Conference 7.286::digital

I received the letter from Digital, the day after I received the survey:-(

I interpreted FAIR to mean NOT GOOD but NOT as bad as POOR.

I found the questions to be somewhat tilted towards the positive.  It also
seemed to be designed for the HMO clinic model.  I belong to an HMO, but
have a PCP who is in private practice.  I noticed that a lot of the questions
were geared towards the complaints I hear about the HMO clinic model.  Things
like how long do you have to wait to see a doctor for an emergency, urgent
situation, routine situation, etc.  I've never experienced any undue wait to
see my PCP and have refused an appointment for the same day or next day when
for something routine.

Bob

>I interpreted FAIR to mean NOT GOOD but NOT as bad as POOR.


That's how they want you to interpret it.  Nevertheless, fair
is basically a positive comment.  Sample meanings from my
dictionary include: satisfactory; just, unbiased; favourable.
The worst interpretation is only "of only moderate quality".

So I'd agree that such a  questionnaire is skewed towards
putting  a positive spin on the results.

    I am concerned with the kind of questions they were asking.  How much 
    did I earn, how long had I worked at DEC....and so on.  IMHO too many 
    questions were in the "how much energy do you have" and "are you 
    physically fit enough to perform well at work" kind of catagory, rather
    than the performance of my HMO.
    
    The enclosed letter stressed twice that the survey was to help shape
    health care and health benefits but only once did it say it was a
    survey of your health.  The assurance that Digital would only see 
    an aggreate of the responses and that my responses will be kept 
    in the "strictest confidence" does not make me overly happy
    about giving the kind of info they are asking about.  I have nothing to
    hide (OK, so I'm not as young as I was and I creek a bit at the joints)
    but I have no guarentee where this information is going or if my 
    name is matched to the tracking number on the first page.  
    
    Call me paranoid (and I am sure some of you will) but, in this age of 
    layoffs, I worry about that sort of thing.
    
              

Another thing I noticed about the survey is that it asked quite a few questions
about personal habits - smoking, drinking, exercise. These are not necessarily
related to health care per se.

And yes, many questions are only meaningful in the context of an HMO. I'm in
DMP2, and there are several reasons for that. I hope there is somewhere in the
survey to say that NONE of the HMO's available are suitable, and why. I'll have
to put in some comments about this.

    
    >......and that my responses will be kept 
    >in the "strictest confidence" does not make me overly happy
    
    That made me wonder why they need a unique identifying code stamped
    on each form....
    
    Colin
    

    
    Re .4:
    
>Another thing I noticed about the survey is that it asked quite a few questions
>about personal habits - smoking, drinking, exercise. These are not necessarily
>related to health care per se.
    
    Add the seatbelt question.
    
    And then please explain how they "are not necessarily related to health
    care per se."
    

>    >......and that my responses will be kept 
>    >in the "strictest confidence" does not make me overly happy
>
>    That made me wonder why they need a unique identifying code stamped
>    on each form....
 
The explanation they gave was that after a few weeks they are going to
make follow-up telephone calls to the people who have not yet returned
their questionnaires.  The unique ID codes are to be used for this
purpose only.  So they say.

-steve-

PS:  I, too, found the questionnaire to be less than scientific.
But what's the difference?  My cynical side knows that nothing
will come of it anyway!

    Re: .3
    
    >>> Call me paranoid (and I am sure some of you will) but, in this age of 
    >>> layoffs, I worry about that sort of thing.
    
        Marginally paranoid, maybe ... Cynical, certainly.  It's been my 
        experience that the vast majority of human beings try to abide by
        what they say.  Very few of us are prone to outright lying.  It
        requires a lot more effort than being honest ... or, at least, 
        being quiet.  Getting caught in a lie is just too easy for most 
        of us to risk.

        Whenever I hear someone questioning another's honesty, I find 
        myself wondering about the speaker's view of the world.  If you 
        really believe that there's a high probability that the question-
        naire has some nefarious intent (rather than simply being a
        poorly designed survey); if you really suspect that the company 
        is likely to use your responses (or lack of responses) against 
        you, you may want to look for employment elsewhere.  The company
        doesn't need you.  Even if you were absolutely, your cynicism is
        part of the problem; not part of the solution.

