A new community coalition has launched the Healthcare Fairview Accountability Community Team, or Healthcare FACT, to persuade Fairview Health Services to abandon its new employee health plan because many workers can't afford it.

The coalition delivered a letter Monday from more than 50 state legislators to Fairview President and CEO David Page asking Fairview to "rethink the new Ultimate Choice plan and bargain reforms that will improve healthcare in good faith with your employees."

"Our goal is to work with Fairview and its employees to fix this problem," said Matt Gladue, coalition chair and executive director of the Twin Cities Religion and Labor Network. "We are calling on Fairview to take a leadership role in providing good, affordable health insurance to its employees and improving the health of their communities."

Fairview implemented a new employee health plan in January that makes employees choose from 52 different options, all of which shift healthcare costs to employees through higher deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. The new plan also imposes increased premiums for employees with families in addition to increased out-of-pocket costs.

"My son has severe asthma and we end up in the emergency room a couple times a year; there was no way we could handle those extra costs," said Tom Carpenter, an employee at Fairview Southdale Hospital. "We have to switch to my wife's insurance, but not everyone is so lucky."

Community members believe Fairview has taken a step backwards from their mission to improve the health of the communities they serve.

"Now more than ever, we have to look to community leaders to ensure that everyone has access to affordable health care," said Gladue. "Fairview is making healthcare less affordable for its employees ? the same people we count on to care for us won't be able to care for their own families."

The coalition says that it is working toward quality, affordable health insurance for Fairview employees, as well as promoting a universal right to healthcare, access to care for the uninsured, responsible hospital expansion, and eliminating healthcare disparities.

Healthcare FACT unites community, faith and labor organizations, including the Twin Cities Religion and Labor Network, Progressive Minnesota/Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action, and the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG).