2014 PUBLIC EMPLOYER HEALTH BENEFIT GROUP INSURANCE SURVEY
Summary: SCHOOL DISTRICTS 9/2/2014
Response rate: 229 of 330 = 69%
Findings are reported as the number of people giving that response followed by the percentage
Does your school district provide a health insurance plan to some or all of its employees?
yes %
225, 98%
no %
4, 2%
Responses from All School Districts
If public sector organizations were to collaborate on health care costs, please rank the following on a scale of 1-5 in terms of what would
be the most helpful to your organization (with 1 being the most helpful and 5 being least helpful):
Bargaining clout with
insurance companies or
health care providers in
Bargaining strategies
Model wellness program with union
Legislative changes
the region
Other (specify below)
rank 1--most helpful
rank 1--most helpful
rank 1--most helpful
rank 1--most helpful
rank 1--most helpful
12,8%
24,17%
32,22%
6,16%
72,47%
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
30,21%
41,28%
27,18%
2,5%
45,31%
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
35,25%
32,22%
28,18%
3,8%
49,33%
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
55,39%
38,26%
20,14%
19,12%
3,8%
rank 5 least helpful
rank 5 least helpful
rank 5 least helpful
rank 5 least helpful
rank 5 least helpful
10,7%
5,3%
5,3%
8,5%
23,62%
1
Responses from All School Districts
Rank on a scale of 1-8 the following employee health plan subjects in terms of your interest in receiving information on them in the future (1 being most
interest, 8 being least interest):
How to work with
How to
Other (please
health care
Wellness
How to engage
Retiree health
How to use the
self
describe
providers
programs
employees/unions
Affordable care act care
MNSure exchange insure
below)
rank 1
rank 1 most
rank 1 most
most
rank 1 most
rank 1 most interest
interest
rank 1 most interest rank 1 most interest
interest
rank 1 most interest interest
interest
12,8%
8,6%
22,15%
79,55%
7,5%
6,4%
3,2%
0%
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
rank 2
23,16%
22,15%
32,22%
21,15%
18,12%
1712%
8,6%
2,6%
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
rank 3
23,16%
32,22%
30,21%
17,12%
17,12%
11,8%
13,9%
0%
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
rank 4
33,23%
30,21%
32,22%
10,7%
23,16%
9,6%
5,4%
0%
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
rank 5
17,12%
26,18%
10,7%
4,3%
43,30%
26,18%
11,8%
2,6%
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
rank 6
18,13%
15,10%
11,8%
5,3%
26,18%
43,30%
20,14%
0%
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
rank 7
12,8%
4,3%
8,5%
6,4%
9,6%
25,17%
61,44%
1,3%
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
rank 8
5,3%
7,5%
1,1%
1,1%
2,1%
8,6%
18,13%
30,86%
School Districts that DO provide insurance
If Yes: Which of the following best describes your plan:
The plan is fully-insured: you contract with an
The plan is self-insured: your organization funds the
insurance provider such as Health Partners (and
claims of your employees, even if you contract with
pay a monthly premium) and they both fund and
a third party to make the payments.
pay the claims.
23,14%
33,20%
The plan is purchased from
and administered by a
service co-op.
105,65%
Don't know.
1,1%
2
School Districts that DO provide insurance
If your plan is self insured, who is your carrier or plan administrator?
Blue Cross
64,68%
Medica
3,3%
Health Partners
14,15%
Preferred One
5,5%
Other
8,9%
Other (describe):
All of above (PEIP, NJPA, and Health Partners)
BCBS, Preferred One, and Health Partners
BCBS, Preferred One, and Health Partners
Fully-insured
MN PEIP-3 Carriers
Self Funded Plan through the Service Coop
Self-administered
Teachers have PEIP (choice of carriers), all others have BCBS
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Do you provide cash in lieu for employees who decline coverage?
Response
yes %
14,9%
no %
137,91%
3
School Districts that DO provide insurance
If Yes, what is the average monthly amount of cash given to an employee:
less than $200
6,38%
$201-$500
7,44%
$501-$1000
3,19%
over $1000
0%
School Districts that DO provide insurance
What is the number of employees (not retirees or dependents or spouses) who elect coverage?
