February 17, 2009 News

Fallout from new CSU health care plan continues

Former VP Finance voices concern about health care provider

by Terrine Friday

Friends and allies of Steven Rosenshein deny his attempted extortion of $25,000, but Rosenshein has yet to make a public statement.

Rosenshein is accused of demanding a $25,000 personal payout from Lev Bukhman, president of the Quebec Student Health Alliance—or ASEQ—“to finance the election campaign for ‘his team’ in the upcoming election,” according to a sworn affidavit by Bukhman.

“That’s beyond false, it’s a flat-out lie,” said CSU VP Communications Elie Chivi. “Steven Rosenshein worked with us on the international tuition fee campaign over the summer […] and that’s where our relations ended.” Chivi said he could see why Bukhman would make the allegations, since he’s “about to possibly lose a lot of money.”

The CFS’s Quebec spokesperson, Noah Stewart, spoke on behalf of the organization.

“We unequivocally reject what Mr. Bukhman said,” Stewart said. He noted the “CFS is pursuing all legal avenues” to compensate for the allegations.

Bukhman says if the allegations aren’t true, why hasn’t he heard from Rosenshein?

“Rosenshein has not denied the allegation on the charge,” said Bukhman. “[The CSU] have denied any association with him, but the CSU are answering on his behalf.”

The CSU has accused Bukhman—who thinks he’s being punished for not agreeing to the $25,000 payout—of making false allegations after they hired health care administrator Morneau Sobeco for the 2009-10 academic year, replacing ASEQ. There are several health brokerage firms around, Bukhman said, but the CSU didn’t even bother to ask ASEQ to do the same tendering that Morneau Sobeco has been hired to do.

Although both Stewart and CSU President Keyana Kashfi informed councillors at the Feb. 11 Council meeting that Morneau Sobeco was not-for-profit, the company’s website states they are “a publicly traded organization via the Morneau Sobeco Income Fund as of Sept. 30, 2005;” rather, it’s the health care plan that may be not for profit.

“The CFS makes money from people choosing to work with Morneau Sobeco,” Bukhman added. He also questioned why Kashfi would sign a contract with the CFS’s National Student Health Network to get a quote—especially since brokers don’t charge their clients for a quote.

Fauve Castagna, the CSU’s former VP finance for 2007-08, said the argument that ASEQ made any profit off of Concordia students is “null and void.”

“In all instances, Mr. Bukhman gave us the opportunity to go out and tender to other companies,” Castagna said, but Sunlife always offered the most comprehensive plan.

The proposed plan, Castagna said, “has absolutely no Quebec precedents” and runs the risk of misunderstanding Quebec bureaucracy.

Most puzzling to Bukhman is the actions of Council. “Why aren’t they doing their due diligence and investigating our charges?” he asked. He contends that Kashfi single-handedly cut him out of the picture before any negotiations and he never got a chance to tender for the 2009-10 academic year.

What he really wants, he says, is a fair shot. “Not everyone has to love me, not everyone has to love ASEQ.”