Issue link: https://pma.uberflip.com/i/1101484
I N D U S T RY B E N E F I T S For a decade, employers have intensified their focus on the administration of the ILWU-PMA welfare plan. This included a switch to a new third-party administrator, which led to more rigorous review of medical bills and the identification of fraud, waste and abuse. As a result of these and other efforts, more than 85 providers have been excluded from billing the plan, and medical care costs are more than 40 percent below what they would have been had they grown at the rate of health care inflation. In addition, federal prosecutors have convicted a number of individuals for taking part in schemes to defraud this plan – schemes in which providers submitted bills for services not rendered, misrepresented procedures that should not have been covered, or sought compensation by overbilling for provided services. The ILWU-PMA welfare plan is among the most generous health plans in the nation, with fully paid medical care with no employee premiums and only very limited deductibles. Prescription drugs are provided for $1. Employers are committed to continuing to provide comprehensive health care benefits – and to ensuring that providers are accurately billing the plan for only services that have been provided and covered. Tackling Health Care Fraud supplement benefits under the Welfare Plan. These benefits are provided to certain widows of pensioners under the ILWU-PMA Pension Plan who died prior to July 1, 1964, and effective 1982, certain widows of active registrants who died prior to July 1, 1975, and satisfied other requirements. Effective September 1, 2007, eligibility was expanded to include certain widows of active registrants who had previously not been eligible to receive benefits under the WILSP. ILWU-PMA Welfare Plan The ILWU-PMA Welfare Plan provides comprehensive health care and related benefits to qualified active and retired participants and their qualified dependents and survivors. Plan Funding The Plan is primarily funded by PMA through employer assessments on payroll hours and tonnage. In addition, registered employees make contributions to the Plan as a defined percentage of wages at a rate that is set by the Trustees. Tenure of the Agreement The Plan runs concurrently with the 2014-2022 Pacific Coast Longshore and Clerk's Agreement. Unless provided to the contrary, extension or renewal of the Pacific Coast Longshore and Clerk's Agreement extends the Plan, and the Plan remains in effect for the period of the extension or renewal. If the Plan were to be terminated, the remaining assets of the Plan would be used for payment of benefits until the assets were exhausted. NUMBER OF PENSION BENEFIT RECIPIENTS BY YEAR Normal/ Dis- In- Sub- Post- Pre- Sub- Early ability Service QDRO total Retire Retire total Total 2009 3,996 999 60 278 5,333 2,712 545 3,257 8,590 2010 3,997 983 54 302 5,336 2,676 553 3,229 8,565 2011 3,974 970 45 314 5,303 2,629 571 3,200 8,503 2012 4,076 964 36 331 5,407 2,581 584 3,165 8,572 2013 4,105 959 27 351 5,442 2,561 604 3,165 8,607 2014 4,113 950 26 365 5,454 2,517 613 3,130 8,584 2015 4,149 945 22 384 5,500 2,566 623 3,189 8,689 2016 4,192 968 17 402 5,579 2,526 630 3,156 8,735 2017 4,271 971 13 420 5,675 2,476 634 3,110 8,785 2018 4,327 976 12 431 5,746 2,485 652 3,137 8,883 SURviviNG SPOUSeS PeNSiONeRS (thousands) 0 4 6 8 10 2 Number of Pension Benefit Recipients (thousands) Surviving Spouses Pensioners 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 Number of Pension Benefit Recipients 39 p a c i f i c M a r i t i M e a s s o c i a t i o n