Jeff Cutler – columns, essays and opinions

It came to my attention Thursday that not everyone is pleased with the results of the election. Be it the choice by the country of a new President or the changes in Massachusetts laws (we still have an income tax and now we can’t bet on dogs), but one firm in Cambridge has notified its employees that healthcare has just become more expensive.

The company – Aspiant of Cambridge – sent an email out Tuesday night minutes after the election results had been announced on the major networks, saying that the company would no longer contribute any money to employees’ healthcare plans.

I was given a copy of that email by an employee and decided to share it with my readers.

Here’s the text of that email. I’ve stripped out the addresses of the employee who provided it and also removed Aspiant CEO’s cell phone number, but have left the time stamp and all other information intact.

From: Mirko Geffken
Subject: Health Insurance Employer Contribution Elimination and Travel Reimbursement Elimination
To:
Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2008, 11:02 PM

Hi All,

with the recent events Aspiant is no longer able to provide a health insurance contribution. This means that effective with the next payroll the employer contribution to healthcare is reduced from 50% to 0%. Also, all previously authorized travel reimbursement, including MBTA passes and all other travel reimbursements are hereby revoked.

Effectively this means that the portion you are paying for healthcare will double.

Unfortunately these steps are necessary because it is uncertain that future legal developments will allow for a reduction in benefits. To preempt this development this change is made effective immediately. It is likely that with the change in administration alternative health insurance options will become available that may reduce your health insurance obligation.

It is also likely that our tax obligations will increase and it is unlikely that a raise in rates will be possible from our client in these economic times.

If anyone is interested in researching alternative health plans (PPO only) that provide similar coverage (with maybe higher deductables) feel free to do so and let me know if you find one of interest. Please be aware that MA law requires you to have healthcare coverage, so it is not possible to drop coverage altogether.

I regret having to move in this direction, but this is the partially the cost of doing business in the state of Massachusetts and the impact that future policies will have on this organization.

I can only hope that future elections will provide a more positive environment for business or further measures will have to be taken.

As always should you have any questions feel free to see me.

All the best

Mirko

–
Mirko Geffken
President & CEO
Aspiant, Inc.
Cell:
Tel. (877) 527-7426 x501
Fax. (877) 527-7426

I was unable to confirm if this tactic or measure is legal under Massachusetts law. I’ve also been unable to find out what the impetus for this move was. I’ll try to chase down more of this story as it develops and find out from some healthcare advocates in the state to see if this move is legal or where the abandoned employees can get assistance.

But in a time of economic challenges, wouldn’t you think a business owner might have some compassion for his employees? Further, all contributions into these plans are still deductible on the firm’s taxes.

Maybe the guy is just being a dink because his ballot question, candidate or dog had a bad day.

If he just doesn’t like Obama, he’s still got 70 days to deal with the regulations under the old administration.

I especially like how he says that “all previously authorized travel reimbursement, including MBTA passes and all other travel reimbursements are hereby revoked.” That’s a nice touch. Hope people didn’t travel far for the company on their own dime and now can’t get reimbursed.

Also interesting is the fact the company lists two positions available on its Website and gives the following text as enticement to come work for Mirko…

Aspiant is constantly looking for highly-skilled consultants specializing in Microsoft technologies. We seek candidates with a strong desire to learn and stay on top of technologies in their line of work and look for a company that supports their ambitions.

If you are seeking a consulting position with a highly capable and team-oriented environment, please send your resume and a brief description describing what it is you are best at to:

Whatever the case, I’m sure his clients, prospective investors, family and friends will be interested to see how he treats his corporate family.

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I was hungry once. For about five weeks. But that passed.

I was in the hospital being starved by my physician in an effort to quell the anger in my gut. For more than a year the doctors had tried to fight the ravages of Crohn’s Disease on my 16-year-old form, but not much had worked.

Horrible medications bloated my body and caused similar symptoms to the ones they were prescribed to treat. So surgery was the best chance I had to get back on a healthy track.

I wasn’t fibbing. I entered the hospital in the summer of 1981 and wasn’t allowed to eat anything for five weeks. No water, no bread, no crumbs. Nothing.

But all the while, I knew that I would be able to eat again. I didn’t fear an existence without food. Or shelter. Or even medical care. I was fortunate.

This isn’t a column about my experience with poverty. If it were, you’d be done reading by now because I haven’t had to deal with the hardship or fear that accompanies lack of money, food and care.

It’s actually an early thanksgiving message because no matter what my situation, I’ve still had clothes to wear, a roof over my head and food to eat. Not everyone is so lucky.

In 2007, according to the United States government, the poverty line was $10,787. That’s how much an individual had to earn to ensure that he or she was above the poverty level.

Can you imagine? Many of us spend twice that amount on our car.

What about the people involved in new media or technology? While it’s a fun field to participate in, many people in the fishbowl spend about half that on all their gadgets and travel and new media event participation.

Ten-thousand bucks. That’s what it cost my insurance company for ONE dose of ONE medication in the late 1990s.

People spend that much money on a honeymoon and five times that on a wedding. And they’re often still complaining about their lives.

What if you didn’t have the cash? What if you didn’t have the support network? What if you were poor? What if yours was the face of poverty?

Can you imagine?

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