05-02-2013
USPS has awarded UnitedHealthcare a contract to offer a health benefits plan to qualified non-career employees as defined by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Approved by Congress in 2010, PPACA requires employers with 50 or more employees to offer qualifying employees — those who are paid for an average of 30 hours per week for a specified period of time — certain levels of coverage at an affordable cost by January 2014. City Carrier Assistants and Mail Handler Assistants will qualify under the terms of their respective collective bargaining agreements.
Health benefits plans for current USPS career employees and retirees are not affected by PPACA.
The Postal Service late last year announced a request for proposals to insurance companies to provide plans that meet PPACA requirements for qualifying non-career employees. After conducting a highly competitive and rigorous evaluation of technical aspects, pricing and other factors in the proposals, USPS awarded UnitedHealthcare a contract to begin offering health benefits next January.
Qualifying non-career employees will receive information on the new plan later this fall. There also will be more information posted before Open Season on the My HR Benefits pages of the employee website LiteBlue.
Plan enrollment is expected to start during this year’s Open Season, beginning Nov. 11.
This is a joke. With the POst Plan rolling out, employees will only work 24-27 hours. It’s cruel to dangle health insurance in front of us “if only” we could get 30+ hours. Which we can not. 🙁