    Terry

    Is this mandatory to keep your job or insurance? If not, and you do not
    like it, then don't answer it. An unsolicited survey will always get
    tossed in the trash if it's addressed to me. My wife simply rips them
    in half and trashes them.

re: .2

Dave,  in my book NOT GOOD implies some degree of BAD.  POOR implies REALLY BAD.
So, when I rated something FAIR, it meant needs improvement, but isn't bad
enough to make me yell and scream about it.

Bob

      re: .9

      Of course ... Nobody's holding a gun at anyone's head saying, 
      "Fill this out and return it or else."  Research of this sort 
      assumes a low return (if the researchers have ANY qualifications 
      at all).  That's why they send out so many questionnaires ... so 
      that the return is large enough to produce a statistically valid 
      sample of the population.  The fact that a part of the sample 
      chooses to exclude itself is yet another reason why statistical 
      results should never be given too much authority.  They're trends 
      at best; nothing more and often less.

      re: .10

      One of the problems with semantic differentials (the question 
      format used in the survey) is that they're subject to individual 
      interpretations that can and do vary over a broad range.  
      Fortunately, those variations are normally distributed (bell 
      curve) just like the sample and (presumeably) the population from 
      which the sample was taken.  In the statistical analysis, it all 
      washes quite nicely.  All of the little distribution curves meld 
      into a nice big curve.  It's from that sample distribution that 
      the researchers glean their information.  That's where the trends 
      appear.

      Terry

    In addition to follow-ups, I imagine that the results will include
    statistics like the participation rate for each of the companies that
    is participating in the survey.  You cannot gain those statistics
    unless you can identify the respondents.
    
    I think it's hard to imagine that Digital and other companies would
    engage in "spying" on employee's healthcare survey responses.  Why not
    count my key-presses and mouse-clicks instead?  :-)
    
    Mark

    Who commissioned the study?  Digital, or the Ohio State University on
    behalf of some other organization?

    Its a joint project being sponsored by Digital, Xerox, and GTE.

    I received a copy of the survey, too.  After reading through it,
    I decided that the survey was more concerned about my current state
    of health than it was about the health care I receive from my HMO.
    
    So I wonder if the survey is a not-so-subtle attempt to spot trends
    among the employee population to determine where the demands--read
    costs--will be on the health care system in the coming year(s) and
    restrict benefits for those demands.  Sorry if I sound paranoid, too,
    but I can't imagine an increase in health benefits at this juncture.

    It will be interesting to see how our health care benefits are cut
    next year. I believe that is the motive of the survey.
    
    Mike

    A question of "How often are you depressed" - paraphrased in several
    different ways was asked several times.  The instructions stated that
    several questions may *appear* identical, but actually are not and
    should all be answered.

    Weird.

    I was left with the distinct feeling that the survey had disingenuous
    motives (that is, other than those stated).

    L.

    
    All right.  That did it!  You folks are having too much fun with this!
    
    How do I get one of these surveys?
    

    RE: .18 According to the letter that first came, people were randomly
    selected to participate in this survey.

    			Alfred

|How do I get one of these surveys?

You want mine?    

    I received one also.  But I haven't figured out why.  I have opted out
    for the last two years.  
    
    Your guess is as good as mine!!!
    
    lillian

    	I am reminded of a good friend who owns an apple orchid,
    and uses migrant (non-US citizen) labor.  He is constantly receiving all
    kinds of "surveys" from various government agencies.  His response is
    a simple one - if it's nor required BY LAW that he fill it out, he
    simply ignores it.
    
    	On a more serious note, I received the form as well, and intend
    to ignore it (for various reasons).  I did NOT get any clear picture
    of what the data will be used for, and the questions are fairly
    personal ones.  I hope I get that followup call, for if I stay on
    the line (that's another story...), they will surely get an ear full.
    They had better be prepared to tell me EXACTLY what the data will be
    used for.
    
