Spring Break
University cuts employee health benefits
Issue date: 2/7/08
The University has substantially decreased the heath care benefits it gives its employees, going from a graduated system in which senior employees were awarded higher benefits to a flat-rate system which allocates lower but equal benefits..
According to Vice President for Human Resources Charlene Moore Hayes, the change was enacted this year in an attempt to stem the growing cost of University health care, and to equalize the benefits that are awarded to each employee. The changes were part of a plan that took three years to create.
Along the way, they lowered most employees' total benefits.
The minimum number of benefits dollars that the lowest-paid employee used to receive was 900, said Dennis O'Shea, director of Communications and Public Relations. Beginning this year, all staff had their normal allocation of benefits dollars reduced to 800 per year, though staff members could earn an additional 100 by filling out a Health Risk Assessment survey.
Thus, this year's allocation of benefits dollars was a reduction for everyone but the lowest-paid employees who participated in the HRA this year and received 900 benefits dollars. According to O'Shea, as of one month ago, 60 percent of faculty had taken advantage of getting in HRA extra dollars.
Ruth Aranow of the Office of Academic Advising said that she accrued a lot of benefits during the 21 years that she worked at Hopkins, which was substantially reduced by the new across the board amount.
"They're trying to make things fairer so that people who enter get the same thing as everyone else," she said. "But I lost several hundred dollars with the new benefits allowance."
Preventative care is also a significant part of the university's effort to stem the costs of health care. According to O'Shea, the questionnaire asked participants about their lifestyles, such as whether they exercise, smoke or drink. They receive a report back and make recommendations about what to talk to their doctors about and how to change their lifestyle, such as their diet, if necessary.
"The idea is that feedback of this nature will help employees adopt a healthier lifestyle, which will help to cut down health care costs and University health care costs," he said.
Another change that was implemented was the elimination of the Employer Health Plan since it had lower enrollment and the administrative costs that affected fewer than 30 people out of the 14,000 who were eligible.
According to Vice President for Human Resources Charlene Moore Hayes, the change was enacted this year in an attempt to stem the growing cost of University health care, and to equalize the benefits that are awarded to each employee. The changes were part of a plan that took three years to create.
Along the way, they lowered most employees' total benefits.
The minimum number of benefits dollars that the lowest-paid employee used to receive was 900, said Dennis O'Shea, director of Communications and Public Relations. Beginning this year, all staff had their normal allocation of benefits dollars reduced to 800 per year, though staff members could earn an additional 100 by filling out a Health Risk Assessment survey.
Thus, this year's allocation of benefits dollars was a reduction for everyone but the lowest-paid employees who participated in the HRA this year and received 900 benefits dollars. According to O'Shea, as of one month ago, 60 percent of faculty had taken advantage of getting in HRA extra dollars.
Ruth Aranow of the Office of Academic Advising said that she accrued a lot of benefits during the 21 years that she worked at Hopkins, which was substantially reduced by the new across the board amount.
"They're trying to make things fairer so that people who enter get the same thing as everyone else," she said. "But I lost several hundred dollars with the new benefits allowance."
Preventative care is also a significant part of the university's effort to stem the costs of health care. According to O'Shea, the questionnaire asked participants about their lifestyles, such as whether they exercise, smoke or drink. They receive a report back and make recommendations about what to talk to their doctors about and how to change their lifestyle, such as their diet, if necessary.
"The idea is that feedback of this nature will help employees adopt a healthier lifestyle, which will help to cut down health care costs and University health care costs," he said.
Another change that was implemented was the elimination of the Employer Health Plan since it had lower enrollment and the administrative costs that affected fewer than 30 people out of the 14,000 who were eligible.
Be the first to comment on this story