Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1203636
32 C I N E M O N T A G E L A B O R M A T T E R S A p u s h b y a h o t e l w o r k - e r s ' u n i o n , U N I T E H E R E i n B o s t o n , h a s h i g h l i g h t - e d t h e n a t i o nw i d e d e b a te ove r h ow to protect patients from skyrocketing medical bills. The union's success — in one of the most expensive healthcare markets in the country — suggests that Americans may not have to settle for huge deduct- ibles that have put medical care out of reach for millions, according to a Decem- ber story in The Los Angeles Times. Workers and their families in the Boston union pay nothing out-of-pocket for doctor visits, tests, and hospital stays. Even the most expensive specialty drugs cost just $12 per prescription. Generics are $1. "Everyone says we can't do anything about costs, or we just have to get pa- tients to put more 'skin in the game,'" said John Brouder, a longtime health benefits consultant who worked with Local 26 to develop its health plan. "This union showed that's not true.... It's a very profound and important message." B u t t h e s u c c e s s c a m e a t a p r i c e. Union members had to give up access to some of Boston's best-known, and most costly, hospitals. P H O T O : I S T O C K How One Local Lowers Health Costs WORKERS PAY NOTHING FOR DOCTOR VISITS AND HOSPITAL STAYS Compiled by Jeff Burman