Thread by @Frances_Fisher

WHO LOSES THEIR #SAGaftra HEALTH CARE?

36% of current 32,600 Health Plan participants
•2,900 Plan 2 Participants
•650 Age & Service Participants
•8,200 Senior Performers
•11,750 Total Participants will lose their SAGaftra Health Care
SOSHealthPlan.com

May not hit you personally; it affects your coworkers.
These draconian changes affect all performers: day players, stunts, singers, stand-ins, background actors, dancers, recording artists, voice-over artists, broadcasters, and most importantly, the seniors who built our Union.

LET’S TALK #RESIDUALS

For #SAGAFTRA Members over 65 taking their pensions, residuals no longer will count as earnings.
BUT! These same members will have contributions made into the Plan on those earnings. These same members will continue to pay dues and taxes on them.

It is unacceptable that only members 65+ & taking their pensions, will not have #residuals count towards their earnings,but are counted as contributions to bolster the Health Plan for others. Not applying those residual contributions to senior pensioners is tantamount to stealing

8,200 #Senior Performers
(over 65) now will lose their promised #SAGaftra Health Care.

These Participants with 20 or more vested years were promised that at 65 they would have high-quality, supplemental (secondary) insurance for the rest of their lives.

In addition to purchasing a medical supplement in the market place, they are going to have to purchase as many as three additional plans to cover the dental, prescription, and vision coverage that the #SAGaftra includes.

Our #Seniors’ earnings contributions were paid into the Plan from the beginning of their careers, in addition to paying a quarterly premium.

CONSIDER THIS:

• A #commercial performer would have to work 37 commercial days at the current $711/day rate to qualify.

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• Imagine a 65-year-old woman having to go out to find a job to earn the new qualifying minimum of $25,950 in session fees, because her residuals no longer count as earnings.

• How many jobs are available for the 75-year-old stunt performer or dancer?

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Another consideration is:

• A background actor has to work 100 days to qualify for Health Care.

@SOSHealthPlan
SOSHealthPlan.com
#sosHealth
#trusteesFail
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SOMETHING IS ROTTEN HERE

The Health Plan Trustees knew for at least 2 years that the Plan was in trouble.
When the Plan started losing money, rather than making incremental adjustments to better prepare the Participants, instead, on August 12, 2020...

...the Trustees shocked members with draconian cuts, increased qualifiers, and increased premiums.
During an Industry shutdown, members now have little opportunity to find work to earn the $25,950 or 100 days to qualify.

Just prior to the changes to the Plan, members called in to be sure they were covered for next year.
They were told yes, only to find out later they were not.
🆘
@SOSHealthPlan
SOSHealthPlan.com
#sosHealth
#TrusteesFail #SAGaftraMembers

THERE WAS A SOLUTION

BUT THE NEGOTIATING COMMITTEES WERE NEVER NOTIFIED

Our three largest Contracts
have been negotiated over the past 2 years.

1. COMMERCIALS
2. NETFLIX
3. TV/THEATRICAL

Never once within these 2 years did the staff or member Trustees of the #SAGaftraHealthPlan notify the negotiating committees regarding the extent of the Plan’s peril.

Every single contract could have directed more money into the health plan.

#TrusteesFail

🆘
What’s most egregious is that 4 of the 20 Union Health Plan Trustees and most of the 20 Management Health Plan Trustees were also #negotiators of the most recent TV/Theatrical contract.
It’s not just that the Trustees knew, they were actually part of the process.
🆘

Other members of the negotiating committees are on record saying they would have approached these negotiations differently had they known this information.

We were told “An increase of up to $54 million in additional funding for the #SAGaftraHealth Plan” was a great achievement.

🆘

NOW

EVERYONE KNOWS

THAT WASN’T ENOUGH

🆘

@SOSHealthPlan

3,550 MEMBERS UNDER 65 WILL LOSE THEIR #SAGAFTRA #HEALTHCARE

The Union’s Health Plan was always set up to cover as many working performers as possible.

Acknowledging the ups & downs, the good years & the lean years, there were four ways of qualifying for Health Care:
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There were four ways of qualifying for Health Care:

1. Plan 1: Earnings threshold ~ $35,020

2. Plan 2: Earnings threshold ~ $18,040

3. Plan 2: 84 days of work (no matter your earnings)

4. Plan 2: Age & Service (Over age 40 / 10 years vested / earning $13,000)

Now both plans will be combined, and there will be ONE #SAGaftraHealthPlan.

There are now only TWO ways to qualify for #SAGaftraHealthCare:

1. Earn $25,950 -
an increase of $7,910 for former Plan 2 Participants

2. Work 100 days -
an increase of 16 days

🆘

QUARTERLY PREMIUMS FOR THE NEW #SAGaftraHealthPlan WILL INCREASE by 5% to 99%.

Current Plan 1:
$300/$348/$375
Increases to $375 / $531 / $747

Premiums will increase:

25% for 1 individual

52% for 1 individual + 1 dependent

99% for 1 individual + 2 or more dependents

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Current Plan 2:
$357 / $408 / $447
Increases to $375 / $531 / $747

Premiums will increase:

5% for 1 individual

30% for 1 individual + 1 dependent

67% for 1 individual + 2 or more dependent

#sosHealth

WORKING SPOUSES
WITH EMPLOYER HEALTH COVERAGE

MUST ENROLL IN THEIR OWN EMPLOYER’S COVERAGE

@SOSHealthPlan
#sosHealth

THE UNION’S INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS
If one attended any of these webinars, one could clearly see that the Trustees & the CEO of the #HealthPlan wished to avoid direct interaction with Members. All one could do was type a question into the Chat and hope to have it answered.
⬇️

🔃
A few select questions were entertained, before members were referred to the FAQ page at sagaftraplans.org

But there was no way for a member to challenge those who sidestepped answers to their questions by actually having a dialogue.
🚫

THE BOTTOM LINE

The #SAGaftraHealthPlan is funded by our work.

We, the Members, in order to fund this Plan have sacrificed:
• Wage increases
• Residual increases
• Working conditions

We must hold those in charge accountable.

They are called “Trustees” for a reason.
⬇️

They are called “Trustees” for a reason.
We put our TRUST in them.

They have broken that Trust.

▪️From the glossy smiling faces on the Plan Summary, saying
“We’re All in This Together!”

▪️To the corporate webinar presentations...

⬇️

▪️To the Union itself running and hiding under the pretense of
“It’s not us; it’s the #HealthPlan!”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

IT IS NOW UP TO US.

THE MEMBERS.

To fix what has been broken.

🎭
@SOSHealthPlan
SOSHealthPlan.com

ON AUGUST 12, 2020, OUR MEMBERS WERE SHOCKED
WHEN THE TRUSTEES MADE CHANGES TO OUR SAG-AFTRA HEALTH PLAN.

DURING A #PANDEMIC, A WORK SHUTDOWN & ECONOMIC CRISIS.

#SAGaftraHealthPlan
@SOSHealthPlan
SOSHealthPlan.com
#sosHealth
#TrusteesFail