Uaw Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

The Trust is governed by an 11-person committee (10-person at 12-31-2022 due to a vacancy) comprised of six independent members and five members appointed by the Uaw. Additional subcommittees exist for plan administration, investment, and audit. All committee members and Trust staff adhere to a strict code of ethics. The purpose of the Trust is to serve as a source for Retiree healthcare coverage for its members. Separate Trust accounts are maintained for each auto plan (gm, ford, and chrysler) from which Benefits are paid. When the Trust launched in january 2010, it became the largest non-governmental purchaser of Retiree healthcare in the united states, providing healthcare Benefits to more than 860,000 people. In 2022, the Trust provided coverage for over 580,000 members. The Trust continues to serve its mission of providing healthcare Benefits to retirees and reviews the benefit design each year to make any adjustments necessary. In 2022, the Trust paid approximately $4.0 billion providing healthcare for its retirees and dependents, including filling over 14.9 million prescriptions for members during the plan year. Since its launch, the Trust has made great strides in finding ways to control costs while improving healthcare Benefits. For 2022, the Trust was pleased to lower deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and office visit copays for certain health plans. Additionally, the Trust expanded healthcare Benefits for certain plans and enhanced members' vision Benefits. Members were also introduced to a new over-the-counter (otc) benefit. The Trust membership is geographically and demographically diverse. The Trust maintains robust communication with membership in order to operate in a transparent fashion. The goal is to keep beneficiaries informed on the Trust activities, as well as the Benefits provided by the Trust. The Trust and carriers sent a series of communications to members regarding 2022 and 2023 enrollment and plan offerings. Retiree health care connect, the call center for Trust members, handled nearly 310,000 calls, from members and union benefit representatives, in 2022. A series of printed mailings were distributed by the Trust to nearly 400,000 contract-holder participants in 2022. These mailings update the Trust membership on Benefits provided by the Trust and information regarding the Trust's financial position. Trust partners also communicated directly with members, on behalf of the Trust, regarding Benefits, prevention, chronic conditions and disease management where appropriate. Additionally, members with specific gaps in care were sent communications encouraging them to take preventive measures to manage their condition(s), improve their health status, and engage with their primary care physician. The Trust continues to leverage communication formats to complement mailings, including the trust-branded website (www.uawtrust.org) and videos. The member experience team was able to return to traveling to in-person Retiree meetings after two years of virtual meetings due to the covid-19 pandemic. The team attended a total of 182 Retiree meetings in the fall of 2022. Because of its past success, the team also held virtual sessions-via zoom and dial-in calls-to inform members of 2023 annual benefit changes and other information. The team hosted approximately 30 sessions listened to by nearly 10,000 members.