Information About Health Care Benefit Plans
Health Plans and Benefits | U.S. Department of Labor
This U.S. Department of Labor page provides general information about group health plans sponsored by employers and employee organizations, including Compliance Assistance and Fiduciary Responsibilities for employers, Participant Rights for employees, and group health plan related topics, such as Mental Health Benefits and Portability of Health Coverage. This page also includes information on laws governing group health plans in the workplace, such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
In Focus: How Unions Act as a Force for Change in Health Care Delivery and Payment, by Martha Hostetter and Sarah Klein | The Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that promotes a high-performing, equitable health care system through supporting independent research of health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. This article reviews how unions bargain for health care benefits with a vested interest in containing health care costs, and describes ways that union sponsored plans have sought to achieve more efficient and affordable health care services, such as providing direct primary care, promoting evidence-based care, and using alternative methods to select pharmacy benefit managers.
How Unions Can Transform the Way Americans Get Care Podcast by Shanoor Seervai | The Commonwealth Fund
This Commonwealth Fund podcast is an interview with Mark Blum, executive director of America’s Agenda, which brings together labor unions, businesses, and health care providers to provide union members with quality health care and efficient costs.
The Union Advantage: union membership, access to care, and the Affordable Care Act by Luke Petach and David K. Wyant | NIH: National Library of Medicine
The U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) provides access to scientific literature at the National Library of Medicine. This study examines the “union advantage” in health care access, considering how union membership influences access to health services. The study found that unionized workers, particularly low-income workers, are more likely to have comprehensive health coverage, and that this advantage persists after expanded access to health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Why unions are good for workers—especially in a crisis like COVID-19 by Celine McNicholas, Lynn Rhinehart, Margaret Poydock, Heidi Shierholz, and Daniel Perez | Economic Policy Institute
The Economic Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on economic policy discussions centered on low- and middle-income working families and rising economic inequality. This report considers how the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront weaknesses in labor protections and reviews how union workers earn higher wages than nonunion workers and have significantly better access to health benefits and paid sick leave. Unions also help reduce wage disparities among racial groups.
Status of collectively bargained benefits: Multiemployer health and welfare fund statistics by David Stoddard and Narcella Giorguou | Milliman.com
Milliman is an international consulting firm that provides expert guidance on health care related issues. This 2018 Milliman report analyzes financial disclosures by collectively bargained multiemployer health and welfare funds and provides statistical analysis and data for the 2016 plan year.
