USW Retiree Thrilled that Union Benefits Never Stop Working

 

“I can’t believe 23 years after retiring, my union is still looking out for me,” says Frank Starkey, a retiree of United Steelworkers, Local 724L, after discovering how a new union benefit – Union Plus Hospital Care Grants – can help union members reduce the financial and emotional stress associated with large out-of-pocket health care expenses.

“After hospitalization, it feels like you’re never going to stop getting bills. You try to pay the debt off as best you can because you never know when you’ll have to face a health care crisis again, but it’s hard.” says Starkey, of Parker, CO. “The help that I received from Union Plus has made a difference in trying to clear the slate. It’s terrific that the union is still working for me after all these years.”

Hospital Care Grants of $1,000 are part of a $3 million safety net initiative by Union Plus to assist union members cope with a lagging U.S. economy. Union SAFE programs cover a wide array of benefits, including financial counseling, college savings grants, disability assistance, and assistance to avoid home foreclosures.  

The need for such safety net programs is obvious to Starkey, who retired from a Colorado Samsonite manufacturing plant in 1987. “I appreciated having strong union representation in my workplace. The union (USW Local 724L) negotiated good raises, improved working conditions and supported us in a lot of ways. I’ll always be grateful for being a union member, but things are different today. Jobs are going overseas and it’s more difficult to make ends meet. Union Plus benefits, like the Hospital Care Grants, really help workers when they need it most.”  

Union members interested in applying for a Hospital Care Grant must be a Union Plus Credit Card holder, have a Union Plus Insurance policy or carry a Union Plus Mortgage. Union members must also have out-of-pocket hospital expenses (after insurance) that are at least 10 percent of the family’s household income, and the union member, spouse, or dependent must have been hospitalized within the last 12 months.

Union members may visit UnionPlus.org/UnionSAFE for more information on layoff, disability, and education grants available to Union Plus program participants. In addition to the Union Plus Hospital Care Grants, Union Plus offers a variety of other health-related programs, including:

• Medical Bill Negotiating Service - free assistance to union members and union retirees who seek help in lowering medical expenses and setting up payment plans. Experienced negotiators work directly with physicians, hospitals and other medical providers to lower the amount of medical debt owed by union members.
   
• Health Savings Programs –discount programs to help union families save money on prescriptions, vision, dental, physician and hospital costs. Though not an insurance program, the health savings are designed to help union households cope with rising cost of health services.  
   
• Health Club Discounts – Union families can enjoy significant savings when joining Curves, Gold Gyms, Sport and Health, Bally’s and other national health clubs.