Average
238
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Please list both the employee and employer monthly premiums for the plan covering the majority of employees:
Employee for single plan Employer for single plan
Employee for family plan Employer for family plan
average
Average
average
average
$156
$788
$1119
$1319
4
School Districts that DO provide insurance
For the above plan, what is the individual deductible for the plan covering the majority of employees?
$0-$500
38,25%
$501-$1000
22,13%
$1001-$2000
42,25%
$2001-$3000
25,15%
$3001-$4000
9,5%
more than $4000
4,2%
dk/not sure
2,1%
other
10,6%
Other (describe):
$1000 TO $2600
$1250 or $5000
$1200 single, $ 2400 family
3plans: deducts $6350, $ 3250, and $1200
$500, $3125, $5000: We have 3 different deductible plans
7 plans offered w/deductibles ranging from $500-$5000
Plan that currently covers most employees is a copay plan and has no deductible
Varies for PEIP and is $500/$1000 for all others
Varies from single to family
Varies on plan level
5
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Please rank on a scale of 1-4 what you see as the biggest barrier to sustaining your health plan outside of costs (1 being the biggest
barrier, 4 being the smallest barrier):
Employee knowledge and
Collective
Health care provider issues - e.g.
engagement in their health
bargaining
employee access to network price
care
agreements
competition
State and federal laws - e.g. aggregate value
rank 1 biggest
rank 1 biggest %
%
rank 1 biggest %
rank 1 biggest %
42,29%
41,29%
19,14%
44,30%
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
33,23%
35,25%
27,20%
48,32%
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
35,24%
44,31%
35,25%
29,19%
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
33,23%
21,15%
57,41%
28,19%
Which one of the following is your most important partner in managing your health plan?
Broker/consultant %
34,12%
Service coop %
81,29%
Health plan %
81,29%
Provider %
81,29%
Employees %
0%
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Do you have a labor/management or employee committee that studies employee benefit issues?
yes %
88,58%
no %
65,42%
6
School Districts that DO provide insurance
How would you describe employees' knowledge of what drives their health care costs?
excellent %
7,5%
good %
35,27%
Fair %
87,67%
poor %
0%
School Districts that DO provide insurance
If public sector organizations were to collaborate on health care costs, please rank the following on a scale of 1-5 in terms of what would be the most
helpful to your organization (with 1 being the most helpful and 5 being least helpful):
Model wellness program
Bargaining strategies with union
rank 1 most helpful %
11,8%
rank 2 %
30,22%
rank 3 %
35,25%
rank 4 %
53,38%
rank 5 %
10,7%
rank 1 most helpful %
21,15%
rank 2 %
45,32%
rank 3 %
30,22%
rank 4 %
38,27%
rank 5 %
5,4%
Legislative
changes
rank 1 most
helpful %
32,23%
rank 2 %
38,27%
rank 3 %
48,34%
rank 4 %
19,13%
rank 5 %
5,4%
Bargaining clout with insurance companies or
health care providers in the region
rank 1 most helpful %
71,48%
rank 2 %
26,17%
rank 3 %
26,17%
rank 4 %
18,17%
rank 5 %
8,5%
Other (please
describe below)
rank 1 most helpful
%
6,16%
rank 2 %
2,5%
rank 3 %
3,8%
rank 4 %
3,8%
rank 5 %
23,62%
7
Other (describe):
Affordable health care act
availability to obtain coverage other than open enrollment time
I don't see the benefit beyond what we are doing already with our SWWC Coop. In greater Minnesota, I am not convinced we would benefit from
collaborating health care costs with the Metro, Duluth or Rochester Regions as their costs are much higher.
Increased pool size
Knowledge about being over insured. Some employees belong to health plans.
Large State Wide Pool
MnSure makes collaboration moot
Move to self funding for all district with 300 or more insureds.
NA
Not allowing one bargaining unit to control health care for all
Not only affordable, but has quality that doesn't have so many restrictions on where you can receive care.
