By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE Guam Federation of Teachers yesterday assured that it is acting quickly to begin paying all covered medical expenses of its members.
GFT members’ health insurance was retroactively cancelled this month by insurance provider NetCare, which claims that the union failed to make its members’ September 2006 premium payments.
Last year, NetCare decided not to renew health insurance to GFT members and their families due to “the lack of profitability” of last year’s plan.
The union signed up with NetCare to strike a deal separate from GovGuam.
“This has been a costly endeavor for the union since the start. Plagued with costly legal challenges to establish the policy and the inability of the members to afford their monthly premium obligations have collectively made our attempt to provide working families with quality health care coverage very difficult and expensive,” GFT vice president Tim Fedenko said.
He added that the union was simply unable to collect enough premiums from its members to meet its obligations for the final month of the insurance policy in a timely manner to prevent NetCare from exercising its option to cancel the policy.
GFT is expected to make arrangements with Moylan’s Insurance today to allow the union to pay the medical costs of its members for the month of September 2006.
Fedenko is encouraging GFT members who have received invoices from Moylan’s Insurance to drop off a copy to the union office in Mangilao as soon as possible so that GFT can make arrangements for its payment.
“This situation once again underscores the urgent need for a universal health care plan for Guam that truly meets the needs of our people. GFT will continue to seek a solution that will permanently address the health care crisis our island currently faces as part of our goal to create a better life for working families on Guam,” Fedenko said.