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Weslaco ISD trustees hear competing plans to rein in soaring health‑benefit costs
Summary
At a board workshop, two benefit firms — Gallagher and Higginbotham — proposed different strategies to address steep year‑over‑year increases in Weslaco ISD’s self‑funded health plan, including near‑site clinics, PBM restructuring, and RFP sequencing for a TPA or broker.
Armando Cuellar, vice president of the Weslaco ISD Board of Trustees, opened a board workshop where two outside benefits firms presented options to address the district’s sharply rising health‑insurance costs.
The proposals came after district staff and committee members described a plan gross spend of about $23.8 million and recent financial stress: medical claims have climbed sharply (district representatives said medical spending rose from roughly $8 million to $13 million in recent reporting) and pharmacy costs jumped from $3.59 million to $5.1 million year‑over‑year. Gallagher and Higginbotham each told trustees they could help bring costs down but recommended different sequences and trade‑offs.
Gallagher, introduced to the board by Adrian Farias of First Public (a TASB subsidiary), emphasized a data‑driven, multi‑year strategy that combines contract review, targeted carve‑outs and point solutions, and near‑site primary care to steer care away from high‑cost settings. Gallagher consultant Natalie Haskett told…
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