    Dave Eklund
     

    Right - I'm always amazed at the willingness of people to
    waste time in answering questions as long as they seem to 
    come from someone "official".
    
    What kind of plant is an "apple orchid", by the way?
    It's ok, this is an official survey - trust me.
    

I threw mine out as soon as i saw they could trace the answers back to me.
Do you mean somebody's going to call me up now and harass me about not
sending it in?
								- paul

re: .21

>>> I received one also.  But I haven't figured out why.  I have opted out
>>> for the last two years.  
>>> 
>>> Your guess is as good as mine!!!
    
    I can guess, Lillian.  As stated in the letter that preceded them, the 
    questionnaires were sent to Digital employees who were selected at
    random.  A random selection has no way of "knowing" that you've opted
    out.  If it did, it wouldn't be random.

Terry

    	I received the survey. I saw nothing really negative. I was bothered
    a little by the questions regarding "mental health" though. I'm
    anxious to hear back from them in the "follow up phone call".
    
    	One major area of our health benefits is our dental plan. I
    personnally have more trouble with John Hancock than its worth. If you ask
    me, that needs as much attention.
    
    bc 
    
    
    	

        I received the survey also. I thought I was one of a selected
    few but everyone I know seems to have received it also. Is it
    just a coincidence? Has anyone else seen this?
    
    mm
    

    .26 
    
    Dental plan, good point.  I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it.
    You are right.  I've had more trouble with JH dental than my HMO.
    
    Our dental plan is part of our health benefits.  There wasn't one
    question about that.  
    
    From now on I'll look under my bed more carefully at night.  

    	That's apple orchard (not orchid).  Gotta learn to
    spell better than that!
    
    Dave E
    

re Note 2704.24 by ARCANA::CONNELLY:

> I threw mine out as soon as i saw they could trace the answers back to me.
> Do you mean somebody's going to call me up now and harass me about not
> sending it in?
  
        Well, you could always claim that you mailed it back.

        An alternative to trashing it would be to give bogus answers.

        Bob
        (who has received my copy of the questionnaire but hasn't
        opened it yet)

    Cut out the traceable code before returning the survey.
    
    Jim C.
    
    

    I received the letter saying I was going to get the survey, but have
    never received the actual survey!  Maybe they changed their mind?
    
    I saw the one a friend received, though, and my only problem with
    answering the questions pertaining to the insurance is that I switched
    to an HMO, from John Hancock, in January of '92, but have yet to use
    it.  I don't go to the doctor very often.  Also, since joining the HMO
    (because JH got too expensive) meant I would have to find all new
    doctors, I have been avoiding the hassle of attempting to deal with an
    HMO.  I figure that as long as I'm not in agony or bleeding to death,
    I'll just never go to the doctor again!  Anyway, I didn't see any place
    for saying that I don't know what I think of my HMO yet because I've
    never used it.
    
    Lorna
    

    re .32
    
    This is one of the problems that I have with the survey, too. There is
    no way to indicate "not applicable" or "none of the above". 
    
    I'm not going to return my survey. When I get the follow-up call, I'll
    just let them know that I decline to answer.
    
    Marleen

I did that for some Not Applicable's.

					Trace

    if i dont return the survey, does this mean i cant get a referral to a 
    HMO specialist
    

    Besides the obvious lack of "n/a" for many questions, it didn't dwell
    much on the ADMINISTRATION of the medical plan.  I'm happy with the
    providers I use, but not with the nitwits who actually try to
    administer the benefits.  So we have to call them up a lot and threaten
    them with legal action to get them to pay their bills, etc.
    
    But to read the survey itself, its machine-counted questions will
    probably make Bay State look really good.

	Well, the customer acceptance forms that we send out after we complete
	work has on them.....


	poor	acceptable	good	very good     excellent  contact me

	So, 1 bad
	    1 OK
	    3 better than OK
	    1 could be superb or disasterous.

