More Fool Me

I haven't posted in a while, partly because I've begun working on myown Happiness Project, and partly because I haven't wanted to think much about the coming school year and what it's going to mean for me in terms of my morale.

Well, I checked a post today put up by a UW-Madison grad student on one of the Facebook message boards I belong to. I'm going to post the announcement from 10 days ago (which I hadn't read until today because I thought I knew what was in it--such a trusting fool) in its entirety. The parts that directly affect my family are highlighted.

Changes Coming to State Group Health Insurance

And Union-Related Deductions

July 19, 2011

A number of changes to the Wisconsin Retirement System, the state health insurance program and unionrelated deductions are taking effect due to the implementation of Wisconsin Act 10 (2011 Budget Repair

Bill) and Wisconsin Act 32 (Biennial Budget for 2011-2013). In addition to this summary of changes to the

State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance program, please see the Impact of Act 10 on UW System

Employee Benefits Frequently Asked Questions.

Changes to Health Insurance Program

Employee Premium Contributions

Effective with the biweekly payroll ending August 13 (pay date of August 25) and monthly payroll ending

August 31 (pay date of September 1):

 Health insurance premiums will increase as specified in WI Act 10 as amended by WI Act 32 (see below for new premium contributions).

 Employees working less than 50% of full-time will continue to pay the less-than-half-time rates.

 LTEs must have at least two concurrent appointments to be eligible for the full employer premium

contributions.

New Employee Health Insurance

Monthly Premium Contributions for WRS-Participants

Single Family

Tier 1 (all plans, except the Standard Plan) $84 $208

Tier 2 (Standard Plan – required to work outside WI) $122 $307

Tier 3 (Standard Plan – work in WI) $226 $567

Less-than-half –time rates 50% of premium

New Employee Health Insurance

Monthly Premium Contributions for

Graduate Assistants, Post Docs and Short-Term Academic

Single Family

Tier 1 (all plans, except the Standard Plan) $42 $104

Tier 2 (Standard Plan – required to work outside WI) $61 $153.50

Tier 3 (Standard Plan – work in WI) $113 $283.50

Special Opportunity to Cancel or Change Level of Coverage

Treasury regulations governing IRS Code Section 125 restricts mid-year changes to health insurance coverage for employees who pay their premium contribution on a pre-tax basis. However, a significant cost change is a circumstance that allows for mid-year changes. Due to the increase in the employee’s premium cost, you may cancel your coverage entirely or change from family to single coverage provided a Health Application/Change Form is submitted to your payroll and benefits office within 30 days of the date of the first paycheck from which the increased premium is deducted.

Coverage changes will be effective on the later of the end of the month on or following your employer’s receipt of the application to cancel coverage or the end of the month after the date of the premium increase.

For more specific details, please see the Detailed FAQ on Impact of Act 10 and Act 32, questions 8 – 14.

Uniform Benefits

Section 9115 of WI Act 10 requires that the Group Insurance Board (GIB) design health care coverage plans for the 2012 calendar year that, after adjusting for inflation, reduces the average premium cost of tier 1 plans by at least 5% from the cost of the plan during the 2011 calendar year.

The GIB considered various options of achieving the cost reduction, such as the implementation of office visit and inpatient copayments, deductibles, coinsurance, adjusting the prescription drug benefit and eliminating the optional dental benefits offered by most plans.

After due deliberation, the GIB approved the following changes to Uniform Benefits, effective January 1,2012, resulting from WI Act 10 implementation:

 Apply coinsurance to medical services. Benefits will be payable at 90% up to an annual outof-pocket maximum of $500 for an individual/$1,000 for a family.

 Coinsurance is based on a set percentage of the cost. For example, if the discounted medical charges are $200, the member will be responsible for $20, which is 10% of the charge.

 Once a member has paid $500 in coinsurance for an individual, or $1000 for family coverage, in a calendar year, the 10% coinsurance will not be applied for the remainder of the year. The $1000 out-of-pocket maximum for families is cumulative, so once any combination of family members has paid $1000 in coinsurance, the coinsurance ends for the rest of that calendar year. It is not required that two family members each incur $500 in coinsurance in order to satisfy the $1000 coinsurance requirement.

 Preventive care, such as physicals and well-baby care, is not subject to coinsurance.
Examples of preventive care will be provided by the Department of Employee Trust Funds this fall.

 Coinsurance will be applied to the discounted fee negotiated by the plan and the
provider (as opposed the actual amount charged).

 Members will be billed for the coinsurance. Payment will not be due at the time of service.

 Increase the emergency room copayment from $60 per occurrence to $75 (waived if  admitted). This does not get applied to the out-of-pocket maximum.

 If eligible to participate in the Employee Reimbursement Account (ERA) program, out-of-pocket costs for coinsurance and copays are eligible for reimbursement under the ERA
Medical Expense Reimbursement Account.

