Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Benefits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MISD outlines employee clinic partnership and rising insurance costs; board asks for employee feedback and options
Summary
District leaders described a partnership with Midland Memorial Hospital that offers an employee care clinic with a $10 copay, and presented rising self‑funded insurance costs; trustees asked staff to seek employee input and consider alternatives, including an RFP for additional clinic options.
The board heard an update Tuesday on Midland ISD's self‑funded insurance plan and the district's partnership with Midland Memorial Hospital to operate an employee care clinic.
Miss Garcia described the district's self‑funded plan and said Midland Memorial's on‑site clinic provides low‑cost acute care for employees and enrolled dependents (a $10 copay), but the clinic is limited by single‑site hours and does not provide comprehensive primary care or extended hours. The benefits director, Derek Dimugas, said the district plans to post an RFP to explore additional clinic alternatives, expanded hours and multiple locations.
Trustee Friess and others raised concerns about rising premiums and the affordability of dependent coverage; they asked whether employees who can't afford dependent coverage have alternative options and whether the district can subsidize dependent coverage without violating restrictions on gifts of public funds. Superintendent Howard and staff noted legal constraints: the district can direct available employer contributions to employees but must avoid gifting public funds to dependents. Staff said they will survey employees about preferenced tradeoffs (lower premiums vs. lower copays) and return results to the board.
The board discussed the possible tradeoffs of joining TRS ActiveCare (lower premiums but higher out‑of‑pocket costs) versus keeping a richer self‑funded plan. Trustees asked staff to prioritize employee feedback and analyze alternatives before making plan design changes for 2027.
