Once again AZ screws with insurance

[Ann Ominous]

Retired 5 years. Without a notice, Express Scripts terminated my retiree benefits. For the past week I've been on the phone with Express Scripts, Aetna and AZ Benefits asking for an accounting of my expenses. I KNOW I have not reached the $25,000 lifetime max based on the end of year updates provided by AZ Benefits. They refuse to give me the expense breakdown saying "it's too difficult to retrieve." AZ Benefits, who are supposed to look out for us, are not AZ employees. They are a third party company who handle retirement benefits for many companies. I have found them to be very unhelpful in this matter.

I plan on reaching out to the Vice President of Human Resources who is also a member of the Board of Directors of AZ. She has been with the company for many years. I've met her at a few national meetings and seems okay. (I'll let you know)

Please check with AZ Benefits and make sure you're still covered! I was told by AZ Benefits I am not the only one that has been affected by this insurance termination.

Thanks for following up with HR. Please be sure to post the outcome.

Ann

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, it is not just retirees. I have several serious and very rare health conditions. My docs are miles away and take BCBS. They do NOT take Cigna. Prior to my hire I called AZ HR and asked what insurance I would be able to get since, for me, switching providers could actually kill me. The assured me that I would have BCBS available! Yep. No problem. I take the job and SURPRISE I am ONLY given the choice of Cigna. That is it. I even appealed and was told NO. So, any speciality visits or tests from said medical center and their providers is out of my pocket. I am beyond pissed off at this company. They could not have their shit together if their lives depended on it. The bad news is that my health does depend on where I go (teaching institution) and now any "raise" I thought I might have had in my income just got chewed up in out of pocket costs for my medical care. . . and the stress this has created! Thank you AZ. So, they treat any employee: new hire, current, or past pretty much like shit. But I'm guessing that the executives all have their million dollar salaries, stock options, and golden parachutes AND BCBS.

 

[Mel Content]

Oh, it is not just retirees. I have several serious and very rare health conditions. My docs are miles away and take BCBS. They do NOT take Cigna. Prior to my hire I called AZ HR and asked what insurance I would be able to get since, for me, switching providers could actually kill me. The assured me that I would have BCBS available! Yep. No problem. I take the job and SURPRISE I am ONLY given the choice of Cigna. That is it. I even appealed and was told NO. So, any speciality visits or tests from said medical center and their providers is out of my pocket. I am beyond pissed off at this company. They could not have their shit together if their lives depended on it. The bad news is that my health does depend on where I go (teaching institution) and now any "raise" I thought I might have had in my income just got chewed up in out of pocket costs for my medical care. . . and the stress this has created! Thank you AZ. So, they treat any employee: new hire, current, or past pretty much like shit. But I'm guessing that the executives all have their million dollar salaries, stock options, and golden parachutes AND BCBS.

Yes, AZ is a grim and oppressive place at which to work. Has been for years.

Mel Content

 

[Anonymous]

Retired 5 years. Without a notice, Express Scripts terminated my retiree benefits. For the past week I've been on the phone with Express Scripts, Aetna and AZ Benefits asking for an accounting of my expenses. I KNOW I have not reached the $25,000 lifetime max based on the end of year updates provided by AZ Benefits. They refuse to give me the expense breakdown saying "it's too difficult to retrieve." AZ Benefits, who are supposed to look out for us, are not AZ employees. They are a third party company who handle retirement benefits for many companies. I have found them to be very unhelpful in this matter.

I plan on reaching out to the Vice President of Human Resources who is also a member of the Board of Directors of AZ. She has been with the company for many years. I've met her at a few national meetings and seems okay. (I'll let you know)

Please check with AZ Benefits and make sure you're still covered! I was told by AZ Benefits I am not the only one that has been affected by this insurance termination.

Many months ago my wife and I realized that we were being charged fully for all of the AZ products that we have been on for quite a few years (I have been retired for ten years ). Naturally this has reduces our individual $25,000 maximum allowance considerably. We did some serious research with Medco and AZ Benefits and finally got their agreement that they would do a complete analysis of our records and any others that brought complaint from the ranks. They promised corrections within a month.
We notified AZ Retirees about this and they got on board as well, notifying the members, and in turn, received a multitude of complaints from the members.

Needless to say, no one, including us, has yet to receive a correction, or even a word from AZ benefits. In our case alone, we estimate that we have been charged almost $5,000 too much. This is either a mistake on AZ's part or possibly just another scheme to cheat and steal from the retirees. I also wonder if the same thing (in any other form) is taking place with the current employees? Why would this shock anyone reading this?

 

[Anonymous]

Retired 5 years. Without a notice, Express Scripts terminated my retiree benefits. For the past week I've been on the phone with Express Scripts, Aetna and AZ Benefits asking for an accounting of my expenses. I KNOW I have not reached the $25,000 lifetime max based on the end of year updates provided by AZ Benefits. They refuse to give me the expense breakdown saying "it's too difficult to retrieve." AZ Benefits, who are supposed to look out for us, are not AZ employees. They are a third party company who handle retirement benefits for many companies. I have found them to be very unhelpful in this matter.

