GARY SAWATZKY | Associate Vice President , Aon Hewitt

Member Opinion Survey The ARTA Health Benefits Committee recently conducted an online opinion survey of the ARTA Retiree Benefits Plan , requesting plan participants to provide their opinion of the plan with a focus on the current plan design and the appetite of the plan participants to change the plan . The primary goals of the survey were to determine whether the current plan design is aligned with the needs of plan participants and to provide input to determine the future direction of the program .

Almost 4,500 plan participants responded to the opinion survey , representing almost one-third of the plan ’ s covered members .

Overall , the ARTA Retiree Benefits Plan participants who completed the survey rated the current benefit plan quite favourably — 92.9 % of the respondents considered the plan to be either very good ( 55.7 %) or good ( 37.2 %). Only 6.2 % of the survey respondents rated the plan as fair or poor , with 0.9 % of the respondents indicating “ I don ’ t know .”

55.7 %

VERY GOOD

Covered Members ’ Opinion of the Plan

0.9 %

I DON ’ T KNOW

6.2 %

FAIR OR POOR

37.2 % GOOD

The Health Benefits Committee members were also interested in covered members ’ opinions with respect to future cost increases . Costs of prescription drugs , medical aids and devices , and paramedical practitioner services covered by the plan are increasing at an alarming rate — significantly more quickly than the recent increases in the consumer price index . According to the survey responses , half of the covered members would prefer to keep the current plan design and increase rates , while almost a third of the respondents would prefer to improve the plan and pay the resulting higher premium rates . The survey indicated that 17 % of the respondents would prefer to leave the current rates as they are while reducing plan coverage , and only 1.3 % of the respondents would prefer lower rates and less coverage .

The committee would like to thank all of the plan participants who took the time to provide their opinion of the current Retiree Benefits Plan . Your input is invaluable when determining the best direction to take when reviewing the plan design .

Maximum Duration for Proton Pump Inhibitors Proton pump inhibitors ( PPIs ) are very popular and efficacious medicines , used to reduce the production of acid in the stomach . They are typically used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ), reflux esophagitis , dyspepsia , peptic ulcer disease , Barrett ’ s esophagus , and symptoms associated with stomach acid such as heartburn and acid indigestion .

Common generic PPIs ( with their equivalent brand name medications indicated ) include

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