	Maybe this format is a standard?


	Heather

    I, too received a survey.  This year is my first experience with an
    HMO, my plan is HMO Elect.  In January I had a nightmare-ish 
    experience with the HMO, so have done all my healthcare out of network.
    I did call the name/number on survey to ask how I should fill it 
    out, answer was they hadn't thought about it, could I "average"
    my response!?!?!  I replied, not really and was asked to fill it
    out as I chose.  Didn't get a warm and fuzzy that this is scientific
    at all.
    
    I too object to the personal nature of a number of questions,
    particularly how much $ we make in the household.
    

    Got this today, seems to explain the survey that U.S. Employees
    received in the mail recently.
    
    -bb
    
From:	MFGFIN::MODELA::MODELA::MRGATE::"DOHENY::CAPOA1::ZIMMERLE.ALAN" 15-OCT-1993 15:43:51.43
To:	@Distribution_List
CC:	
Subj:	COMMUNICATION RE: SURVEY                                               1

From:	NAME: ALAN ZIMMERLE @CWO            
	FUNC:                                 
	TEL:                                  <ZIMMERLE.ALAN AT CAPOA1 at DOHENY at TUS>
To:     See Below
CC:     See Below

    Recently, the U.S. Benefits organization agreed to participate in
    a benefit survey with a number of other companies.  An outside
    consulting firm was selected to administer this survey to ensure total
    confidentiality to the participants.  This group then selected a 
    random sample of U.S. employees to be surveyed.  This survey was mailed
    to the homes of those employees during the week of October 4, 1993.
    
    This survey is in support of Digitals managed care strategy and has 
    two broad objectives.  1) understand satisfaction levels of our employees
    with their health plan, so that discussions can occur with these plans
    to improve their performance.  2) Better understand the health risk
    characteristics of our employees so we can insure we have appropriate
    services and reasonable cost effective controls in place.

    You may receive some calls from employees that have received this survey.
    We wanted to make you aware of the process being utilized to manage this
    program.  Please encourage employees to consider participating in this
    important work.  However, employees should understand that participation
    is purely voluntary and if they do not want to complete the survey they
    can put a note on the survey expressing this and return it in the self-
    addressed envelope they have received.

    Two weeks after the initial mailing, the survey company will send follow
    up reminder notices to those they have not heard from.  At that time
    employees may call the toll-free number listed and express any concerns
    or get clarification to any questions they may have.  If they decide at
    that time not to participate they can notify the survey company or just
    send the document back with a note.

    After four weeks, those employees who have not responded in any way will
    be called, at their workplace, by the survey company.  They will be
    encouraged to complete the questionnaire and return it.  They continue
    to have the option to not participate and may notify the survey company
    of their decision at this time.
 
    Thank you,  


To Distribution List:

Removed

    I just got the card asking me to complete the survey and send it in,
    but I have still not received the actual survey!
    
    I can't wait for the phone call at work, so I can tell them I never got
    the dumb survey in the first place.
    
    Lorna
    

    >I just got the card asking me to complete the survey and send it in,
    >but I have still not received the actual survey!
    
    Me too -- 

Me too, so I called the phone number on the card.

The voice at the other end said that there had been "a mixup" with the
mailing service, so they were going to send fresh copies of the survey
to everyone from whom they had not yet heard.

So, to all of you who are choosing not to answer the survey, I might
suggest sending it back with a notation to that effect - otherwise
you will receive another copy to ignore!

/bruce

    
    Saturday I received another survey with a letter stating they hadn't
    received mine back.  I sent it back the day after I received it.  This
    one goes in the circular file.

	same thing happened to me and at least one other person here (letter
	saying that they hadn't received my survey).

	These jokers obviously have no clue.

