The United Services Union is opposing the sale of AHM to Medibank Private. The Union is opposing the demutualization of AHM. The USU encourages members of the Union who are members of ahm and ahm members generally to VOTE NO to all proposals.
The USU believes the reasons below are good reasons for Voting NO for the merge:
The United Services Union was instrumental in the formation of ahm. Ahm was formed to look after the interests of ordinary working people to ensure they could receive the best possible health insurance to look after themselves and their families. This could be lost if ahm demutualise.
Job Security for existing employees will be at risk, the Union has for many years fought to save jobs for our members, and we have seen many organizations that have merged, cut back on their workforce to save money. Ahm is a major employer in Wollongong, any job losses at ahm, will have an effect on the broader Illawarra community, where there is amongst the highest unemployment rates in the country.
Loss of services to members of ahm. The union is fully aware of the unique services offered to ahm members; Total Health is an example of this. Merging with Medibank Private could see the products currently offered by ahm changed, deleted, or reduced. Voting against the merger will save the great services currently offered by ahm.
Members currently have a say in how ahm is run and managed. As a member of ahm you have your say either directly to ahm or at meetings of members. If the Merger does go ahead, you will no longer have a direct say on how ahm will run and be managed in the future.
If the merger does occur, ahm will no longer be a “not for profit organization”, therefore the income ahm receives will not all be spent for the benefit of members. Where will the money go?
Ahm have not explained to members adequately, what the directors and key management figures get out of the merger, nor have they explained how ahm would operate in the future should the merger not proceed. How do members know of other options that could be pursued that will continue to see ahm as a viable health insurer into the future. They don’t, that is a failure of management. How can members make an informed choice? The USU believes members should make an informed choice, if they do not have all the information to make an informed decision then VOTE NO.
Competition; it’s simple, the union believes that if you take ahm out of the health fund industry, then the big players have less competition, what does less competition mean? Higher fees!!!! If there are no viable alternate health funds for the public to support, then the major players have all the say. Examples are easy to see, Banks, and the petrol industry.
These are just some of the reasons to VOTE NO to the merger of ahm and Medibank Private.
