Medicare made easy workshops

The Minnesota Health Insurance Network is an ESI sponsored program which helps members secure affordable health care.   Each fall they conduct Medicare information sessions for members and their spouse/partner regarding group Medicare solutions offered through Humana, Medica and UCare.  In addition to competitive pricing and savings, members enjoy benefits which include low annual out of pocket maximums as well as multiple options offering prescription drug coverage through the coverage gap or “donut hole”.  The sessions include basics of Medicare – Parts A and B along with an overview of plans only offered to Education Minnesota members.  

PLEASE NOTE: The Medicare open enrollment period for 2017 runs from Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2016.

Date/Location/Address/Time
10/18/2016
Minnetonka Community Center
14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
10/25/2016
 
Holiday Inn and Suites
4550 12th Ave. E., Shakopee
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
10/27/2016

Education Minnesota
41 Sherburne Ave., St Paul
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
11/2/2016

Wyndham Garden Rochester
1625 S. Broadway, Rochester
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/3/2016

Holiday Inn and Suites
75 South 37th Ave., St Cloud
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/9/2016

Hilton Garden Inn
20 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/10/2016

Duluth Comfort Inn West
3900 W. Superior St., Duluth
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/12/2016

Education Minnesota
41 Sherburne Ave., St Paul
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/15/2016

Maple Grove Community Center
12951 Weaver Lake Rd., Maple Grove
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
11/17/2016

Eagan Community Center
1501 Central Pkwy., Eagan
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. 
11/17/2016

AFT’s Weingarten on the decision to terminate ACICS as an accreditor

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Obama administration’s decision to terminate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools as an accreditor: “ACICS was a corrupt sheriff in a nation of for-profit college cowboys. For an institution that was meant to hold others accountable, there was a shameful lack of accountability over its own actions.   “Students who enroll in for-profit institutions deserve to know that their student loans are helping them realize their dreams, not lining the pockets of those scrambling to exploit them for a quick buck.   “Today, the administration ended the ACICS charade. Time and again, ACICS rubber stamped failing colleges like ITT Tech as their executives lied about the quality of their education and the success of their graduates. The Department of Education, in its recommendation to eliminate ACICS in June, demonstrated unequivocally it had breached federal standards.   “As ACICS turned a blind eye and failed to enforce its own standards, billions of dollars of taxpayer money was funneled to operators who were breaking the law. Right up until Corinthian Colleges’ final collapse in 2015, ACICS was claiming nothing was amiss, even as state investigations and lawsuits piled up. The fox was in charge of the henhouse—many ACICS commissioners did double duty as industry executives at for-profit schools.   “The administration now needs to take action to stop other rogue accreditors, such as the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, which has repeatedly failed to fulfil its mission of ensuring quality higher education, while needlessly sullying the reputations of institutions like City College of San Francisco.   “ACICS violated regulations with impunity and showed an enormous reluctance to crack down on the lawless operators that give the for-profit sector a bad name. The Obama administration, by terminating its license, has sent a clear message that the jig is up.”

#Nursesneedcare2 Support MNA

As you know, our sisters and brothers at the Minnesota nurses Association (MNA) continue to strike while waiting for a fair contract offer that preserves the benefits they’ve earned and addresses important issues of patient and nurse safety.

Many of our members are also members of MNA, and we have several members whose spouses are part of this strike. They need our support.

Here’s how you and your chapter can help:

•        Join the picket line by sign up for a shift and/or organize a group from your campus to do so as well. Please do not park in the Allina parking facilities. Picketing is going on daily at the following locations and times:

◦         Abbott Northwestern, 800 E. 28th St., Minneapolis - 24 hours a day

◦         Phillips Eye Institute, 2215 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis - 6 a.m.-3 p.m.

◦         Mercy, 4050 Coon Rapids Blvd. N.W., Coon Rapids - 6:30-9:30 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

◦         United, 333 Smith Ave. N., St. Paul - 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

◦         Unity, 550 Osborne Rd. N.E., Fridley, 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

•        Donate to the MNA Strike Fund to help support families of nurses who are facing hardship.

•        Sign up to donate food for the picketers.

•        Email Allina CEO Penny Wheeler to ask her to come back to the table and settle a fair contract with the nurses.

•        Like the MNA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNurses) for the latest information on how to help. 

•        Picketing or donating? Post pictures on social media, tag @MSCF and use the hashtag #nursesneedcare2. Feel free to wear T-shirts or buttons with MSCF's logo on them.

The nurses are committed to standing strong for a fair contract and respectful treatment. Let’s show them MSCF stands with them.

In Solidarity,

The MSCF Membership Recruitment and Engagement Committee