January 2020 Scoop

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Friday, January 3, 2020

SEANC pushing for equitable raises as legislature returns The legislature will reconvene on Jan. 14. SEANC will continue to make the case for raises for university and community college employees, noncertified school personnel and retirees -- all of which were left out of the “mini-budget” bills that passed before the holiday break. It is imperative that these employees be treated fairly and receive increases through an override of the veto on the state budget. The retiree bonus that was in the budget was barely a bonus at all. Poor choices by previous state treasurers have made a true COLA unavailable. SEANC is grateful to Treasurer Dale Folwell for the work he is doing to dig us out of the mess created by his predecessors. We are pressing legislative leaders to honor the service and sacrifice of our retired state employees, and we believe they will find enough one-time money to provide a retiree bonus of at least 2%. Members should click below to reach out to their legislators to tell them to stand up for pay equity by passing these increases. Contact your legislator

Making big changes in the new year? Please let us know! If major life changes come your way in 2020, please let SEANC know so we can ensure that your member benefits or insurance products are not interrupted. These changes include: Changing work agencies or jobs Leaving state service Going on leave Filing bankruptcy Getting married or divorced Moving to a new home Just call SEANC's Member Services Department at 1-800-222-2758 to let us know!

New SEANC card delivery delayed Your SEANC membership card expired with the turning of the new year, but delivery of a new card has been delayed by a few weeks. New cards should begin arriving in mailboxes by mid-January. Merchants who participate in our discounts program will honor your old card until the end of January.

Scholarship Applications Now Available! Deadline is April 15 to apply for annual SEANC awards

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Friday, January 10, 2020

SEANC's ads on health care costs raise awareness for viewers SEANC recently launched television ads in the Wilmington and Asheville markets calling out hospitals for their billing practices with the State Health Plan. This week, WLOS in Asheville took notice, responding to questions from concerned viewers who had seen the ad by launching an investigation of their own. The station interviewed SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins, who spoke out on the need for transparency and lower costs in health care through the implementation of State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s Clear Pricing Project. The report also featured an Asheville mother who has faced the same shock as many state employees opening a hospital bill after taking her daughter to the emergency room recently. "It's confusing, and it is frustrating to not be able to just have a full picture of, like, here's how the process works,” she said. Watkins pointed out that the Clear Pricing Project would alleviate those concerns, saying, “[It’s] taking the price, comparing it to Medicare reimbursement, so you know for a certainty what you’ll pay." More than 25,000 providers signed on to the Clear Pricing Project this year. However, all of the state's major hospitals – like New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington and Mission Health in Asheville – boycotted the plan to bring transparency to hospital billing. SEANC has called for reference-based pricing – tying reimbursement rates to Medicare rates – since 2011, and will continue this fight until every hospital in the state signs on to the Clear Pricing Project. To take action, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, share our ads with your communities and urge your local hospital to join the Clear Pricing Project. Together, we can end secret contracts and have both quality and affordable care for state employees, retirees and their families.

Legislature to reconvene Tuesday The legislature will reconvene on Tuesday. SEANC will continue to make the case for raises for university and community college employees, noncertified school personnel and retirees – all of which were left out of the “mini-budget” bills that passed before the holiday break. We are pressing legislative leaders to honor the service and sacrifice of our retired state employees, and we believe they will find enough onetime money to provide a retiree bonus of at least 2%. Members should click below to reach out to their legislators to tell them to stand up for pay equity by passing these increases in this session. Contact your legislator

Making big changes in the new year? Please let us know! If major life changes come your way in 2020, please let SEANC know so we can ensure that your member benefits or insurance products are not interrupted. These changes include: Changing work agencies or jobs Leaving state service Going on leave Filing bankruptcy Getting married or divorced Moving to a new home Just call SEANC's Member Services Department at 1-800-222-2758 to let us know!

