Healthcare cuts are hurting working families and our communities

Security officers at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities are fighting cuts to their healthcare. The 1,800 officers at Kaiser are employed by Securitas, the largest security company in the world. Even though they protect hospitals, patients, and medical staff at the country's largest non-profit healthcare organization, many security officers now face the impossible choice of putting food on the table or getting medical care for themselves or their family members.

Securitas implemented a series of rollbacks in February that have made healthcare too expensive for many officers and their families.

Deductibles are now sky high--costing $1,000 for just single coverage.
- Prescription drug costs have tripled. Many officers now cannot afford to fill their prescriptions, and some have even resorted to taking medication every other day.
- Routine and preventative care such as doctor visits, blood work, and lab tests now have very high fees. For example, an officer would now have to pay $1,000 for a MRI.
- Co-pays have doubled and even tripled in some cases.

Earning as little as as little as $10.40 an hour, security officers at Kaiser are struggling to pay their bills, put food on the table, and support their families.

Jagdeep Singh, mother of three: "My kids are generally healthy, but they can get sick easily at school. I tell them they can't get sick and just to take Tylenol, because we can't afford to go to the doctor. I just take over-the-counter medicines to avoid getting sick."

Security officers provide a vital service of protection. Members of the public, healthcare providers and patients benefit when security professionals are healthy and receive the care they and their families need.