Sugar and pineapple retirees from Olokele Sugar and Wailuku Agribusiness won a court settlement against C. Brewer which will give them $1.5 million dollars in compensation when the company terminated their life-time medical benefits. The ILWU took C. Brewer to court and paid the legal expenses as the case dragged on for over 18 months.

In February 2006, C. Brewer informed approximately 180 retirees of Olokele Sugar Company on Kauai and Wailuku Agribusiness on Maui that the company would terminate their medical benefits as of April 30, 2006. The retirees had been promised life-time medical benefits, but C. Brewer was being dissolved as a company. Instead, the company gave each retiree a lump sum payment, based on the retiree’s age and life expectancy. The total sum paid out was about $1,200,000.

The ILWU collective bargaining agreements with Olokele and Wailuku required the company to provide life-time medical benefits to its unionized retirees. Depending on when they retired, this benefit ranged from $40 to $240 or more a month. This is a continuing legal obligation, even though C. Brewer sold Olokele in 1994 and shutdown Wailuku Agribusiness in 1999.

The retirees flooded the union with phone calls. Many were concerned that the amount paid out by C. Brewer was not enough. State and federal income tax also took a large part of the lump sum payments.

The ILWU moved quickly to help the retirees. Social Services Coordinator Joanne Kealoha held meetings with the retirees to help them find alternate medical coverage. The ILWU requested more information from Brewer to explain how the lump sum payments were calculated. The union pointed out that income tax reduced the amount the retirees received.

C. Brewer offered $75,000 to settle the claim. This was much too low, and the union and a number of individual retirees filed a lawsuit against C. Brewer in May 2006. In an attempt to avoid the expense of a trial, the union and C. Brewer made one more attempt to reach a settlement in February 2007.

A professional mediator was hired to help bring the two sides together. The ILWU presented its arguments and calculated that an additional $350,000 would be fair payment to the retirees. C. Brewer increased their offer of $75,000 to $135,000. The difference was too great and the professional mediator could not get an agreement.

The ILWU asked the court to make a quick judgment. In November 2007, Brewer agreed to settle the case for $300,000. The union and retirees agreed. The court approved the settlement and in May 2008 checks were mailed to the retirees.

The 180 retirees of Olokele and Wailuku Agribusiness were fortunate they had a union that continues to fight for their rights and benefits. ILWU full-time officers on Maui and Kauai spent hundreds of hours contacting the retirees, keeping them informed of the case, and helping them with their medical benefits. The union paid the entire cost for the attorneys and legal process—the retirees paid nothing.

Charges can vary on doctor visits

For ILWU members at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, the Hyatt Regency Maui, the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, the Grand Hyatt Kauai, Four Seasons Lanai and Castle & Cooke Resorts Lanai.

Under the ILWU Health & Welfare medical plan, you pay 10 percent of the doctor’s visit when you see a participating provider and 25 percent or more when you see a nonparticipating provider. Under the Kaiser plan, you pay a flat $14.00.

Did you know that the charge for a doctor’s visit can be as low as $50 and as high as $300 or more? This does not include any additional charges for diagnostic testing such as blood tests or X-rays.

If you’re paying 10 percent, your copayment could be as low as $5.00 and as high as $30. The difference in price is based on the complexity or difficulty of your problem. There is also a difference in charge for new patients or if the doctor hasn’t seen you in 3 or more years. The lowest charge is for follow-up visits by an established patient.

Example: A first visit for a new patient with a simple problem would be about $75 to $115. A more complex problem could push the charge for the office visit to $100 or $150. A very complex problem could result in an office visit charge of $200 or more.

The charge for a follow-up visit should be much lower. A simple problem should be around $50 to $70. A return visit charge for a more complex problem should be around $65 to $100. The follow-up charge for a very complex problem should be around $150 or more.

These examples are based on statewide averages and the actual charges on your island or area may be different.

Mistakes do happen and you may want to take a closer look at your doctor’s bills. If you had a follow-up visit to check your blood pressure, the office charge should be on the low side. If the charges appear too high or if you see a lot of additional charges you don’t understand, ask your doctor’s office for an explanation. You can also call Gwen Suzuki-Oishi at the HMA office at 1 (866) 377- 3977 for help in explaining your medical charges.

Kaiser health plan members won’t have any of these problems as office visits are a flat $14.00. However, with Kaiser, this $14 can apply to referrals in the same office visit. I once went to a Kaiser optometrist about something irritating my eyes. He washed out my eyes, but the problem continued. He then walked me over to the ophthalmologist next door, who quickly diagnosed the problem as a small tear in the outer skin of my eyeball. Eye drops would correct the problem. I was charged $28 for two office visits.

Tips for making appointments 
When you call for a doctor’s appointment, what you say makes a big difference in how soon you will be seen and how much time will be scheduled with your doctor.

When you call for an appointment, the receptionist will ask something like, “What is the problem?” or “Why do you want to see the doctor?” After you give an answer, the receptionist will usually ask, “How long have you had this problem?” They’re asking these questions to determine if the problem is serious or not.

If the problem is serious or lifethreatening, the receptionist will probably advise you to go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic.

Before calling, it’s a good idea to write down a few notes about the problem, when it started, whether it has happened before, what medication you are taking, and any allergies you have to medication. If there are several problems, you should list the problems.

If you feel uncomfortable telling the receptionist about the problem, you can always say it’s something personal which you want to discuss only with your doctor. However, don’t be surprised if your appointment is next week or the week after.

When you arrive for your appointment, the nurse will ask the same question—Why do you want to see the doctor today?” Most times you will be asked that same question again by your doctor when he or she comes into the exam room. 

Doctor’s call this the chief complaint and this becomes the focus of your visit. If you start complaining about other things, the doctor may ask you to make another appointment for a check-up. This is necessary because only a certain amount of time was scheduled for you when you called for the appointment. If you want a check-up for a number of different problems, you should say so when you make the appointment.