	Roy

	.43 (and others)
Good news:
	I also took the time to fill this out and return within two days.
Bad news:
	I got a 2nd one saying that they did not get one from me, so they were
	sending another...and please fill out and return---->RECYCLE BIN!!
!@#$ news:
	Just got a phone call at work from "Brandy Fredrickson(sp?)" wanting
	to ask me some questions about why I did not return the survey....!!!!
		*****TIME-OUT*****
	After I explained the good/bad news, I told her that I was not 
	going to answer any questions!!!!!! BUT I had one for her.
	Who to contact to get my name off the "LIST"......
1-800-293-4017	I spoke with "KEVIN HORNE" to delete my name.

    I received a phone call today from someone associated with Ohio State
    University asking if I had sent in my survey yet.  When I said no, she
    asked if I would be willing to do a shorter version over the phone --
    it would only take about 8 minutes.  She also stressed that this survey
    was funded by several companies and that my answers would be combined
    with many other employees and remain personally confidential. So I said
    yes, silently reserving the right of course not to answer anything I
    did not want to answer.
    
    This time the questions really were almost only about my satisfaction
    with the health care insurance offered by my employer.  Costs, ability
    to chose the doctor, availability of service, and whether or not I felt
    comfortable that a major illness would not be an economic catastrophe
    were among the questions.  Very few about my own health and state of
    mind.  How much of the time do I feel "calm" and do I "have a lot of
    energy" plus how often do I excercize and does my health get in the way
    of doing my job were the only ones.  I did answer "Not Applicable" to
    one question and received no pushback.  There were no questions about
    alcohol, seatbelts, or smoking.
    
    So -- it looks like they were not happy with the reception the survey
    received and needed to get greater participation to claim any
    meaningful data.  My conclusion is that the short version over the
    phone was less intrusive.  I for one was not going to answer all those
    repetitive personal quesions on a coded questionnaire and I know that I
    was not alone.
    
    wa

    .49:
    
    Had pretty much the same experience as you did, only it was two weeks
    ago -- and then another call last week ("I gave at the office").
    
    I was a bit surprised that the phone version didn't ask those
    apparently redundant questions about lack of energy and such, nor the
    ones regarding alcohol, tobacco, and seatbelt use.  The disparity
    between the printed and phone versions leaves me wondering what "they"
    are doing with the statistics from the printed-only questions.
    
    Dick

    I got the call at work after not returning the survey twice.
    I simply told them that it was a poor survey and I wasn't going to
    participate in helping DEC find ways to reduce my medical benefits.
    
    Mike

	I want to thank ERLANG::SHOOP for the phone number.
	I got a call from someone named Marty this morning concerning the
two surveys that I had not answered or sent back. I told her that I have
medical insurance only as a necessity, I have yet to take advantage of it
and do not even have a PCP.
	She insisted that I answer some questions anyway, because the data
would still help them. I asked how "not applicable" could help them in any
way. She still insisted. I told her I was very busy and could not take the
time to answer her questions. She pushed for a time when I would be available.
I told her to take her best shot and hung up.
	Fortunately, I read about the 800 number, called and had my name
removed from the list.

Regards,
Carol 

    
    I thought the survey said that no name was attached; so I would like
    to find out how they know who sent it back and who did not.

>    I thought the survey said that no name was attached; so I would like
>    to find out how they know who sent it back and who did not.

There was a "code" number on each form so they could match them up with
names, "for the purpose of following up on forms that were not returned".

-steve-

    My husband got a second copy of this thing even though did send them
    back the first one.  Someone's wasting lotsa money on this!  I wish
    they had sent ME one: I would have told them just what I think of our
    new, more-expensive, much less useful health care system in this
    company!  Sheesh!  It's a good thing that I hardly ever need to see a
    doctor for anything anyhow - the HMO we had to join (OK, didn't HAVE
    to, but couldn't afford to do otherwise!) is a real redtape mill.  No
    problem if you want to do something that doesn't cost them anything,
    like join a healthclub (like I have for that!), but if you actually
    want to USE some of the services you are paying for, boy do you ever
    get the runaround!
    
    From what I saw of it, anyhow, though, the survey didn't address the
    quality of health care (or lack thereof) you were getting with the new,
    much more costl, schemes anyhow.  It had questions like, do you have
    more or less energy than you did a year ago, and similar stuff.
    
