the transition of care form and reach out directly to the doctor. There was a question about what negotiations are currently going on. Vickie stated that as far as she knew, no negotiating is going on right now.
  2. COMMUNICATION UPDATES
    - Draft Copy Benefits Brochure
    Previously discussed – see item #3
  1. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION 2010
    Topics for discussion during 2010 will be determined by the progress of national care. Vickie estimated that we are three to five years out for implementation of national care. Lee shared that the national plan includes a key component related to consumer responsibility and a comprehensive wellness program. Committee members expressed a desire for communications to employees about what is not covered. Beth offered that it is important to encourage people to utilize the Blue Shield website. Also, it is important to ask a medical practice if it is contracted with Blue Shield, rather than if it takes Blue Shield. Brooke shared that there is effort underway to encourage employees to be proactive and to acquaint new employees with the websites available.
  1. SCHEDULE NEXT MEETING

Next meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2010 at 2:30pm.

Health & Wellness Committee Meeting Minutes, December 10, 2009 Page 1