Custom «Health Care Initiatives in September 2010 » Essay Paper Sample

The international brotherhood of teamsters (IBT) is a union of workers which spreads in the United States and Canada. The union formed in 1903 boosts of more than 1.4 million members. Teamster represents employees in the transport sectors together with workers from other fields. The current president of Teamster union is James Hoffa. Membership in unions has been on the decline among USA's workforce. Union membership however in regard to health care has been on the increase with works joining unions such as teamster.

Teamster has been on the forefront campaigning for health benefits for both retired and working members of their union. In the past month there was a Coke company workers strike in Washington. The workers claimed that their company had violated their rights by trying to do away with a health care system for its retired workers. The company also tried to raise the medical and health care premiums among its workers by a massive 800 percent. Teamster has promised its members that it will no relent in ensuring they get the best deals when it comes to them receiving health care. The workers have however gone back to work pending discussions with the company to review the issue (Coke Strike, 2010).

Teamster union is pushing for the legislation of the health care bill. The bill has a lot of benefits for both retired and current working and current members of the union. It calls for health plans that will offer dependant children up to the age of 26 years. The bill also prohibits insurance companies from exclusion of children due tom their pre- existing circumstances. The bill will in its plans if implemented include a $250 rebate for all enrollers in on part D who enter the category of costs between $2700 and $6154. The bill will also go along way in the elimination of limits regarding lifetime and individual annual coverage. People with pre- existing conditions will also be accorded medical care coverage. This bill will be a breakthrough in health care reforms in the country as a whole and also to the retired and current members of the teamster union. The reforms also aim at the creation of temporary re-insurance programs that will in a long way help companies which offer health benefits for early retirees. It also gives its members immediate access to insurance coverage for any persons with any pre- existing conditions thus eliminating uncertainty among this group of people. The reforms will lead to an imposition of an excise tax on the insurance groups that cover employers on their health plans with a cost exceeding $10200 each year for an individual coverage. It also applies for a coverage exceeding $27500 per year in the case of family cover. This tax will be 40% of the total cost of the plan which in the same regard exceeds the dollar thresholds but will not be implemented just yet. These reforms also forbid companies that offer insurance from the idea of cancelling workers policies in the event that they fell sick (Teamsters Local 324, 2010).

Teamster is also very active backing President Barrack Obama's health care reforms plan. Teamster president, James Hoffa has supported the move to drop the public option mentioning that it would not hinder the legislation of the reforms. The union view these reform plans as very important to USA as more than 50 million residents who have problems in accessing health care will be taken care of. Hoffa expects the bill to be passed by the end of the year holding high optimism for workers all over America (Rosenkrantz, 2010)