    /Charlotte

   I didn't bother to send in the survey either since it looked
   poorly done.

   They finally called and pestered me in my office one morning last
   week.
    
>    From what I saw of it, anyhow, though, the survey didn't address the
>    quality of health care (or lack thereof) you were getting with the new,
>    much more costl, schemes anyhow.  It had questions like, do you have
>    more or less energy than you did a year ago, and similar stuff.

   I gave the person an earfull about this aspect of the survey and
   made it clear that many people are very dissatisfied with the
   current health care situation, and that I was not interested in
   answering a lot of irrelevant multiple choice questions.

   I doubt if this did any good, but the survey taker did admit that
   they were aware of this.

   - Jim

There are many valid comments in this notes stream, but I must take issue with
the negativism concerning the survey questions around people's health.  I
believe this negativism is a symptom of Digital's inexperience at being
a truly customer driven organization.

A primary purpose of a customer survey, including this one, is to get
to understand the customer.  You can't do that if you only ask questions
about your customers' perceptions of your current product.  Suggesting
that they shouldn't be asking questions about your health and activities
is like suggesting that we should limit our questions to "How do you
like your OpenVMS system?" while avoiding questions such as "Do you think
your information system needs today are the same, less, or greater than
they were a year ago?"  

Or look at it this way:  If many respondents indicate that they have
less energy today than they did a year ago, it sends a strong signal that
there's an opportunity for our health care systems to improve the health
and hence productivity of the workforce.

I had no problem answering the questions on the survey, as I understood
the potential relevance.

  Gary

    
    I don't have any issues with answering any well-designed questionnaires
    providing:
    
    	The questionnaire is piloted with a representative sample and valid
    	statistical methods are used to evaluate and correct the problem
    	questions.
    
    	I'm given an overview of the intended sample, methodology and
    	a lay-persons description of how the data will be analysed
    	and used.
     
    	My cooperation is elicited well in advance, and I'm informed of
    	the nature and purpose of the survey.  I like to be given an
        opportunity to read the final report and conclusions.
    
    	The further use and confidentiality of my responses is assured.
    
    These suggestions are from guidelines in Digital documents on how to
    design and apply questionnaire surveys.  It's the same stuff that I was
    taught in non-parametric stats courses in college, but it does not seem
    to have been done in this questionnaire.
    
    If it had, the *pilot* would tell them that they had a problem with the
    methodology, before they got to the stage of 'phoning folk to cajole a
    constrained response.
       
    Colin	

It's been several months since this survey. Does anyone know about the results?

Or will we hear, in the usual Health Care Bulletins, how carefully Digital has
been in reviewing the HMOs, and that everybody is happy with them. I'd like to
see the results.

The employee survey reminded me of this.

re .59: here are some results...
    
Date Of Receipt:        inel" 23-JUN-1994 09:31
From:   OLIMPA::sentinel "WGS/AD News Sen
        [email protected]
To:     lgp30::maynardtimes
CC:     
Subj:   Auto Forward by OFFICE FILTER
Subject:        HEALTH CARE SURVEY RESULTS AVAILABLE FROM XEROX, GTE AND DIGITAL -Sentinel DOW Story
Source:         DowVision-Press Release Wires-PR
Size:   3245
Sentinel Delivered by Groupware Advanced Development:   
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY BY INFORMATION PROVIDER AGREEMENT:    

