Employees alarmed as district narrows medical-plan choices; broker search and CalPERS option remain

Amador County Unified School District staff and community members urged the board to prioritize employees after the district’s health insurance transition left many workers facing sharply higher premiums and limited in-network access.

At a public hearing and through several employee speakers, the district’s chief business officer, Robert Norton, described efforts to replace the district’s current market arrangement after claims under the district’s self-insurance approach ran significantly over budget in 2023–24 and 2024–25.

The problem, Norton told trustees, is commercial market pushback: “CVT officially declined to quote” the district, and “CISC also declined to quote,” he said, leaving the large statewide administrator CalPERS as the principal immediate option for a fully insured plan in the district’s area. He said Alliant Insurance Services — a national broker the district already uses for dental and vision — has offered to become broker of record and to pursue additional marketplace options and a renewal with the captive (Pareto) used by the district’s current broker. Alliant is scheduled to present to the board on June 18.

Why it matters: several staff described concrete consequences. Classified employee Andrea Cruz said her current employer-paid PPO premium for a family of three is “around $1,800 a month, which is more than my mortgage.” Teacher Jessica Phillips said choosing any plan would leave her household finances strained: “I love teaching and I plan to stay until I retire, but with these costs it’s becoming unsustainable.” Public commenter Tracy Hinman told trustees she wanted to see the board “prioritiz[e] employees” in the budget.

Norton summarized the district’s near-term options and schedule: continue marketplace outreach through Alliant, evaluate a CalPERS conversion (which Norton said would create a small OPEB contribution for retirees and carries a five‑year reentry limitation), and present formal proposals in July so the board could act ahead of open-enrollment deadlines. He warned trustees that a CalPERS “Gold” option would not include the local Sutter Amador hospital in-network for many employees and that the only CalPERS plan that does include Sutter Amador is a more expensive “Platinum” option.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about alternatives. Norton said district staff and the broker were also exploring fully insured market solutions, other captive structures and “marketplace options” that could be structured differently (for example, age‑tiered pricing or different employer caps) but that, as of the presentation, no written alternative had been finalized.

The board and administration did not make a final decision at the meeting but set a process: Alliant will present options to the board, the district will provide rates once final 2026 plan rates are published (typically in mid‑June/July), and trustees expect to decide no later than the July board meeting so open enrollment and vendor transitions can occur in time for an October 1 implementation if necessary.

Ending: District officials emphasized the narrow set of viable vendor options given the district’s recent self‑insurance claims history and opt‑out levels. School staff and community members asked trustees to weigh the financial consequences for employees — including decisions that would force some staff to consider leaving the district — alongside district fiscal constraints.