UAW Local 1612 Bargaining Committee Highlighter

Amy Kloc

09 Jun, 2025

Understanding the True Cost of Bridon Bekaert’s Healthcare Proposal
Date: June 6th 2025

🚨 SUMMARY: WHY THIS PROPOSAL HURTS

Bridon Bekaert's proposed healthcare changes, disguised as a "premium savings," would actually shift major financial risk to you and your family over the next 3 years. Here's what the company isn't telling you:

· Employee premium share increases from 26% to 30%

· Deductibles skyrocket by as much as 733%

· Higher costs for ER, Urgent Care, and Prescriptions

· Out-of-pocket risks grow substantially, even for basic care

This is not cost savings. It's cost shifting.

📊 MONTHLY PREMIUM INCREASES (26% ➔ 30%)

Coverage Type	Current (26%)	Proposed (30%)	Monthly Increase	Annual Increase
Employee Only	$323.16	$372.88	$49.72	$596.64
Employee + Child	$413.53	$477.15	$63.62	$763.44
Employee + Children	$548.72	$633.14	$84.42	$1,012.96
Employee + Spouse	$585.42	$675.48	$90.06	$1,080.72
Family	$670.90	$774.12	$103.22	$1,238.64

💸 DEDUCTIBLE INCREASES

Plan Tier	Current Plan	Proposed Plan
Employee Only	$300	$1,600 or $2,500
Employee + 1	$600	$4,000 or $5,000
Family	$900	$4,000 or $5,000

⚡ A family may pay up to $5,000/year BEFORE insurance even starts paying.

📃 OTHER COST INCREASES

· Emergency Room: Higher copays and coinsurance

· Urgent Care: Increased out-of-pocket fees

· Prescriptions: Higher costs across all tiers, especially for brand and specialty drugs

And the company has not provided full prescription coverage details.

🚫 SMOKER SURCHARGE – EVEN WORSE COSTS

Family Plan (Smoker)	Current: $708.15	Proposed: $817.10	Increase: $108.95/month
Annual Increase			$1,307.40

📆 3-YEAR FINANCIAL EXPOSURE (Family Plan Example)

· Premiums: $1,238.64/year x 3 = $3,714

· Deductibles: Up to $5,000/year = $15,000 over 3 years

· Prescriptions + Emergency Costs: Variable, but rising

✅ Total 3-Year Exposure: More than $20,000 in added costs

✊ THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE'S POSITION

We CANNOT support a proposal that:

· Raises your risk during a health crisis

· Shifts more costs to you while giving less in return

· Reduces healthcare security for families

We remain open to negotiating a FAIR plan that protects—not punishes—our members.

🔁 Impact Points

· "This isn't savings—it's a setup."

· "A $50 discount on my paycheck doesn’t cover a $5,000 deductible."

· "We need coverage we can count on, not bills we can’t predict."

· "It’s not a raise if it goes straight to medical debt."

In Solidarity,
UAW Local 1612 Bargaining Committee
With support from UAW International
Lonnie Everett – International Servicing Representative, UAW Region 9