Parkway benefits committee recommends package of plan changes to close $10.4 million self‑insurance shortfall

At the Parkway Board of Education work session on Aug. 6, Chief Financial Officer Carrie Nunn and members of the district's Benefit Advisory Committee outlined recommended changes to the district's self‑funded health plan intended to close a $10.4 million projected shortfall for plan year 2026.

The recommended package, which the benefits committee voted to endorse, includes a 25% increase in the district contribution to premiums, a 15% increase to employee premiums, a new $100 monthly charge on the district's base (formerly $0) plan at the employee‑only level, higher deductibles and out‑of‑pocket maximums on the base and high‑deductible plans, elimination of a premium plan option, and removal of GLP‑1 weight‑loss coverage except when prescribed for diabetes. "We needed to find savings of $10,400,000," Carrie Nunn told the board, describing the self‑insurance fund as a single "bucket" of revenue and expenses. The Benefit Advisory Committee's voting members selected the option described above by a large margin when it voted in late July.

Why it matters: Parkway is self‑insured, meaning the district pays members' claims directly and uses stop‑loss insurance for catastrophic cases. Nunn said plan year 2024 produced a large…