Service Employees International Union District 1199 held a press event Dec. 9, during which it said there are members who have not had their health insurance benefits restored since returning to work after a monthlong strike, the union confirmed to Becker's.
About 900 service workers at the hospital, including patient care assistants, technicians, clerks, aids, housekeepers and food service, licensed practical nurses and maintenance staff, began their strike Nov. 3. They returned to work in early December after both sides reached an agreement.
But the union expressed concerns about the insurance issues some workers are still facing.
Yvonne Brooks, who works as a rehab secretary, told news station WCHS that workers were advised that benefits would be restored upon their return to work, but many were shocked when they went to fill prescriptions or receive medical care and their insurance was not active.
Molly Frick, director of human resources for Cabell Huntington Hospital, said in a statement shared with Becker's that employees who lost eligibility for their hospital-sponsored benefits during the strike must reenroll in these benefits for coverage to be reinstated.
"While employees have 30 days to complete their enrollment, Cabell Huntington Hospital has encouraged and continues to remind returning staff to re-enroll in their health care and other benefits as soon as possible, especially if they have urgent prescriptions that they need filled or upcoming medical appointments," the statement said.
Ms. Frick added that the benefits are effective retroactive to Dec. 2 and that "completing enrollment does not activate benefits immediately, as updates need to be uploaded by insurance carriers."
But Ms. Brooks told WCHS that the hospital should have communicated this message more clearly and that workers should not have found out their benefits were not restored when they were trying to get medicine or receive healthcare services. She also expressed her thoughts about the general process of ending and then restarting benefits.
She told the news station, "If it was so simple that on [Nov. 4] all they had to do was flip a switch to get us turned off, why can't they flip that same switch and get it back on? It makes no sense."
Cabell Huntington said the hospital has been assisting workers this week to ensure those with urgent needs have their benefits available.
To read the full WCHS report, click here.