Shirlee Zerkel: Questions to Sandy Knoesel about LifeMasters

From Shirlee Zerkel, April 15, 2009
Subject: Fwd: Question about LifeMasters

She did not answer my second and third question. She does mention a cost for LifeMasters of a little over 3 million but does not say whether that is per year. She does not say what fund it comes out of.

By the way she says it is a volunteer program. How can that be so when a friend of mine was automatically put on it. She received a letter from S. Knoesel concerning the fact. My friend has been trying to reach Ms. Knoesel and there is no response.

Ms. Knoesel stated that it was a service that checked with a patient between doctor visits to help keep a chronically ill person from needing to be hospitalized. That was not the type of service I received when I was automatically put on it a number of years ago because of my diabetes. First indication I had that I was on the program was a phone call from a very pushy person who told me they were a nurse and needed to ask me some questions. The other 3 calls in a year's time were not helpful either when I asked her some medical questions. My experience with this service told me that it was a waste of teachers' contribution money. Unless STRS can show the exact figures of the savings from this service I feel it should be stopped because it is a 3 million plus drain on the health care fund.

Shirlee Zerkel

From Sandy Knoesel, April 15, 2009
RE: Question about LifeMasters

STRS Ohio continues to provide LifeMasters on a volunteer basis to eligible participants. The purpose of the LifeMasters’ program is to provide assistance to those with specific chronic conditions between doctors’ office visits to maintain their quality of life and help to prevent conditions from becoming worse that would then require a hospital stay. Hospital stays cost more for the enrollee as well as the Health Care Stabilization Fund, not to mention the health complications that the enrollee must endure that triggered the hospital stay. Administrative costs are less than the savings received from the LifeMasters’ program; so, technically, there is no cost to the program. However, I assume that is not the information you were seeking. Total expenditures for the LifeMasters’ program is $3.25 million; however, the program’s savings are the more than the expenditures.

Sandy Knoesel

From Shirley Zerkel, April 13, 2009
Subject: Question about LifeMasters

Dear Sandy:

Do we still have LifeMasters?

What does it cost the system each year?

Does it come out of the Health Care Fund?

Shirlee Zerkel