{"id":4035,"date":"2023-12-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=4035"},"modified":"2023-12-28T17:06:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T17:06:23","slug":"healthcare-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/healthcare-benefits","title":{"rendered":"Unions Fight For That: Adequate Healthcare Benefits For All Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labor unions have led the fight for many of the benefits workers receive on the job today, such as minimum wage, paid sick leave, overtime pay, and retirement. Of all of the benefits, though, the most important may be access to health insurance and other healthcare benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there were some successful efforts as early as the late 1800s to get employers to provide health benefits to workers, the greatest gains were made after World War II. At that time, unions \u201cpushed companies to fund health care benefits as a way to provide improvements in lieu of wage increases,\u201d according to AEPC<\/a>, a labor management purchasing coalition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of those efforts and many others since then, almost 55 percent of Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance, according to 2022 data from Statista<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at the role labor unions have played and continue to play in protecting access to this basic benefit for all workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unions Help Secure Adequate Healthcare Benefits Access for All Workers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Medical costs are a financial burden to too many people. According to a 2019 study<\/a>, nearly 67 percent of all personal bankruptcies are tied to medical debt. The key \u201cculprit\u201d for that debt is \u201cinadequate healthcare insurance,\u201d says Dr. David Himmelstein,<\/a> study co-author and a distinguished professor in the School of Urban Public Health at Hunter College.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unions have worked to change this. One of their top areas of concern is the well-being of workers, which is why unions strive to combat inequality in the healthcare system. Their involvement has been a critical element in the expansion of access to healthcare benefits in the United States. This is because union members and nonunion workers alike benefit from union successes in advocacy, lobbying, and negotiation efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnions set a standard for working conditions in industries in which they are prevalent,\u201d the Joint Economic Committee Democrats (JEC)<\/a> states in a brief. \u201cIf employers have to compete for workers who have a good chance of getting a union job, nonunion employers have to pay higher wages and offer better benefits to attract and retain workers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those standards are constantly changing alongside the evolving needs and expectations of union members who make their demands for contract negotiations. With each new contract comes stronger protections for union members and, subsequently, the greater workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHealth care benefits negotiated through the collective bargaining process are generally known to be more comprehensive and affordable,\u201d says Glenn Di Biasi<\/a>, fund administrator for the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) National Health and Welfare Fund. The stronger union standards compel nonunion employers to stay competitive in their offerings which means better benefits for workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge for unions is understanding what their members need in terms of healthcare protections in negotiated contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Health<\/figure> \n\n\n\n

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Unions Are at the Forefront of Healthcare Changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rising costs and changing needs are ever-present challenges for unions as they look for solutions to the problems of access to adequate and affordable healthcare benefits for members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising Healthcare Costs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no secret that healthcare costs in the U.S. continue to rise to unaffordable levels for many Americans, even those with health insurance. Subsequently, the cost of healthcare insurance coverage is rising and employers are passing some of the increase to their employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bulk of the research literature indicates that, one way or another, most of the burden of ever-increasing health care costs falls on the shoulders of workers,\u201d write Laurel Lucia and Ken Jacobs<\/a> at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. \u201cThat burden may come in the form of lower wages, higher premium contributions, or higher out-of-pocket costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unions try to mitigate the rise in costs to the workers. They bargain for contracts that protect healthcare benefits and require employers to share that burden. They also put pressure on healthcare providers to lower the costs of healthcare services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ in New York City joined a coalition of unions and patients\u2019 rights groups to form the Coalition for Affordable Hospitals to \u201cpush for legislative change, build grassroots pressure and leverage the collective buying power of thousands of union members to take on hospital pricing directly,\u201d shares Aidan McNally<\/a>, chief steward at CUPE3906. In one successful effort, the coalition was able to stop the adoption of a premium-sharing plan the New York Presbyterian Hospital tried to introduce in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing Healthcare Needs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The healthcare needs of workers are always evolving. In today\u2019s post-pandemic environment, workers want their healthcare benefits to include aspects such as mental health services, help managing health outcomes, and more telehealth services. To meet these expectations, unions are innovating the way they negotiate healthcare benefits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite Here Health<\/a>, for example, focuses on health outcomes by training union members to lead workshops that teach coworkers how to manage chronic conditions. UHH is a member of America\u2019s Agenda<\/a>, a coalition of organizations, including unions, that work together to devise ways to control healthcare costs and spending.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare delivery is \u201can engineering issue,\u201d says Mark Blum<\/a>, executive director of America\u2019s Agenda and president and cofounder of Solidaritus. \u201cWe need to redesign care delivery to address the cost drivers and promote smarter delivery design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some unions, that means endorsing direct primary care healthcare models. In such a model, union members pay a monthly subscription fee for access to a direct care provider; there are no copays or deductibles. The unions hire clinicians in these clinics to provide same-day service for workers, often with extended hours and longer visits to ensure optimum care. Two examples of such clinics include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n