Washington, D.C. – On April 14, 2026, Tom Quackenbush, President of Teamsters Local 294, participated in a briefing organized by the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) to educate Capitol Hill staff on the importance of supplemental benefits for union members.
Supplemental benefits are increasing in importance as Americans owe over $220 million in medical debt, with many of those in debt having major medical insurance but struggling with growing out-of-pocket costs.
Quackenbush discussed how supplemental benefits can help fill these gaps.
Supplemental and voluntary benefits help cover costs not covered by major medical insurance, such as travel to necessary treatment or home modifications.
Unions and life insurers work together to secure these and other benefits for union members, with unions advocating for them and providing them to their members, and life insurers paying them out.
Quackenbush also emphasized that access to these benefits is a boon for employers. “When employers can hire people because they have good benefits, employees don’t want to turn over – they want to stay and they become union members,” he said.
Unions help secure these benefits for employees at higher rates, with 95% of union members having access to medical care compared to 71% of nonunion members.
ACLI is the leading trade association driving public policy and advocacy on behalf of the life insurance industry. ACLI members provide 90 million American families with financial protection through: life insurance, annuities, retirement plans, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, reinsurance, and dental, vision and other supplemental benefits.
