Author Topic: Health cards discontinued  (Read 5564 times)

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hbelden

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Health cards discontinued
« on: Aug 01, 2006, 11:39 am »
I see that we no longer have to fill out 3x5 cards for our health benefits!!  Yay! 

The AEA website says that the cards have been "replaced" by the First Rehearsal Questionnaire, and then goes on to say that the only people who have to fill out an FRQ are those who are on their first AEA contract, and those whose personal information (address, phone #, agent, etc.) have changed since their last contract.

I have two questions, and I'd be happy to post them to AEA, but people here usually know the answer better than our business rep...

1) How do you make sure your dependents are enrolled?
2) Is it true that AEA doesn't need anything other than your signed contract in order to calculate health weeks?

THRILLED about this change, but a little confused...

Thanks,
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Heath Belden

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RuthNY

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #1 on: Aug 01, 2006, 05:14 pm »
 >The AEA website says that the cards have been "replaced" by the First >Rehearsal Questionnaire, and then goes on to say that the only people who >have to fill out an FRQ are those who are on their first AEA contract, and >those whose personal information (address, phone #, agent, etc.) have >changed since their last contract.

The above was confirmed to be true for me by a Business Rep. just a couple of days ago!

>I have two questions, and I'd be happy to post them to AEA, but people here >usually know the answer better than our business rep...
>1) How do you make sure your dependents are enrolled?

I would call Equity League Health Fund directly with that question.


>2) Is it true that AEA doesn't need anything other than your signed contract >in order to calculate health weeks?

It's all AEA needs from the Actor/SMThe Producer, however, submits a weekly Pension/Health report to AEA along with their check to cover P&H, and that report is used to calculate weeks.

Ruth


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kjdiehl

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #2 on: Aug 01, 2006, 11:33 pm »
Yeah, I noticed this too. Of course I was told something completely different: that now, instead of filling out a Health Card, we'd have to go to the website and fill out similar info. A load of nonsense, is what it is. And how lame is it that Equity, only in ***2006!*** is finally getting their act together to realize that these new-fangled Com-Pewtors are capable of figuring out our Health weeks based on the data entered from our contracts.

Sigh... I suppose it's far too much to hope that they ever actually open a forum like this on the website. God forbid the members are actually able to communicate with eachother.
-Kris Diehl, AEA SM

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standing in the shadows with a clipboard in hand..."

loebtmc

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #3 on: Aug 03, 2006, 12:59 pm »
now now dear.....as it happens, that discussion has occurred quite a lot - about a member chat area on the AEA website - and while it hasn't been solved yet, it IS in the works - and we must be patient w the technogeeks at AEA/NY cuz there's a lot we are asking of them and they have to figure out what this particular system is, and is NOT, capable of doing and still keep our private stuff private and so forth (I don't presume to know a thing, just that it is taking time and work to solve).

AND do keep in mind the number of members who still are dependant on mail and phones only, who have to be accommodated too.

DO air your suggestions in a committee where you are, since the more of us who mention all these things, the better shot we have of accomplishing them sooner than later


nmno

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #4 on: Aug 03, 2006, 01:15 pm »
I guess my bigger issue is that they cut the health cards quite a few months ago.
Past spring, I was came into to a theatre for a festival gig.  They already had the SM and deputy packets but I noticed that health cards were missing.  When I asked the theatre, they said that Equity had told them they'd be eliminated.  The theatre knew in April; why is the membership just finding out from Equity now?

DavidA

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #5 on: Aug 04, 2006, 07:59 pm »
Theatres are still just finding out about this.  I just informed my new gig about this and they were quite surprised.

I'm glad AEA did it though.  Simpler is better.

loebtmc

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #6 on: Aug 05, 2006, 01:08 am »
...I actually read about it on the website

but this thread really made all that info make sense. Hmmm.....

Scott

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Re: Health cards discontinued
« Reply #7 on: Aug 05, 2006, 10:56 am »
...I actually read about it on the website

but this thread really made all that info make sense. Hmmm.....

The Equity folk at the annual SMA meeting made a point of mentioning this change -- and noted that many Stage Managers seemed to have large caches of the cards stowed away, since they were getting cards back long after they stopped sending them with the kit :) (Mais oui!)