I plan on reaching out to the Vice President of Human Resources who is also a member of the Board of Directors of AZ. She has been with the company for many years. I've met her at a few national meetings and seems okay. (I'll let you know)

Please check with AZ Benefits and make sure you're still covered! I was told by AZ Benefits I am not the only one that has been affected by this insurance termination.[/QUOT
Some mid level minority hr flunky is likely in charge of oversight on the retiree programs so maybe the VP of HR can look into this and fire her ass. One thing for certain, the current head of HR will not hold her people accountable. HR is run like the city of Detroit.

 

[Anonymous]

Retired 5 years. Without a notice, Express Scripts terminated my retiree benefits. For the past week I've been on the phone with Express Scripts, Aetna and AZ Benefits asking for an accounting of my expenses. I KNOW I have not reached the $25,000 lifetime max based on the end of year updates provided by AZ Benefits. They refuse to give me the expense breakdown saying "it's too difficult to retrieve." AZ Benefits, who are supposed to look out for us, are not AZ employees. They are a third party company who handle retirement benefits for many companies. I have found them to be very unhelpful in this matter.

I plan on reaching out to the Vice President of Human Resources who is also a member of the Board of Directors of AZ. She has been with the company for many years. I've met her at a few national meetings and seems okay. (I'll let you know)

Please check with AZ Benefits and make sure you're still covered! I was told by AZ Benefits I am not the only one that has been affected by this insurance termination.[/QUOT
Some mid level minority hr flunky is likely in charge of oversight on the retiree programs so maybe the VP of HR can look into this and fire her ass. One thing for certain, the current head of HR will not hold her people accountable. HR is run like the city of Detroit.

HR is full of African American females who love abusing white males. This has been going on for years and only a large lawsuit is going to correct this situation. Do you know how many white males work in HR? Guess? Coincidence?

 

[Anonymous]

We owe OP our thanks. I was at first skeptical of another CP hoax. This thread is true. I called AZ Benefits who told me to call Express RX. I am a pensioner, and was told that "your wife is no longer linked to your account".

The fix is straightforward: Call Express RX at 800-440-0478. They are available 24/7. They will mail out a new card for spouse with all the appropriate numbers. If RX needs to be filled before card arrives, Express RX can provide all approriate numbers over the phone to the spouse, who can then take those to the pharmacy and get script filled.

Best regards to all fellow AZ Retirees. Enjoy your retirement, even though we have to put up with their inexcusable lack of communication. Feels good every day not to be employed by AZ.

Ann Ominous

As a retiree who left in '09 I can't say enough how happy I am to no longer be associated with such a dysfunctional company. The previous poster was correct in saying we (baby boomers) were the ones who worked our butts off pre-Zeneca during ICI days - to make the company a respected entity. Then the merger. The "attitudes" of the Astra people who constantly looked at ICI/Wilmington as old farts, hicks and conservative bores. That's when AZ started going down the toilet and the arrogant powers that be (thank God they are gone) ran the company into the ground. Nice job.

RE: Trion. Yes, no word at all from HR (in-human resources) of the change from Benefits Concepts to Trion. Thank you so much for the heads up. I received a letter on July 3 from Trion saying that effective July 1 my monthly health insurance premium was due to Trion. I already sent it to BC in Mass on the 1st. Fortunately, the idiots at Trion did credit my payment.

I read the comments on here and am sorry to see how rampant the back-stabbing and pathetic management tactics are. Bad enough when I was there; could it get any WORSE than it is now?

I will NEVER work for corporate America or pharma again. So glad I'm gone from AZ and DE. For someone who works hard, puts trust in others, AZ is NOT the place to be. There is no integrity

 

[Anonymous]

Many months ago my wife and I realized that we were being charged fully for all of the AZ products that we have been on for quite a few years (I have been retired for ten years ). Naturally this has reduces our individual $25,000 maximum allowance considerably. We did some serious research with Medco and AZ Benefits and finally got their agreement that they would do a complete analysis of our records and any others that brought complaint from the ranks. They promised corrections within a month.
We notified AZ Retirees about this and they got on board as well, notifying the members, and in turn, received a multitude of complaints from the members.

Needless to say, no one, including us, has yet to receive a correction, or even a word from AZ benefits. In our case alone, we estimate that we have been charged almost $5,000 too much. This is either a mistake on AZ's part or possibly just another scheme to cheat and steal from the retirees. I also wonder if the same thing (in any other form) is taking place with the current employees? Why would this shock anyone reading this?

I just did a thread on this problem. i didn't see your post until later. couldn't get a straight answer about why my max was so depleted, i finally had to suggest it was being charged for az products. i have been charged well over $10,000. How can I be included with az retirees to be notified.

 

[Anonymous]

I just did a thread on this problem. i didn't see your post until later. couldn't get a straight answer about why my max was so depleted, i finally had to suggest it was being charged for az products. i have been charged well over $10,000. How can I be included with az retirees to be notified.

Contact hfmetz@aol.com and tell him you want to be added to the retiree list.