Standard Plan

Act 10 does not apply to the Standard Plan; however, the GIB also chose to modify the Standard Health Plan for the 2012 calendar year. The GIB’s intent was to enact a similar benefit cut and modernize the Standard Plan to facilitate the long-term sustainability of the program. The GIB approved the following changes to the Standard Plan, effective January 1, 2012:

 In network:

 Deductible will increase from $100 for an individual/$200 for a family to $200 for
an individual/$400 for a family.

 Apply coinsurance to medical services. Benefits will be payable at 90% up to an
annual out-of-pocket maximum of $800 for an individual/$1,600 for a family.

 Coinsurance is based on a set percentage of the cost. For example, if the
discounted medical charges are $200, the member will be responsible for $20,
which is 10% of the charge.

 Once a member has paid $800 in coinsurance for an individual, or $1,600 for a
family, in a calendar year, the 10% coinsurance will not be applied for the remainder of the year. The $1,600 out-of-pocket maximum for families is cumulative, so once any combination of family members has paid $1,600 in coinsurance, the coinsurance ends for the rest of that calendar year. It is not required that two family members each incur $800 in coinsurance in order to satisfy the $1,6000 coinsurance requirement.

 This does not apply to preventive care, such as physicals and well-baby care.

 Coinsurance will be applied to the discounted fee negotiated by the plan and the
provider (as opposed the actual amount charged).

 Members will be billed for the coinsurance. It will not be due at the time of service.

 Out of network:

 Deductible will remain $500 per individual and $1,000 per family.

 The annual out-of-pocket maximum will remain $2,000 per individual and $4,000
per family.

 Coinsurance will change from 80/20 to 70/30. Coinsurance is based on a set
percentage of the cost. For example, if the discounted medical charges are $200,
the member will be responsible for $60 for coinsurance, which is 30% of the
charge. Currently with the 20% coinsurance, the member is responsible for $40 of
a $200 charge.

 Emergency Room Copayment

 Add an emergency room copayment of $75 per occurrence (waived if admitted).

This does not get applied to the out-of-pocket maximum. It applies to emergency
room services received in network or out of network.

 If eligible to participate in the Employee Reimbursement Account (ERA) program, out-of-pocket costs for coinsurance and copays are eligible for reimbursement under the ERA

Medical Expense Reimbursement Account.4

Prescription Drug Benefits

There will be no changes to the prescription drug program for 2012. The annual out-of-pocket maximum of $410 for an individual or $820 for a family will remain and is separate from the out-of-pocket maximum for medical services.

Employee Eligibility

Most employees hired on or after July 1, 2011 will need to work 2/3 of full-time to be eligible for health insurance. Any service with a WRS-employer prior to July 1, 2011 will be sufficient for the employee to be eligible under the old eligibility rules, which required that the employee work 1/3 of full-time. This applies even if the prior position was not eligible for participation in the WRS.

 WRS-eligible classified employees will need to work 2/3 of full-time to be eligible to enroll. This is equivalent to working 1200 hours per year, which is 58% of full-time.

 Faculty, academic staff and limited employees who work 9 months per year, will need to work at least 880 hours in a year, which is 56% of full-time.

 Faculty, academic staff and limited employees who work 12 months per year, will need to work at least 880 hours in a year, which is 42% of full-time.

 Eligibility for graduate assistants, post-docs and limited employees is not changing.

Adult Dependent Child Eligibility

Beginning January 1, 2012, adult children will be eligible to be covered under a parent’s health plan only until the end of the month in which they turn age 26. In 2011, unmarried children remain eligible until the end of the month in which they turn age 27. The change to age 26 as the limiting age is consistent with federal law.

Termination of Coverage

For termination of employment that occurs on or after January 1, 2012, the employer contribution towards health insurance coverage will end on the last day of the month in which the employee terminates.

COBRA Continuation

For terminations of employment that occurs on or after January 1, 2012, former employees will be

permitted to continue their health insurance coverage for 18 months instead of the current 36-months.

Family members who lose eligibility for coverage will still be allowed to continue coverage for 36 months.

COBRA periods will be administered in accordance with federal law, which only requires 18 months of COBRA continuation for former employees.

This does not affect employees who are retiring with an immediate or lump sum annuity or have escrowed sick leave credits as they may still maintain coverage for life. 5

Union-Related Deductions

Effective with the biweekly payroll ending July 16 (pay date of July 28) and monthly payroll ending July 31

(pay date of August 1):

 Deductions for union-sponsored dental plans will cease. The unions are responsible for informing their members of their options to maintain the union-sponsored dental plans going forward.

 Employees will need to pay premium directly to the union (post-tax).

 If an employee chooses to cancel coverage under a union-sponsored dental plan, it does not constitute a qualifying event for enrolling in Dental Wisconsin or Anthem DentalBlue.

