Health care cost crisis

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'There are no easy solutions left'

WEA Trust Executive Vice President Fred Evert outlined the changing landscape of health care and health insurance and forewarned members at the 2004 WEAC Winter Conference that more changes are on the way.

For WEA Trust plans, that means policies will steer subscribers to health care providers who have made agreements to be part of a WEA Trust network of providers. This "steerage" will involve:

• Agreements that reimburse claims from network providers more generously than from non-network providers.
• Office call co-pays for use of non-network providers.
• "Meaningful, reasonable and customary" fee schedules for non-network providers.

Evert said the WEA Trust is addressing these changes by adopting the basic philosophy that it will "keep what is best, and let go of the rest." For subscribers, he said, that means:

• You will continue to have high-quality, comprehensive coverage.
• Your health plan will look different than it does now.
• Older plan designs with lower enrollments will be phased out.
• Costly, inefficient health/drug plan options will be phased out.

These changes may cause pain for some members and friction in some locals, but there is no choice, he said. They are necessary and are best for everyone in the long run.

"Change is always difficult," Evert said. "There are no easy solutions left."

Posted March 1, 2004