Subject: The forthcoming switch to Provident To: tublitz@uoneuro.uoregon.edu From: Peter Gilkey gilkey@uoregon.edu Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 20:24:51 -0700

Dear Nathan:

Thank you for your email expressing concern about the forthcoming shift from Regence (Blue Cross) to Provident. The matter was in fact discussed at some length in the InterInstitutional Faculty Senate when we met today (Saturday 6 June 2009 at OHSU). I am going to copy this email to Joanne Sorte who is an IFS senator from OSU and to Denise Yunker (OUS) as a FYI and invite them to weigh in. And for similar reasons, I am copying this to Linda King. I believe OSU is going to have a meeting of their Senate next Thursday that deals with the matter in question and I am sure you would be most welcome there as a private observer (and not in any official capacity) and you would, of course, be welcome to report on what you learned to the UO Senate meeting in October.

In brief. What I understand to be the situation - and I must emphasize that it may in fact not be the true situation as my memory has grown increasingly faulty with age and these questions below are mine alone and not to be imputed to any other member of the IFS - is that there might perhaps possibly be several questions raised concerning the change to Provident that could be considered.

• a) There is a question as to whether what might loosely be labeled as "reproductive and gender matters" will continue to receive the same treatment under Provident that they did under Regence - especially as to what "preferred providers" are selected.
• b) There is a question as to whether faculty who visit elsewhere in the USA and outside the USA will receive the same insurance recognition under Providence than they did under Regence.
• c) There is a question as to whether faculty in rural Oregon (and this does not include Eugene) will receive the same level of coverage under Provident than they did under Regence.

Again. To the best of my belief, the contract with PEBB has been signed and the matter has been decided. And this is a statewide matter for all public employees and not just OUS or UO. But that is what I know of the situation. As Vice President of the UO Senate, it would be entirely reasonable and proper for you to share your concerns with the UO-FAC (Faculty Advisory Committee) - we meet this forthcoming Monday as you know and you might contact Barbara Altmann in this regard should you choose. That is why I am writing you tonight - to afford you the maximum opportunity and time for such a contact - but that is, after all, entirely your affair.

Thank you for your concern on this important issue. I shall write you presently concerning my views on the role of the Senate President and Vice President - I am very much a strict constructionist. But I am to put it mildly fatigued and and "feign would lie down" and shall postpone that until tomorrow (Sunday). And please forgive your colleague for being a bit incoherent from fatigue - but I did want to do my best to reply expeditiously.

Peter

To: George Pernsteiner From: Peter Gilkey Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:24:11 Cc: Bob_Turner@ous.edu, rpowers@eou.edu, joanne.sorte@oregonstate.edu, tublitz@uoregon.edu, "Barbara K. Altmann" , pres@uoregon.edu, denise_yunker@ous.edu From: Peter Gilkey Subject: PEBB Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:24:11 -0700

Dear George.

I am concerned about the PEBB decision which I feel may impact negatively on our faculty. I am hampered by the academic calendar -- as always the summertime is a period when our faculty head off campus to pursue their research interests, work on curricular matters, and in general perform those tasks which are central to our functioning as University Professors and which simply can't get done during the 9 month contracts most of us have. These amount, in effect, to voluntary furloughs during which we work to the benefit of our Universities and during which we are not paid.

But it hampers me as President of the IFS to act in this regard. The IFS next meets in October. It makes no sense to appoint an ad hoc committee of the IFS to look into this and report back in October! And it is not possible for the IFS to get back to our campuses, consult widely with our faculty, get our senates to act, and act in our normal statewide organizing and consultative role in this matter. And I am not willing to conduct these discussions via email or in person with only a very few persons in the loop. So I urge your action in this matter - and to ask Bob to fill you in on our discussions. I am sending this as a blind copy to the members of the IFS to keep them in the loop -- emails with huge lists of recepients are unstable!

At the UO, similar objections pertain to appointing a Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the subject. Fortunately, our Faculty Advisory Committee will meet during the summer -- I am copying Barbara Altman on this letter (Barbara is the current chair of the UO-FAC) to keep her in the loop. The UO-FAC meets tomorrow (Monday) and if she wants can discuss the matter then -- things are in good hands with Barbara!

The OSU Faculty Senate is meeting on the subject this forthcoming Thursday. George, if you could send an official representative from the Chancellors office to that meeting I would be most grateful as that would be an excellent barometer of faculty sentiment on the subject. They seem to be the most up to speed on matters. I am copying this to IFS Senator Joanne Sorte who is a point person on all of this and I hope she will weigh in on this as well.

The IFS expressed real concerns yesterday during its meeting at OHSU about the PEBB changes - there were a number of issues that were raised. Board member Rosemary Powers was there as was Bob Turner from the Chancellors office. So I am copying this to them and inviting them to weigh in on the matter. The faculty at our Universities are going to be under great stress this fall. We need to communicate with one another.

Respectfully submitted

Peter B Gilkey IFS President (2009/10)

Dear George.

Thank you so much for your response. As always, I am very grateful for your proactive and helpful concern for our faculty. I have had a chance to go through the PDF file PEBB provided and I guess I am reassured by what is below and which is taken from the PDF file (attached) I got from the PEBB website. Communication is what this is all about - and you are doing super job.

I am going to blind copy this to the IFS -- I use blind copies to avoid unstable list serves - to further the communication. I will also pass this along to the UO-FAC meeting a bit later this morning.