   Late last year, in a ground-breaking arrangement, a consortium of three
major companies -- Xerox, GTE and Digital Equipment Corporation --
collaborated on an employee survey to evaluate the performance of health
plans and the health needs of those employees.
  Eight months later, the survey has yielded important results as the
nation debates health care reform. For example, employees covered by
managed care plans reported a much higher level of satisfaction than those
in traditional fee-for-service, or indemnity, plans. Also, issues like
cost of coverage to the employee and the amount of paperwork required were
more important in determining satisfaction than the issue of physician
choice.
  These findings validate efforts by Xerox, GTE and Digital to encourage
employees to join health maintenance organizations (HMOs).
  Some 24,300 of 35,000 employees in the three companies completed the
survey (70 percent). It covered 32 health plans in six regions around the
country. More than 60 criteria were used to rate the plans. The Health
Institute at the New England Medical Center in Boston conducted the
survey, under the direction of Harris M. Allen, Jr., Ph.D.
  Among the key findings:
  --  the managed care strategy of all three corporations is working well
and achieving dramatic results in most areas; New York City was an
exception.
  --  enrollees in indemnity plans reported superior physician-related
choices and continuity.
  --  across a wide range of health care delivery and plan administration
attributes, no plan achieved consistently excellent ratings; responses
indicated areas where quality improvements could be made.
  --  employee health and disease characteristics influenced plan
satisfaction.
  --  the health care needs posed by indemnity enrollees was modestly
greater than that of managed-care enrollees, particularly those in
so-called PPGPs (pre-paid group practices).
  --  there was little evidence to suggest that any one managed-care plan
has succeeded in "skimming" employees to the detriment of its
competitors.
  The consortium approach works; it saves money while producing results
that are more than the sum of the parts. The medical center applied
state-of-the-art survey techniques to establish an employee- based
standard for evaluating health plan performance.
  Among other things, the companies will use the survey results as they
weigh decisions on retaining individual plans and providers, employee
satisfaction, employee-based plan "report cards," rate negotiations and
quality discounting. In addition, using detailed survey results, the
companies are working with each of the 32 plans to continuously improve
performance in all areas.
  Xerox, GTE and Digital will also be using programs aimed at improving
employees' health status, such as increasing seat belt use, encouraging
exercise, and discouraging smoking.
  Health strategists at all three companies, as well as Harris Allen at the
medical center, are available for media interviews regarding the survey.
  CONTACT:  Judd Everhart of Xerox, 203-968-3572, Tom Byker of GTE,
203-965-2828, Dan Kaferle of Digital, 508-493-2195, or Harris Allen of New
England Medical Center, 617-636-8601.
  /PRNewswire -- June 23/
09:07 EDT
-
SentinelID:     772378381
MessageSeqNum:  0244
Storydate:      06/23/1994
Headline:       HEALTH CARE SURVEY RESULTS AVAILABLE FROM XEROX, GTE AND DIGITAL
MsgDate:        06/23/1994
ProductCode:    PR
TransmissionTime:       0931
DisplayTime:    0931
OperationClass:         N
MessageType:    N
TempIndicator:  P
NewsSource:     PR
OriginalSource:         
AccessionNumber:        000000000000
categoryCompany:        XRX GTE DEC
categoryIndustry:       I/HEA I/INS
categorySubject:        N/PR N/HCP N/HLT

What a crock!  When you jack up the price of indemnity plans, people in them
will be dissatisfied with the cost.  You can then say, "See, our employees
prefer HMOs."

        No to worry Gerald, our government will provide excellent health care,
    at a low cost, with no problems.  The house version even threw in
    dental and orthodontia benefits.  Weee!! Isn't spending someone else's
    money fun?

    Charlie

    re: .60
    
    When bean counters are outlawed only outlaws will have beans!
    
    Best manipulation of numbers I've seen in a long time...

>  --  employee health and disease characteristics influenced plan
>  satisfaction.

In other words, those that need medical care are less satisfied.
But I'm sure this isn't being used to IMPROVE insurance plans, it's
going to be used as an excuse to keep cutting.

I'm too disgusted to comment further.

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I was forced to John Hancock/indemnity insurance because a HMO WOULD NOT
COVER my son's medication.  My choices were bleed-to-death with an HMO
(pay approx $25,000-$30,000/year out of pocket for my son's meds) or
bleed-slowly-to-death with John Hancock (higher premium + deductable + 20% =
$10,000-$12,000/year for the same meds) approximate numbers here...

