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CISC outlines health‑benefits pool, proactive care plan and risk management
Summary
Self Insured Schools of California — a Joint Powers Authority administered through the Kern County Superintendent of Schools — described its three‑part pool (workers’ comp, property/liability, health benefits), a proactive care PPO plan with $0 primary care and mental‑health tiers, and prevention-focused strategies to keep premiums stable for member districts.
The board received an overview of the Self Insured Schools of California pool, its membership and a new proactive benefits strategy that officials said helps stabilize district health‑benefit costs.
Dave Ostash, introduced by the president as CISC’s chief executive, said the JPA operates three divisions — workers’ compensation (CISC 1), property/liability (CISC 2) and health benefits (CISC 3) — and serves districts and county offices across the state. He said the pool covers hundreds of thousands of members and that prevention and safety programs are central to managing claims and premiums.
"By strengthening relationships with primary care providers, we help you stay healthier, which lowers long‑term costs," Ostash said while describing the CISC "ProactiveCare" plan. He said the plan removes many cost barriers for primary, urgent and mental‑health care and that CISC uses predictive models and safety incentives to contain costs. "With proactive care, you pay $0 for primary care, $0 for urgent care, $0 for physical therapy, $0 for mental health services," he said.
Trustees asked how CISC handles workers’‑comp claims and who decides clinical matters; Ostash said CISC manages claims in-house and relies on a medical network for clinical decisions, but handles complaints and case management internally. He described return‑to‑work and prevention programs, safety‑specialist site inspections, and a 5% premium credit for safety measures districts adopt.
Board members thanked Ostash for the overview and discussed membership scope, office locations and local staffing. The presentation included slides and a short video of the proactive plan; trustees said they would follow up on enrollment, open‑enrollment timing and whether the proactive model could be further tailored to Kern County districts.
No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.
