Health Care for the "Transitioning" Former Merck Employees

[Anonymous]

Has anyone been getting the run around about our health care coverage during our severance period?

Fidelity seems to be giving different answers to different people.

 

[Anonymous]

Fidelity does not truly understand the options. You should also be aware that information provided by Fidelity is not official. If they give you incorrect information and you base a decision on the bad information, you will be told they are "Sorry that you were provided the wrong information, but plan documents and not Fidelity is considered the official information."

Be very very careful making your selections as some of them cannot be changed once they are made.

 

[Anonymous]

The Fidelity, Merck, and Contract force paid by Merck to answer questions CONSTANTLY GIVES INCORRECT INFORMATION!!!!! There is absolutely no accountability. They say I am sorry you are right we were mistaken. Then the next person you talk to also gives you incorrect info. Even the "so called Merck Supervisors" don't understand the plan, severance packages etc. I have 0 confidence that my bridge to retirement healthcare will be in place. I paid the first bill and then they sent me a check for the same amount and said that I had not signed up!!! Can you believe that-after they sent me a bill! This company is the most inept corporation I have ever worked for!!!!! Glad to be gone and working for another company. Good luck to those looking for work or still at Merck. There are better places once your gone......

 

[Anonymous]

I took severance package and it was from January 1st until May 15th before everything was properly put in order for insurance---make sure you note time of day,person you talked to day of the month etc in all conversations as very seldom will you be connected to the same support person.

 

[Anonymous]

The Fidelity, Merck, and Contract force paid by Merck to answer questions CONSTANTLY GIVES INCORRECT INFORMATION!!!!! There is absolutely no accountability. They say I am sorry you are right we were mistaken. Then the next person you talk to also gives you incorrect info. Even the "so called Merck Supervisors" don't understand the plan, severance packages etc. I have 0 confidence that my bridge to retirement healthcare will be in place. I paid the first bill and then they sent me a check for the same amount and said that I had not signed up!!! Can you believe that-after they sent me a bill! This company is the most inept corporation I have ever worked for!!!!! Glad to be gone and working for another company. Good luck to those looking for work or still at Merck. There are better places once your gone......

This tactic of obfuscating, wittingly giving the wrong information and representative bouncing has long been an approach used by the health insurance industry. Your only recourse is to keep records including date, time, the person (employee #) you spoke with and how long you were put on hold. I suggest using Outlook because then you can send a follow-up email to the general support address establishing permanent record of each phone conversation immediately following. Even if you are just reiterating the critical information exchange that occurred. Sometimes just saying thank you if you did receive help is worth the brief effort. But the real objective is to become a pain in their ass as every phone call generates an email, which another team of individuals must now read and file. In addition an electronic record of every conversation you have had is now sitting in their computers should legal action ever be required. This is particularly helpful should the person you are speaking with not provide you with a name. It may feel, and is, a bit of a hassle to do this but the goal is reverse who is feeling the frustration. In doing so, they will work a little harder to solve your issues to get rid of you. This does work and the more people that do it, the greater the impact. Just letting off steam at CP will accomplish nothing in resolving the problem but I understand why you are doing it.

 

[Anonymous]

The Fidelity, Merck, and Contract force paid by Merck to answer questions CONSTANTLY GIVES INCORRECT INFORMATION!!!!! ......

When I was laid off two years ago, the Merck HR person told me that health insurance would continue through my severance period. The next week, during the dial-in teleconference for recently severed employees (yeah, that's a fun phone call), we were told that was incorrect. Your severance checks no longer have deductions taken out (other than taxes), so you're not paying for the insurance anymore.

 

[Anonymous]

I took severance package and it was from January 1st until May 15th before everything was properly put in order for insurance---make sure you note time of day,person you talked to day of the month etc in all conversations as very seldom will you be connected to the same support person.

I agree with the above suggestions.
Additionally I suggest you ask the support person to please put in writing their answer to your question, by email or otherwise.

 

[Anonymous]

I hope all of you former Merck people are humbled when you have to go to unemployment orientation. You should get a taste of what you put us SP people through. You were so mean and nasty to every SP employee you could be to. I hope all of you pay by loosing something like your homes. Payback is a bitch! I hope you are all financially ruined and your credit ratings go way down! Ill never forget how badly I was treated by this company and its employees!

 

[Anonymous]

I hope all of you former Merck people are humbled when you have to go to unemployment orientation. You should get a taste of what you put us SP people through. You were so mean and nasty to every SP employee you could be to. I hope all of you pay by loosing something like your homes. Payback is a bitch! I hope you are all financially ruined and your credit ratings go way down! Ill never forget how badly I was treated by this company and its employees!