When I got the survey, I complained fiercely and bitterly over this and
the fact that those that were on John Hancock did not pay higher premiums
because they were some form of sadists, but because they did not have any
real choice - HMOs do NOT COVER EVERYTHING EQUALLY.  Besides the issues
with my son's mediation costs, mental health coverage is another area where
HMO's are sorely lacking.  Those with need of this service also find
expensive John Hancock "cheaper" or the lesser of two evils if you figure
out the total cost/year.  Or find a HMO that covers a chiropractor...

And I know I was not the only person in this position.  However, from having
filled out the survey, I noted (and complained in the comment section) that
the survey questions were worded to avoid dealing with this discrepancy.
(i.e. you have coverage A, are you happy or mad with A?)   No opportunity
to complain about B,C, or D.!  I can't be the only person in this scenario.

I saw very little in the survey results that show they even acknowledged this
problem.   Or that they "read" the comments that folks filled in.

The irony of all this, is that in the last open enrollment, I was able to use
four years of medical results to prove to the HMO that refused my son in the
first place, that the meds were A) working, and B) added value to his life.
And after much haggling, etc, they finnaly agreed to cover my son's medication.
So this year, I don't have to pay high premiums... Of course, he only has one
or two more years left to take the medication, so they don't end up bearing
the most expensive part of all this...

I apologize for this ranting and raving, but this has been a very sore spot
for me and DEC/Digital has been less than helpful in dealing with this...
this survey is just another sugar-coated manipulation of carefully choreographed
questions to make crap smell like a rose. (smell this - a decayed rose or
a pile of expensive pig/cow manure - which one smells better - Hey folks, most
respondents liked our Rosey offering better!)

Alice

    Healthsource NH covers chiropractic care (to a limited extent).
    In general I've been very happy with Heathsource; they've paid
    for specialists and even expensive out-of-plan follow-up exams
    for my son who earlier had Kawasaki Disease.  My only gripe is
    that Digital's allocation of costs has boosted my premium 25%
    in one year, but it's still a bargain compared to the DMP.
    
    					Steve

    The weekly cost of John Hancock health insurance ($25-$40, depending on
    your choice of plan) is a steal compared to what is available in the
    non-group-plan arena.  I live in Cleveland, Ohio -- COMPARABLE coverage
    of my family is two to five times the Digital cost.  Shop and compare
    -- you may sing a different tune.
    
    (Comment applies particularly to those who have been/are about to be
    TFSO'd and are striking out as individual consultants.  Health care is
    expensive!)
    
    Of course, you could take the independent, self-reliant path -- pay
    your own costs as you incur them.
    
    Strider

re: .68

>    The weekly cost of John Hancock health insurance ($25-$40, depending on
>    your choice of plan) is a steal compared to what is available in the
>    non-group-plan arena.  I live in Cleveland, Ohio -- COMPARABLE coverage
>    of my family is two to five times the Digital cost.  Shop and compare
>    -- you may sing a different tune.
    
I'm in Massachusetts and this past open enrollment, John Hancock/DMP was
$85 to over $100 per week.  Those of us in "managed care" areas must pay high 
premiums "for the privilege of choosing our own doctors and using medical
services when ever we feel like it" - (That's what corporate told me when I
complained about premiums vs coverage).  Corporate ASSUMES that because I did
not choose a less expensive HMO, that I am willing to pay dearly to not have
HMO restrictions.  This is reflected in the comments I recieved from various
corporate folks I tried to get answers from, the way the health choice options
are offered to us, and even in the manner in which the health care survey was
done.  For me, this was not true, but they refused to acknowledge that the
HMO's had some deficiency that would cause me to stay with John Hancock.  

Actually, we don't really have John Hancock medical insurance.  What we
realy have is a Digital self-insured health plan that is administered by
John Hancock.

I understand that because I'm employed, my cost for health insurance is
reduced.  My problem is that HMO's are not the solution to everything because
they do not cover everything, and that DEC is treating them as such end
penalizing those employees for whom an HMO is not a viable financial option.


And this line all got started because I thought the Health Survey that went
out was organized/worded such that it hid a basic problem with the entire
system.

Alice