Like an expected 175 other Ohio University employees, Craig Mehr faces a potential $600 annual surcharge because his wife declined her employer's awful health-care plan.
They said it's a horrible plan
and everyone at that place complains about it said Mehr, a senior library associate who has worked at OU since 1993 and makes $36,000 annually. She couldn't get her regular doctor that she's been seeing for 10 years.
Last week, the Budget Planning Council formally recommended a plan to reduce university benefits costs by $3 million. It includes proposals to raise premiums for dependents by more than 2 percent and charge a $50 monthly surcharge, totaling $600 annually, for spouses of university employees who decline their employer's health care in favor of the university plan.
The biggest gripe is that it's not fair nor equitable. I'm essentially subsidizing other people he said of spouses who will not pay the surcharge because they are either unemployed or do not have health care offered at work. Why should I be paying for someone else's insurance?
Mehr said he pays about $60 per month in premiums for he and his wife and said OU will have a difficult time keeping up with whether a plan is offered to a university employee's spouse.
That's very stressful
I'm worried about people getting around this. I don't know how many are going to run down to HR after their spouses suddenly get health insurance and say
'Gouge me $600
' he said.
Random audits could be done to make sure employees comply, said Greg Fialko, director of benefits.
We would hope that our employees are honest with their university employer; if not
there's a bigger problem
Fialko said, adding that it's too early to determine penalties.
Mehr said his conversations with Fialko revealed the auditor's salary would be about $30,000 plus benefits that usually approach $10,000 annually, a total that creates a large dent in the expected $105,000 in savings from the 10 percent of university employees with spouses on OU's plan who are expected to be eligible for the surcharge.
I don't care if it is the $50
I'll pay as long as everyone else pays and that it's across the board
said Mehr, who described OU's offered health care as wonderful.
Fialko said they might ask for a copy of the spouse's health insurance card to randomly check status. They could also call the private businesses and ask what plan they are providing.
It's pretty common throughout the health-care system
he said.
Various exceptions called family status changes include cases of birth or death of a dependent and divorce that can allow an employee to alter his or her plan.
With any of those reasons