 There will be an open enrollment for Dental Wisconsin this fall for coverage effective on January 1, 2012. If the person has other dental coverage in force immediately prior to the effective date of the Dental Wisconsin coverage, the waiting periods will be waived. Proof of other coverage, such as an ID card, must accompany the application.

 It is not yet known if an open enrollment period will be offered this fall for employees
eligible to enroll in Anthem DentalBlue.

Questions?

Much more information will be provided as we get closer to the fall It’s Your Choice enrollment period. If you have questions that need response prior to that time, please contact your payroll/benefits office. In addition, ETF has posted an FAQ on their website (http://etf.wi.gov/).

So basically, in addition to my monthly premium going to $208 from $84, I can deduct another $1000 out of my already abysmally low salary to pay for my family's medical care. I can't even console myself with the knowledge that at least I'm in Tier 1 and I'm not getting fucked as hard as other people, because we're all pretty much fucked. Thank you, Republican assholes, douchebags, and fucktards. You have effectively fucked me and my fellow public employees out of huge chunk of our shitty salaries, and we will now be looking even harder for a job outside of this benighted goddamned state.

I had better benefits and pay when I worked in the private sector 10 years ago, but I chose the life of a public servant because I wanted to be a teacher. Always. Since I was a kid playing "School" in my bedroom with my younger sister.

I knew I would never be rich working as a teacher, even as a college professor. I just wanted to have a decent middle-class life. It's not happening. I ran up $70K in student loan debt to get the education that would enable me to get a TT position. I live in a rented house, my newest car is a 2007 with over 70K miles on it, my husband's car (2002) is starting to fall apart and we can't afford to fix it until I get paid again in October, and on and on and on. I can't take it anymore. My  salary is lower than a car mechanic's. My plumber makes more than I do, and I have 17 years of experience and two Master's degrees.

So I'm back to being heartsick and angry. I feel like a fool. So much for happiness.

Give Away the Stone

The Grudge

Lateralus

Tool

Lyrics by Maynard James Keenan

"Clutch it like a cornerstone/ Otherwise it all comes down/ Justify denials and/ Grip 'em to the lonesome end/ Terrified of being wrong/ Ultimatum prison cell...Wear the grudge like a crown/ of negativity/ Calculate what we will/ or will not tolerate/ Desperate to control/ All and everything/ Unable to forgive these scarlet lettermen...Defining/ Confining/ And sinking deeper...Give away the stone/ Let the ocean take and/ Transmutate/ This cold and fated anchor...Let go/Let go/Let go..." 

This song is part of my therapy. MJK is my "Guardo Camino," to quote Henry Rollins.

For most of my life, I have had tremendous difficulty being "light"--as the oldest child in a dysfunctional household, I was the peacemaker, the helper, the fixer, the responsible one. I know that I played as a child (fond memories of my sandbox, and my plastic pool, and of course, my pony) but I also know that my games involved being on my own--parentless and fending for myself. Alone against a hostile world, only seeking to make a small comfortable spot to rest.

Fast-forward. I'm 40. Political upheaval following years (20) of hard work towards the goal of attaining a tenured position has resulted in a scenario I find untenable, yet see no way out of. I spend much of the spring plugged in to various news outlets, growing steadily more disgusted, despairing, and impotently enraged as the weeks wear on. I have difficulty sleeping (again). Nothing is going according to my gorram plan. I am cross with my children and my husband--the three people who make up my small comfortable spot to rest. I am no fun to be around, because most conversations with me turn into rants about the stupidity and ignorance of the people who populate the county, the state, and the nation. I barely have the energy to finish the semester--I give what little energy I have left to my students, so there is none left for my family. I am not sure I have any friends left.

After a blow-out with Hubby, I come to realize that I am perilously close to losing what security and comfort I have managed to build with him over the past 10 years of our marriage. I am faced with a decision:

Give away the stone, or let it drag me into the dark.

Two weeks ago, I decided to give away the stone. I have unplugged from the news of the state and the country (except for The New Yorker and Scientific American). I read for pleasure, and I have started to write poetry again. I am on vacation. I smile more, and I look for things to laugh about (Tina Fey's oeuvre is a good place for that, FYI).

I spend a lot of time outside, listening to the birds. I watch the house wrens and bluebirds fledge the same day, and I try to live in the moment. The poetry arising out of this moment makes me feel good, and I look forward to sharing it soon.

A year ago, a friend of mine from college experienced something that visits me in my darkest nightmares: her husband fell asleep on the couch, and did not wake up. He was not in ill-health. He just...died. Leaving her with four girls, one of whom has severe health issues. My friend goes on because she has to--someone has to take care of the girls--but she misses her husband every day.

