“Why Dual and Family Benefit Coverage is in All of Our Best Interests” The Life Cycle of a Member Based on commentary written by Darrell Gifford – at least that is who we think wrote the paper.

During the Second World War, unions fought for and obtained family medical coverage as part of a compensation package. Their most persuasive argument was, “ How could an employee pay attention to his or her job if worries about sick children or spouses prevented them from giving their best efforts to the work they were doing? ” Some History …. When we were born, most of our parents had coverage that covered us, their children. Our moms had prenatal care. We got our shots for polio, diphtheria, and whooping cough. When we broke our arm, our family did not have to go into debt.

Some History …. Just as the workers during and after the Second World War fought for rights, the men and women in the education profession unions fought for and got medical benefits. After 1945, family coverage became rooted, not only in the unionized sector, but in the non-unionized sector as well. Part of the reason for obtaining family coverage is that most of us live our lives as part of a cycle that changes just about every 5 years, though at the times we think mostly about where we are at the moment.

This does not apply to all members, nor do all members cycle at the same rate. Understanding that some members come in with families and some members never cycle this path, let ’ s look at the life cycle for many members … For Example, Let ’ s Look at a Typical Member ’ s Life Cycle …

Through the Decades… Age 25 Typically members start work in their mid twenties. Footloose and fancy free, they may question whether they want to “pay for” other unit members who have families, and need a family plan. 30 Within five years, though, our footloose member falls in love and pairs up with a lover, spouse of significant other. By thirty, there are now two people in our member's life, sometimes covered, sometimes not covered by insurance. 35 Low and behold, within the next five years, along comes a baby – born or adopted. Oops! Now we are three and Mom/Dad really need family coverage. 40 Here comes another child. Colds and flu, runny noses and ear infections – Mom and Dad are running on empty, working, taking days off for sick children.

Through the Decades… Age 45 Moms and Dads, single or married, whatever the combination, we are now three or four with a ten and a five year old. Broken legs and sprained ankles, check ups and stomachaches, medicals coverage eases the financial, though not the time demands of the working parents. At least member Mom or Dad does not have to take another part-time job to cover the medical expenses. 50 Member Mom or Dad now has a 15 year old and a ten year old. Both parents and the 15 year old are in therapy. 55 Having survived childhood and adolescence, the 20 year old is now in college and the second child is in high school. 60 Child #1 is launched, and child #2 is in college. Our family for medical coverage is now down to three. 65 Mom and/or Dad now has both kids launched and is down to two again for medical coverage (or sadly, maybe even one).

You Never Know … One of our most vocal advocates of “singles only” found herself recently the legal guardian of her sister’s child. “Oops, I never thought this could happen to me. I’m glad we have the family coverage.” With death and divorce, we have a number of single moms and dads in our society. Employee benefit costs can be more of a burden on this family than most.

Families Take a Double Hit … Even with a composite rating, where there are co-pays and deductibles, families will pay more because their co-pays and deductibles are greater.

The Idea of a Living Wage Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, men were paid more than women. It was seen that men were the “bread winners” and the “heads of the household”. As such, they needed to earn more. Fortunately those days are gone. As we corrected this inequity, men’s wages were not usually lowered to that of a single wage earner (the woman’s wages). To the contrary, women’s wages were starting to be raised to the same level of men’s.

The Idea of a Living Wage. The goal for the unions was to establish a “living wage” for men and women. A wage that would support a family, be that a family with six kids, a family made up of a husband and wife only or a family that consisted of a guy and his dogs.

Families Are Not Necessarily the Most Costly… The biggest increases in medical costs today and the experience or use that is most responsible for driving up premiums (to the extent that experience is driving up part of the cost of premiums) is found in the over 50 age group – a group which is made up of mostly singles and two-party families. Healthy families are relatively cheap to cover.

Social Responsibility The USA is only one of the two industrialized nations that do not offer universal health care. It is a seldom-discussed fact that our standard of living is below quite a few other nations. Instead, we as a society rely on our employers to provide health coverage. Just as we support each other by paying for schools, fire, police and a military through our taxes so too do we support each other (and our children) by insuring that we all have medical coverage. Until there is universal health care it is our social responsibility to make sure that our employers provide family medical coverage.