Now this is not a joke. Next time you write, play this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEI1HVBe2YU

unlike SP people, we will find jobs. Stop your crying. You sound like a nasty bitch who needs a good f&ck. Where is that hologuy. He is one of yours. I can't believe he still work here. Give it some time.

 

[Anonymous]

I hope all of you former Merck people are humbled when you have to go to unemployment orientation. You should get a taste of what you put us SP people through. You were so mean and nasty to every SP employee you could be to. I hope all of you pay by loosing something like your homes. Payback is a bitch! I hope you are all financially ruined and your credit ratings go way down! Ill never forget how badly I was treated by this company and its employees!

Go into the light.... you are dead. Stop haunting us.

 

[Anonymous]

When I was laid off two years ago, the Merck HR person told me that health insurance would continue through my severance period. The next week, during the dial-in teleconference for recently severed employees (yeah, that's a fun phone call), we were told that was incorrect. Your severance checks no longer have deductions taken out (other than taxes), so you're not paying for the insurance anymore.

We never pay for our own insurance except the optional life insurance, disability and a few more. Are you saying something different?

 

[Anonymous]

I hope all of you former Merck people are humbled when you have to go to unemployment orientation. You should get a taste of what you put us SP people through. You were so mean and nasty to every SP employee you could be to. I hope all of you pay by loosing something like your homes. Payback is a bitch! I hope you are all financially ruined and your credit ratings go way down! Ill never forget how badly I was treated by this company and its employees!

You may be a little bit bitter and generalizing. The Merck employees did not have a say in the merger. The company did not prepare the integration very well either. It is also normal human behavior to hesitate and take awhile to get used to colleagues from a different corporate culture. I am sorry you probably have met some of the dumb Ken and Barbie reps who were hired to look good without much cognitive ability. Most have zero human skills either. I am an older Merck rep and they treated me like shits too.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above suggestions.
Additionally I suggest you ask the support person to please put in writing their answer to your question, by email or otherwise.

Great Suggestion! It is amazing how Merck is looking to save money and yet pays outside agencies like Fidelity to provide such lousy service. Talk about Trust & Value, NOT!!

 

[Anonymous]

Be VERY careful. Merck will screw you in every way possible as you leave.

 

[Anonymous]

Merck worded the separation agreement so that they have the right to change the terms of our benefits as they see fit. Great. Now they are laying off more people and changing the rules again. They change it up so much that HR, Fidelity, any person cannot keep up and understand the actual plan. You'd think that by being #1 in pharma layoffs they'd have this process down!

FU Merck!

 

[Anonymous]

I hope all of you former Merck people are humbled when you have to go to unemployment orientation. You should get a taste of what you put us SP people through. You were so mean and nasty to every SP employee you could be to. I hope all of you pay by loosing something like your homes. Payback is a bitch! I hope you are all financially ruined and your credit ratings go way down! Ill never forget how badly I was treated by this company and its employees!

Can I get a FU MERCK??

 

[Anonymous]

Fidelity is very poorly trained. I am a bridged employee whose COBRA is close to running out. The benefits selection package I was sent has my COBRA rates. I called and asked for what the retiree rates will be when my COBRA runs out. After 40 minutes on the line getting transferred 4 times, I was told that I would't qualify for retiree health because i was under 55 when I left the company. These people are clueless.

 

[Anonymous]

No but you can have a f you sp moron!

 

[Anonymous]

Great Suggestion! It is amazing how Merck is looking to save money and yet pays outside agencies like Fidelity to provide such lousy service. Talk about Trust & Value, NOT!!

Poster 7 here:
If Fidelity representative indicates that they do not issue email to Merck employees under the scope of Fidelity services provided to Merck for Merck employees summarizing Fidelity comments on medical coverage entitled by current, former, or retired employees,... then I also concur with above separate posters suggesting that you send email to Fidelity summarizing what Fidelity representative stated and when, for the record.

 

[Anonymous]

When I was laid off two years ago, the Merck HR person told me that health insurance would continue through my severance period. The next week, during the dial-in teleconference for recently severed employees (yeah, that's a fun phone call), we were told that was incorrect. Your severance checks no longer have deductions taken out (other than taxes), so you're not paying for the insurance anymore.

Now it's even more slick. They give you your severance in a lump sum, tax it so the net is ~55% of gross, no 401k deductions, no insurance deductions. THEN it's up to YOU to make sure you get signed up with Fidelity in time to get them your check before your enrollment period is up! THEN you have to make sure they don't send it back to you as if they didn't know what to do with it.

FU Merck!