Wednesday, Sep. 24, 2008

School health plans up for vote

The Manatee County school board today is scheduled to vote on changing health insurance plans for all employees.

Currently, employees can pick between two health plans, and the monthly premiums for a single employee is about $47.

Under three proposed plans being considered, employees would have their choice of paying premiums that are approximately $10, $47 or $100 a month for single coverages, said Superintendent Roger Dearing.

Those figures increase if employees, such as teachers, custodians, administrators and secretaries, include their spouses or children. Employees would see changes in the coverage such as in co-pays and deductibles, he said.

The district says the changes are needed to erase a deficit in its insurance fund projected to reach $8 million by the end of next year.

To make the program solvent again, the district would have to triple premiums; find $8 million to cover the losses; or change benefits, said John Bowen, school board attorney. District officials recommend the third option.

The board was forced to "unilaterally" decide on the matter for teachers because the Manatee Education Association has so far declined to negotiate, district officials say.

The MEA has declined to bargain on health insurance because of an imposed contract - containing cuts in salaries and experience-based raises - the board approved in early August. Since then, the MEA has filed an unfair labor practice claim against the district.

That imposition covers the whole contract for the whole year, said Pat Barber, MEA president. She declined to say how the union will respond to the insurance proposal.

"MEA does not believe that they can just unilaterally demand bargaining on any issue, any time, anywhere," she said. "Should the board decide to impose, MEA will take whatever action that is necessary at that time."

The support workers union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also has an existing contract that was ratified by its members and signed off by the school board.

It would be a hard sell to change the plans now, said Bruce Mohr, president of the local AFSCME.

"Our (executive) board is split now," he said. "We just have to have buy-in from our board before we can go forward with it."

The district has to let Blue Cross Blue Shield - which administers the district's self-funded insurance program - know what its decision is by today.

The company has to print benefits booklets, educate employees on the different plans and schedule enrollment periods - all of which would take up to 120 days, Dearing said.

The board is scheduled to hear about the health plan changes at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at the district's main administration building, 215 Manatee Ave. W.

To view the proposed health coverages, visit www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/agenda/September%2024,%202008%20-%20Special%20Board%20Meeting%20on%20Wednesday,%20September%2024,%202008/B117F53B-8C24-4C58-B5C0-252BC05CDBBFAgenda.htm