Her tragedy is my reminder, and not in the cliche sense of "Live each day like it's your last." I feel more like I should try to live better, and part of living better means letting go of my anger about all the things I can't control. 

Getting bent out of shape means that I don't fit anywhere. 

We Got Some Wild Wild Life

[All apologies to the Talking Heads...]

Took a trip to the cottage for the Fourth of July weekend (which for us ended on Wednesday night, when we rolled into our driveway at 9pm). Sadly, no pics are available because the digital camera had a dead battery and I forgot the charger. Since it's a Sony Cybershot, and Sony's design is completely ass-backwards, the camera cannot be charged via the USB that connects it to the computer. Our 35mm Canon came along, but as Hubby was appalled at the cost to develop a single roll of film (over $10), he refused to get a CD (a $2 upcharge) and we had 4 rolls...taken on one day.

The cottage is in far northern Wisconsin, a little over an hour from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (which frankly should just be part of Wisconsin, but what do I know). Hubby planned a surprise trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Area, and we spent all day Sunday hiking the various trails. My shins are still recovering.

What made it so special was that it was like a mini-honeymoon for us.

On June 23, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. Our original honeymoon was a two-week drive through Minnesota, the Dakotas, the northeast corner of Wyoming (Devil's Tower), and Montana, and it was awesome. We wanted to do something similar for our 10th, but with two kids under 10, it didn't seem like it would work very well (though they are OK for the 225 mile trip to the cottage, I doubt either of them would endure the 14-hour drives we took to get to the various destinations on the original trip). The other issue is one of money--we don't have any to spare this year, and gas and hotels cost money.

So Hubby came up with idea that we'd go to the nearest mountains, which happened to be in the UP. Added bonus were the Union copper mines (we'd spent 3 days in the Black Hills, where there are abandoned exploratory gold mines all over the place).  We hiked up to Lake of the Clouds, and drove to various sites along the south Boundary Road of the wilderness area. We climbed the tower at Summit Peak, which overlooks Lake Superior. It was a really great day--14 hours of just the two of us. And no bears. A few weeks from now, when the blackberries are ripe, that area is bear-tastic.

Wildlife on our lake this year has become more diverse. In addition to the pair of eagles (and their year-old progeny), the great blue herons (who keep pooping on our raft), the pair of loons (and their loonlets--so cute), the mallard family, belted kingfishers, veeries, and thrushes, we have two new species. A pair of common mergansers and a pair of broad-winged hawks have taken up residence:

A muskrat has also made a burrow nearby. Our dock seems to be its favorite place to dismember crappie and bluegill, to judge by the number of fish heads and bones I had to keep cleaning off the beach and dock. We watched it climb up onto the ladder on the raft daily to eat plants (no pics, sadly). Both Things got a big kick out of watching it swim around.

I am so grateful that we have a place like this to retreat from the world. No internet access, no TV, spotty cell service. It's wonderful. Tony's parents bought the land in the summer of 1977, and built the cottage the following year. It's been added on to (now 2 bedrooms!) and his parents have been updating things over the last few years, and all I can say is that we are a very lucky family to have such a marvelous place.

The view from the deck

Poems are coming out of this trip. My soul feels restored, and I'm going to do my best to try to keep it that way.

This Made Me Cry (In a Good Way)

One of my former students posted this as a comment to one of my posts about the impact of budget "repair" bill on my salary. And he's right; if we think of success in terms of money only, it's a very minor measure:

"I think Logan is right, the value of you as a professor=priceless. Teachers making more than professors? Yes, my mother is a teacher and she makes more than that. I made more than that as a mechanic with only a high school diploma. It is a disgrace in my opinion. Who's going to even want to seek tenure? But, in spite of all this BS, I go back to my first statement. You were the best professor I ever had, hands down. Not even a close second. What you do and can do for people in your position shouldn't be taken for granted. What you did for me by just being who you are I don't think I will ever be able to repay you for. Ever. There is no way I can understate what you did for me just by being who you are, I hope you know that. I know peanuts don't pay the bills, but if we measure our success in $$ only, I think our units of measure are all wrong. As I said what they pay you is truly a disgrace to me, but I prefer to measure success in the happiness we create and the good we can do in this world. Measured in these terms, you are one of the most successful people in the world. I'm very sure I'm not alone in saying that I'm proud to know you. You are amongst the most decent people I've ever met. The epitome of success. Walker? His time in office may be very short indeed. He's upset a lot of people..."

I am grateful for the reminder--that I didn't get into this profession to make money (not hardly)--I became a teacher because I want to help others become who they are going to be.  "I teach: I touch the future." My friends in undergrad who were education majors had shirts with this saying on it, and it's part of the reason I too am in education.

"I am not a teacher; I am an awakener." -Robert Frost  

I have this quote on my office door, and today it is I who am awakened from the fog of anger and depression by one of my students. I am grateful. 

The wheel keeps turning.