Do you have questions or complaints about your health benefits?  Speak up!

Don’t know where to turn for help with health-benefit questions or problems? Not satisfied with your health plan or the service you are receiving?  Have suggestions for improving health benefits?  The PEF Jo int Labor/Management Committee on Health Benefits (JCHB) wants to hear from you.

The JCHB works with the appropriate state agencies to review and oversee the various health plans, including dental and vision, available to active state employees represented by PEF.  “Feedback from members is extremely valuable,” says Lorraine Simpkins, PEF’s Health Benefits Specialist.  “ W hen ranking employee benefits, our members place health insurance right at the top.  Therefore, it’s important to us that they are satisfied with their health benefits.  If they are not satisfied, we need to know that.”

According to Simpkins, most people are intimidated by the terminology and just the whole topic of health benefits.   “Dealing with the health care system is like running an obstacle course,” says Simpkins.  “There can be so many hoops to jump through that people become frustrated and give up.  It’s hard to advocate for yourself when you don’t understand how your health plan works or what your rights are.”      

That’s where the health benefits staff at PEF comes in.  It’s the staff’s job to help members understand their health benefits and make sure they get the benefits they’re entitled to.  Emphasis is placed on education, communication and advocacy.  Services provided to members include:

• assisting members with health benefit questions or problems either directly or by referring them to the appropriate contact;
• responding to member complaints about health plan benefits or customer service;
• answering questions and addressing member concerns regarding the health benefits negotiated by the union; and
• maintaining the Health Benefits section of the PEF website (at www.pef.org select Health Benefits from the links on the left side of the home page).

Deborah Stayman, PEF’s Health Policy Analyst, works hard to keep the website information useful and up-to-date.   “If a member has a question, it’s a good bet the answer can be found on the website,” says Stayman.

To contact the health benefits staff, call 1-800-342-4306, ext. 283, or send an e-mail to health_benefits@pef.org.