Conference 7.286::digital

 re. .0
  
 <<   I think the above points were somewhat insensitive, 
 <<   considering this plan was conceived by a committee 
 <<   of senior management, which by the way, have no worries 
 <<   about their health care. (I imagine they are on a 
 <<   more comprehensive plan, commensurate with their 
 <<   job title).  
   
I don't know if it really is different at the highest levels, but I do know that 
Digital used to have a high-level employee annual physical program (free 
physical exam for employees at certain high job levels) which was eliminated as
being unfair and replaced by what is today's periodic physical to ALL employees
as part of the standard health benefits. (I know this applies to Digital Plan
participants; unsure how it works for people who opt for HMO's).

I get tired of reading notes here that assume that just because people are in
high management levels in Digital, they therefore as a matter of course don't
care about the "little people."  IMHO, it's this "they're out to get us" 
attitude that creates more morale problems than the REAL issues.

	/Marvin
   

    If Digital did indeed have an executive medical plan (and I believe
    they did) this can no longer be true.
    
    Federal law was changed several years ago mandating identical medical
    plans for all full time employees, regardless of rank or salary.
    
    Bruce

RE: .2
    
>    Federal law was changed several years ago mandating identical medical
>    plans for all full time employees, regardless of rank or salary.

I don't think that this is so.  I have recent copies of 
brochures for executive health plans from two other large 
corporations and I guarantee that the plebians get anything 
like these.

John

    ref. .4:
    
    Why shouldn't it be?  According to "60 Minutes" (last night), many
    insurance companies, while blithely continuing to collect premiums,
    walk away from the claim responsibilities whenever possible.
    
    Business is business.
    
    george
    

    re: last
    
    Two different things.
    
    Digital no longer offers executives annual health exams as part of
    their compensation.
    
    Inusrance companies that collect premiums from people for years and
    then terminate their policies when the people actually become sick and
    try to collect the benefits for which they've paid are committing 
    fraud.
    
    Pretty disheartening huh?

    What's disheartening is that the insurance commisioners in some states
    look the other way when this is happening. According to 60 min. this is
    how the Cal. comm lost her job. It finally became an elected, rather
    then an appointed position and she decided not to run. Wonder why? hehe
    
    On the same show, they made reference to the fact that the Supreme
    Court of these United States, have ruled that the insurance companies,
    even when they terminate a policy of someone who has become sick and
    they are sued, (the Conpanies, notthe clients) they are only libel for
    the amount of the medical care and cannot be held accountable for fraud
    or be libel for damages beyond the care. This is even though, and I
    know 60 minutes tries and chooses the most spectacular cases they can
    find, for ratings sake, the patients conditions can and often does
    worsen by the time the companies agree to treatment.
    Phil

    ref .6:
    
    >Two different things.
    
    They are different but closely related.  The exams were intended to
    save the insurance companies more dollars than the cost of the exams. 
    But if insurance companies are now walking away from valid claim
    responsibilites then these "more dollars" become "less dollars"
    (equal $0) whenever possible.  (i.e. when the claimant can be outlasted
    by insurance company "staying power."  So, that's why it no longer
    makes sense to spend exam dollars.
    
    george

The exams were eliminated when the John Hancock program was expanded to 
cover routine physicals.  The HMO programs already covered them as routine 
office visits.

    General issues regarding the fairness of insurance companies and
    allegations against them can be discussed in PEAR::SOAPBOX.