Eau Claire school leaders weigh switching district clinic services to AchieveHealth; formal vote set for next meeting

Eau Claire — District staff reported on a year of changes to employee health benefits Tuesday, saying the Eau Claire Area School District’s move to partial self-insurance and the opening of a new AchieveHealth clinic have reduced some costs but left the district with higher-than-expected utilization this year. Chair Nordine recommended the board delay a final decision and hold a formal vote at its next regular meeting.

District leaders said the shift to self-insurance, combined with the in-district AchieveHealth clinic that opened in February, has allowed earlier access to care for employees while producing mixed short-term financial results. The presentation included figures staff said show “reduced expenses by over a million dollars” and an estimated annual prescription rebate of about $600,000; the district’s net position for the last 12 months was reported as negative $175,005.97.

The report matters because the board is considering ending participation in a regional direct-access clinic shared with other employers (ODAC) and routing more care through AchieveHealth. District staff recommended “option 2,” which would transition to AchieveHealth as the primary direct-access provider, begin ramping capacity on Nov. 1 and end ODAC access Dec. 31 if…