Dear UW-River Falls Community Members,

I am following up on an e-mail we all received from Chancellor Betz on 10/12.  Many of you asked on Tuesday who you could write to and express your concerns over the 2006 changes in our medical insurance options.  Bill Kox of ETF has supplied the following website for your use:  http://etf.wi.gov/boards/board_roster_gib.pdf   This site lists the names of the individuals who serve on the Group Insurance Board, and a mailing address where all correspondence should be sent for all Board members.  If accessing the website is problematic for you, please stop by the HR Office (Room 216 or 218 in North Hall) for a hard copy or call me (ext.3502) and I will place a hard copy in campus mail to you.

I'm aware of your concerns and frustrations and I share them.  I know that many of you had researched the issue of medical costs in our area, and presented your facts and figures in your questions to Bill Kox on Tuesday.  I think this is a very effective approach.  The Group Insurance Board has been through increases like this in other years, when state employees in Milwaukee and Stevens Point were affected.  We need, I believe, to help the Board understand what is different in this situation for us at UWRF.  From an HR perspective, some of the differences I see are these:  St. Croix County has a high overall cost of living while UWRF wages tend to be on the low side when compared to other campuses, we compete directly with the St. Paul/Minneapolis labor market for employees and Minnesota wages, overall, are significantly higher than they are in Wisconsin, and we have been able to compete in that market because of the overall value of our benefit package which is now eroding.  These are the kinds of thins an HR person looks at, and sharing our multiple perspectives and concerns will certainly increase the Board's level of understanding.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that if you are making a change in your health insurance provider, you need to complete the "Group Health Insurance Application" form and return it to Human Resources by October 28.  These forms were available on Tuesday at the Health Form, or can be obtained by stopping by the HR Office or contacting Joy DeWyre.  I know some of you have a lot of sorting out to do between now and October 28 as you try to determine the best course of action for you and your family.  If you have any trouble getting the information you need in making your insurance choice, please let Joy know and She'll assist you. 

Sincerely,

Kathy Schultz