District moves toward self-funded employee health plan; board set to review recommendation April 23

A district staff member leading the insurance committee told the Washington County School District board during a Feb. 26 work session that the district is pursuing a move to a self-funded employee health plan after an insurer's "best and final" proposal showed a 21.99% premium increase.

The staff member said the district's consultant, Gallagher, identified a 21.99% increase from Regents Blue Cross that included a 3.3% health insurer tax, and that the district released a request for proposals for consulting support on Feb. 16 with a March 9 closing date. The insurance committee plans to meet March 20 to select a consultant; the new consultant would review plan design between March 26 and April 13. Board consideration of an insurance-provider and plan-design recommendation was scheduled for April 23 so the district can hold May communications and switch enrollment in June for an Aug. 1 plan start date.

Why this matters: The district's current projections showed double-digit increases in recent years (the staff cited an 18% rise the prior year and a projected 22% rise this year), and the committee said self-funding could increase the district's options to control costs, establish stop-loss reinsurance for catastrophic claims and build reserves if utilization…