Friday, December 08, 2006

Let's Shake things up!

We've got quite an audience reading here guys....it's time to shake some of this up before the session starts in January.
 
Email me your stories.  I'm going to post them all on this blog- we are going to put this out there.  I think so far, employees who "complain" are doing so because of our "jobs".  We all know it's not that way.
 
Email me from an anonymous email address- I don't want to know your name.  I just want your stories.  The more, the better.  This blog is being read by representatives across the STATE!  Make your voices HEARD. 
 
All I ask is that you tell me your tenure- or a figure around your TENURE.
 
You don't have an anonymous email address?  It's easy to create one at Yahoo! or Hotmail. 
 
Tell me what kind of support you are getting.  How many appointments.  We must do this y'all.  We have to.  It's time.
 
Forward my blog to all your co-workers.  Tell them it's time to make a stand.
 
If you want to email me from your own email, and it has your name- know that I would never EVER under any circumstances EVER reveal where a story comes from. 
 
Let's shake it up.  We don't have long.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've actually heard rumors today that the Waco office is calling the news station in Waco and demanding something be done.

I think this isn't suppose to be done but I think everyone is sick and tired of the work load and nothing being done about it.

HHSCEMPLOYEE said...

I've not heard that- I'll do a search and see if I can find anything out- if anyone else finds anything- please email me information!

Anonymous said...

Oh it was today...they had signs and everything at the office after business hours. People are leaving left and right there and there is no relief. It just does not make any sense at all.

Anonymous said...

You can read an article on www.wacotrib.com and www.kxxv.com

hhscsurvivalist said...

I'm so glad you are keeping up your blog. Unfortunately I no longer have time to keep mine up, as anyone visiting can see. By the time I drag my ass home every night, all I can do is "fall out". Saturdays are spent at work also - not mandated but I can't manage without the extra time. Sundays I sleep! Wonder when my body will just quit and say no more! I fully expect to end up hospitalized from exhaustion! Maybe then I can find timne to blog. LOL

Keep up the good work, man!

HHSC Survivalist

Anonymous said...

Too little Too late.....Just sent this letter (or a version that is real close) To every State Senator and half of the representatives for Texas. I may not have a job next week, but hey, at least I was heard. I know they are all oout for Christmas, but they will check their e-mail, or someone will.

Dear Representative Whoever;

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Ima Worker (I used my real name and town in the e-mails) and I am a Texas Works Advisor in Somewhere, TX.
As you most likely know by now, HHSC has been trying to push to get privatization for the issuance of State benefits (Food Stamps, Medicaid and TANF) for quite some time now, and have had limited success to say the least. The Feds have put a hold on any further rolling out of the system until HHSC can show that the system works.
HHSC is going to start a new Medicaid program on January 1st, called “The Women’s Health Program.” It is explained in Texas Works Bulletin 07-05 (http://www.dads.state.tx.us/handbooks/TexasWorks/res/Bulletins/index.htm) In theory, it sounds like it could benefit a lot of women in Texas, but there are a couple of issues that I am concerned with.
The program is designed to help women between the ages of 18 through 44 who meet the eligibility criteria. This limited benefit Medicaid program provides health screenings and risk assessment exams for preventable conditions. It also provides family planning counseling and contraceptives to eligible women.
The problems that I have with the program have really started to bother me.
1.) It is not a full coverage Medicaid program. The women that would qualify for this program are probably not going to be able to get any treatment for problems that are found…It provides coverage for gynecological exams, related screenings, and birth control. If during any of the exams or screenings a problem is found, they have no medical coverage to pay for any related treatments or medications. They are probably over the income limit for adult Medicaid and TANF, or they would more than likely be on one of those programs already. It doesn’t make sense to me to cover someone for a diagnosis, but then not let them be helped for treatment.
2.) This program is being worked through the TIERS system. It has already been shown that this system is flawed, and the government has put a hold on any further rolling out of this system. All of these women between 18 and 44 that apply and are certified for this Medicaid program are going to be in the TIERS system, which means that all associated cases that they have (Food Stamps, Children’s Medicaid, etc.) are going to be converted to TIERS cases, along with all other people on those associated cases. In my estimation, in any given week probably 40% to 60% of the women applying for Adult Medicaid in my office are doing so to get birth control. Being the pessimist that I am, I am seeing this program as a ploy to get more people into the TIERS system, so that if and when the powers that be realize that the system is too flawed and cannot save the state any money, there will be too many clients in the “new” system to just trash it and return t the “old” system (which is still working fine.) Once a person is taken off of the SAVERR system and put into TIERS, they can’t be put back (although there used to be a way to correct mistakes that would put clients back into the SAVERR system.)
If I were a woman between the ages of 18 and 45, and there was a program that would help me to get birth control plus medical screenings for women’s problems, I think I would jump at it. If I knew anything about the problems with the TIERS system, and knew that I was going to have to have all of my cases worked through that system for the rest of time, I might think twice before applying. Couldn’t this program be implemented through the SAVERR system? They have created more complex programs through this system before.
What I am trying to say is that the public (and our government) need to be informed COMPLETELY about this program before it is implemented. Something has to be done to keep all of these clients from being converted to the TIERS system, or there may be more problems than anyone wants to deal with.
Thank you for your time, and I apologize that I am sending this so late in the game. I am not a political activist; I just kinda go with the flow of things…usually. This whole privatization issue has bothered me from the start, mainly because of the way that things were done, not the privatization itself, and I guess I have just gotten fed up. It seems that since HHSC has been stopped from rolling out anywhere else, they are going to virtually roll out with numbers of clients instead of with actual offices in areas.
This privatization is adversely affecting workers, clients and it seems the general public now. Please feel free to forward, cut & paste, or otherwise get this letter to whomsoever you see fit to inform them of the issue. I would rather be kept anonymous for obvious reasons, but if you need or want to, you may use my name and address as a source.

Anonymous said...

it is now 2009... anyone know about tiers and horrible it is? just curious? does anyone come here anymore? also curious? okay maybe not horrible. just the work load itself, and the "please please please please bear with us comments and i was there once too," okay u were there once but believe me you, the work has changed, the people have changed. It is a completely different world out there from when you were an advisor... (i'm kinda quoting what one of the higher ups was saying to us in a what was supposed to be a 30 minute meeting turned into a long hour story of how she was a worker)

Anonymous said...

oh yes, to officially leave my comment, i wish to remain anonymous because all i have it my job. i am a single mom and i have to provide for my family. i think this whole call center environment we work in today is quite neat, however the work load and the slap on the wrists/write ups because we are not pushing out as much work as "they" would like is just riduculous!!! okay you have a deadline, okay you have to get these tasks, changes, and apps done in a certain time frame. but don't you care about keeping the staff you have now? don't you know how brilliant all these workers are, and then you literally abuse them by "making and mandating" all these unreal hours because it is something you need to finish because it is something you want to be on top again for the nation and the best. okay to be the best you have to keep your employees and not run them off and put extra stress and more work on those who want to help and want to stay. well what am i saying? no one will ever read this and no cabinet member will ever see this and open their eyes and say hey! maybe this person has an idea of what everyone has been saying for years!!! YA RIGHT. Just hoping to make the best of my job now.