DELTA’S UNITED HEALTHCARE PLAN
AFFORDABLE ONLY FOR THE HEALTHY



You don’t need to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand that medical costs have risen dramatically over the past decade. At Delta Air Lines, we have certainly felt the pinch from these drastic increases. As little as 4 years ago, our premiums for health care coverage were entirely included in our compensation package. As a matter of fact, we actually received flex credits towards designing what kind of “medical blanket” to use in providing our personal and family medical needs.

For a little extra money, we could even opt out of Delta’s UHC program and use an HMO. A great many of us did exactly that because of the ease and hassle free nature of most HMOs. Unfortunately, this year that option was denied most Delta non-contract employees and we were left with only Delta’s self-funded UHC. This decision by Delta to limit our choices has put an enormous additional financial burden on employees and their families, especially those who had pre-existing medical conditions that were primarily covered by HMOs.

Many of us who have been to the doctor this year have shockingly found out how pathetic our medical coverage really is. The deductibles and out of pocket expenses are extremely high when compared to other airlines and companies. Our pharmaceutical costs are simply unfair and have caused many employees to stop taking prescribed, necessary medications.

Delta’s medical program is self-funded. Delta only uses UHC to administer the benefit plan. All premiums are paid to Delta directly, not some insurance company. Because all medical expenditures are borne by Delta, Delta has a vested interest in having our claims denied and keeping costs down. Millions of dollars a month are collected from employees and retirees in premiums, making one wonder whether the program is more cash positive than cash neutral for Delta. No company should put themselves in a position to make money off their employees’ medical hardships.

The stories of serious medical problems going unattended are too numerous and worrisome to recount and I am sure that many of you have heard them and experienced them yourselves. You simply cannot reduce people’s wages by 20%, coupled with a reduction in benefits and sick time, and not have serious financial and medical situations arise.

The kinds of financial pressures that have been put on employees and their families are unconscionable and ill advised. Employees are being forced to make hard choices that have life altering consequences. We all know that taking care of our health is paramount but when we have nothing more than catastrophic health insurance and the bulk of the costs are coming out of our pockets, our own health care takes a back seat to the daily needs of paying our bills and taking care of our loved ones.

One should not have to choose between good health and financial viability. Some employees have already made the ultimate sacrifice by ignoring their own health problems and focusing primarily on their financial responsibilities.

Delta surely should have seen this coming and bears some responsibility for our growing financial and health crisis. At the very least, HMO access should be restored as soon as possible and deductibles and out of pocket expenses should be reduced. Prescription drug costs, under this plan, are too high and immediate relief needs to be forthcoming.

Delta says it values its employees and calls us its greatest asset. We deserve better. We call on upper management to demonstrate our value to them by upgrading our healthcare program. We would hope that we would be offered, at the very least, the same kind of quality healthcare options that the Officers of this company are afforded.

Had we a contract, all of this would have been negotiated. For now…