All Posts Tagged With: "Health and Dental Plans"
Lawsuits, accusations and denials at Concordia
Continuing coverage of the Concordia student union and health plan scandals
The student press in Montreal is doing a great job covering the continuing Concordia Student Union health care plan scandal. Here’s the Wednesday round-up.
The McGill Tribune covers the story with a news piece and publishes an opinion piece written by Max Silverman.
There is some new information in the news article. Most interesting is Ian Bokyo of the Canadian Federation of Students denying to the Tribune that the CFS is in any way connected to Morneau Sobeco.
The question is: what does Boyko mean, exactly? Does he mean that the Federation has no contact with Morneau Sobeco, that they basically wouldn’t know the firm if it were placed in a line-up with other insurance brokers? Does he mean to say all mentions of the “CFS” on the Morneau Sobeco website are fictitious (01, 04, 07, 08, 11, 18, 19, 27, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 44, 45, 46, 48, 61, 68, 69, 71, 82, 84, 88, 92, 94, 97, 98, 102, 103, 106, 110) and Morneau Sobeco is making these supposed plans up? It’s worth noting that all student health plans listed by Morneau Sobeco are with the Canadian Federation of Students-Services affiliate National Student Health Network (NSHN) and all unions receiving the plan are CFS Locals.
More likely, Boyko is engaging in semantics: the relationship is with the Canadian Federation of Students – Services which, while legally separate from the Canadian Federation of Students, is treated as one organization in day-to-day operations. The CFS and CFS-S share the same phone number, same office, same web domain, and all members of the CFS-S board are members of the CFS board. Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck….
Max Silverman, former vice-president external of the Student Society of McGill University and one of the most knowledgeable individuals on student politics in Montreal, pulls no punches in his assessment of the Concordia crisis. Silverman hopes the crisis will result in Concordia students taking back their student union.
Both student newspapers at Concordia publish on Tuesday and both feature extensive coverage of the scandal.
The Concordian continues its coverage with a news piece that the Concordia Student Union plan was awarded to the NSHN, which the CFS-S says is not true.
Head of prominent student health plan alleges $25,000 bribe
Concordia students’ union says allegations are completely false
A crisis at the Concordia Student Union has grown larger this week after the revelation that a former senior member of the ruling political slate allegedly demanded a $25,000 campaign contribution from the student union’s health and dental plan provider.
In a sworn affidavit, the executive director of the Quebec Student Health Alliance (ASEQ) Lev Bukhman alleges a campaign organizer for the “Unity” slate, Steve Rosenshein, asked for $25,000 to finance the campaign of the political slate.
Bukhman, a lawyer by trade, alleges that his decision to not give the money resulted in the CSU changing insurance brokers and subsequently asks that Concordia University’s administration take trusteeship of the student health plan.
The CSU denies the change in brokers has anything to do with the alleged bribe request and claims the ASEQ plan cost Concordia students $250,000 more than necessary last year.
The current Concordia student health and dental plan contract with ASEQ expires at the end of this academic year. The Concordia plan has been managed by ASEQ since 1996 when ASEQ was created by consortium of Quebec student unions, which included the CSU as a founding member.
In the late fall, the CSU executive hired Morneau Sobeco and the National Student Health Network, which is affiliated with the Canadian Federation of Students-Services, as consultants for their upcoming health plan. Morneau Sobeco and the NSHA are partners in delivering what some refer to as the “CFS health plan.”
Bukhman’s accusations against Rosenshien were only made public after these events took place.
The alleged incident, according to Bukhman, occurred on the evening of March 6, 2008. The affidavit was sworn on May 26, 2008 in front of a Commissioner of Oaths.
In his affidavit, Bukhman says Rosenshien asked for $25,000 dollars to support the campaign of the CSU “Unity” slate, for which Rosenshien was allegedly a campaign organizer.
Bukhman states Rosenshein was making the unusual request in part because, “in the past his [Rosenshein's] work had been supported by the CFS… but this support was no longer forthcoming because the CFS, Bukrman quotes Rosenshein as stating, “had it’s hands full dealing with referendums on other campuses.”
Bukhman also claims Rosenshein implied that a failure to provide the hefty donation would result in the CSU switching their health plan to the NSHA plan. Bukhman’s affidavit states Rosenshien warned that “the CFS wants to get the Concordia health plan, they are working hard behind the scenes, and they are giving us lots of support.”
Rosenshien has not yet publicly commented on the affair. The Concordia Student Union denies the accusations they’ve signed a health plan contract with the NSHA and calls the allegations “ridiculous”.
Buying insurance, why not get a quote?
The Eyeopener reports the Ryerson Students’ Union is deciding on its next health and dental insurance contract. The RSU is divided between a pro-CFS Executive and a pro-independence Council. Many issues at the RSU involve some element of the CFS debate and insurance is no difference. The pro-CFS side wants to sign with the CFS [...]
The Eyeopener reports the Ryerson Students’ Union is deciding on its next health and dental insurance contract.
The RSU is divided between a pro-CFS Executive and a pro-independence Council. Many issues at the RSU involve some element of the CFS debate and insurance is no difference.
The pro-CFS side wants to sign with the CFS insurance plan, the pro-independence side wants to sign with Gallivan and Associates.
I’m not a fan of either insurance plan.
Frankly, with how lucrative student insurance plans seem to be, I question if students are actually receiving enough return on the money they put into these plans.
The amount of back scratching that occurs with these contracts is disgusting.
However, if a student union is going to sign a contact, the least they can do is get a quote.
The fact that the pro-independence side is pushing for a non-tendered agreement reflects poorly on them and they should immediately reverse their position.