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Friday, January 24, 2020

EMPAC announces legislative, statewide endorsements EMPAC, the political arm of SEANC, announced in mid-January a bipartisan slate of endorsed candidates for the upcoming 2020 elections. EMPAC voted to endorse State Treasurer Dale Folwell for both the primary and general elections in 2020. Folwell does not face an opponent in the primary. He has worked tirelessly to better the lives of SEANC members since his election in 2016, cutting millions of dollars in fees paid to Wall Street by the state pension fund while fighting for transparency and cost savings with the State Health Plan. EMPAC endorsed N.C. Sen. Erica Smith (D-Northampton) in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Smith was EMPAC’s 2016 Lisa B. Mitchell Freshman Click image to enlarge Legislator of the Year, and has been a staunch advocate for state employees and retirees in her time in the N.C. Senate. In the U.S. Congress Second District, EMPAC supports Deborah Ross as the Democratic nominee. The district includes much of Wake County and has many state employees and retirees. EMPAC endorsed four candidates for Democratic nominations and two for Republican nominations in the N.C. House, as well as one candidate in the N.C. Senate. The primary election is March 3. Early voting begins on Feb. 13 and runs through Feb. 29.

Desire to help drives SEANC member into politics When District 26 member Kenon Crumble saw the Johnston County School system in a budget crisis recently, the father of 5 knew he had to take action, so he signed up to run for the county school board. EMPAC is proud to support Crumble’s candidacy in the upcoming primary election. He is one of several SEANC members who are running for office in 2020, and we would love to have many more. Read his story here.

Now’s your chance to prove it. SEANC’s Emerging Leaders Council has established a scholarship program to allow one SEANC member the opportunity to participate in Leadership North Carolina (LNC). Each year, Leadership North Carolina selects a class of 50-60 current and emerging leaders from across the state through a competitive application process. Participants attend six two-day sessions between Oct. 2020 and May 2021 in various locations across the state where they learn about the challenges and opportunities facing North Carolina, with a focus on building networks and turning knowledge into action to benefit their communities and the state. Participation in LNC requires a two-year commitment. Only active SEANC members working full time for the state are eligible to apply. Selection as the Emerging Leaders/LNC scholarship finalist does not constitute automatic admission into LNC. The individual selected will be required to submit an application to LNC and be accepted for admission into the program. Scholarship funds will cover the cost of tuition, meals, travel and lodging. Apply online at seanc.org/leadership-nc-scholarship.

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Friday, January 31, 2020

SEANC pushes for increases for retirees, university, community college and non-certified personnel The news this week that state revenues have beaten expectations by about $290 million so far this fiscal year is another reminder that the money is there for increases for UNC System, community college and non-certified school personnel. This, coupled with nearly $900 million in surplus collected last fiscal year, means there’s more than enough non-recurring money to give retirees an adequate bonus to help them make ends meet as well. Democrats blocked a "mini-budget" bill on educator raises, but the overall budget is still up for consideration. The legislature is set to return in April ahead of the short session. SEANC will continue to lobby for UNC system, community college and non-certified school personnel to receive the same 5% two-year increases as other state employees, as well as a 2% retiree bonus. We will also advocate for making those raises retroactive to July 1, 2019, so those employees and retirees will receive the full amount this year.

Members encouraged to attend forums on Mission-HCA merger The independent monitoring group charged with holding HCA Healthcare to the promises it made when it acquired Mission Health last year held three public forums this week in Western North Carolina, and have four more planned. State employees and retirees in the region should attend the meeting near them and urge HCA to do the right thing by state employees, retirees and their families by joining the Clear Pricing Project.

Now’s your chance to prove it. SEANC’s Emerging Leaders Council has established a scholarship program to allow one SEANC member the opportunity to participate in Leadership North Carolina (LNC). Each year, Leadership North Carolina selects a class of 50-60 current and emerging leaders from across the state through a competitive application process. Participants attend six two-day sessions between Oct. 2020 and May 2021 in various locations across the state where they learn about the challenges and opportunities facing North Carolina, with a focus on building networks and turning knowledge into action to benefit their communities and the state. Participation in LNC requires a two-year commitment. Only active SEANC members working full time for the state are eligible to apply. Selection as the Emerging Leaders/LNC scholarship finalist does not constitute automatic admission into LNC. The individual selected will be required to submit an application to LNC and be accepted for admission into the program. Scholarship funds will cover the cost of tuition, meals, travel and lodging. Apply online at seanc.org/leadership-nc-scholarship.

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