Our organization is currently with the State Plan
Small group of 43 policies with large claims
Unknown
8
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Rank on a scale of 1-8 the following employee health plan subjects in terms of your interest in receiving information on them in the future (1 being most
interest, 8 being least interest):
How to work with health Wellness
How to engage
Affordable
Retiree health How to use the
How to self
Other (please
care providers
programs
employees/unions
care act
care
MNSure exchange
insure
describe below)
rank 1 most
rank 1 most interest
rank 1 most
rank 1 most
rank 1 most interest
rank 1 most
rank 1 most
rank 1 most interest %
interest %
%
interest %
interest %
%
interest %
interest %
11,8%
7,5%
21,15%
79,56%
7,5%
6,4%
3,2%
0%
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
22,16%
22,16%
30,21%
21,15%
18,13%
16,11%
8,6%
2,6%
rank 3%
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
23,17%
32,23%
30,21%
15,11%
17,12%
11,8%
12,9%
0%
rank 4%
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
32,23%
30,21%
31,22%
10,7%
23,16%
7,5%
5,4%
0%
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
rank 5 %
17,12%
25,18%
10,7%
3,2%
43,30%
26,18%
10,7%
2,6%
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
rank 6 %
17,12%
14,10%
11,8%
5,4%
25,18%
43,30%
20,15%
0%
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
rank 7 %
11,8%
4,3%
8,6%
6,4%
7,5%
25,18%
59,44%
1,3%
rank 8 least
rank 8 least
rank 8 least
rank 8 least
rank 8 least %
%
rank 8 least %
%
%
rank 8 least %
%
rank 8 least %
5,4%
7,5%
1,1%
1,1%
1,1%
7,5%
18,13%
30,86%
Other (describe):
Cost reduction of overall hospitalization care and medication must be reduced or this question is moot.
Knowing what is in your health plan before your agree to buy it! To often employees look at the bottom line and not the quality until they need the insurance
and it is to late.
MnSure is the future of health care
Other options for our group, disband? Add to salaries penalties?
Supplementary dental and vision plans
unknown
9
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Any other comments to share:
I feel the HITA legislation is not a good thing for schools.
It is important to keep costs down, but as an employer it is also important to know we are protecting our employees with a quality insurance plan. One that does
not have a lot of restrictions on where they can receive care and one that will not bankrupt their family if they were to get sick or injured in a car accident.
There are more affordable plans available, but the ones our employees/district have looked at do not include the Mayo Clinic or other health providers like it.
They want to know if they get sick they can get the help they need. The feedback we have received from them is that they are willing to pay a little more
knowing they have that level of care if they need it.
Our district is split. 58 Teachers are with PEIP and 27other employees are with Resource Training BCBS. EE sgl:ranges from 0-$41.30 for PEIP and 0$103.50 for all others ER sg;$496.80 for PEIP and $325.00 to $428.50 for all others EE fam:ranges from 143.41-426.77 for PEIP and 0 to $392.33 for all
others ER fam:$1017.83 for PEIP and $392.33 to $1109.00 for all others
Our employees are very satisfied with our Health Reimbursement Account plan. The district puts the amount of the deductible $1200/$2400 into each
employees account, if deductible is met everything is paid 100%. If and portion of deductible is not used by next enrollment period. The money stays in their
account for other eligible medical expenses. It's an interest bearing account.
Out teachers are presently with MN Peip. Other staff is with Lakes Country Coop in Fergus Falls. We will more than likely be leaving that group due to the
ridiculous renewal rate increases of 37 percent. It appears we are stuck with some really bad rates until the next open enrollment period; as we can not join
PEIPS pool until July 1, 2015 renewal. I could get the same BCBS coverage for $200 less if I was allowed to leave the group and become self insured. We
have an employee retiring; because he can not afford to keep the insurance at July 1 renewal; and his life style change will be to terminate. We are frustrated in
Wheaton!
Question #8 varies by the different union groups. The amount given is what is given to a 1.0 FTE teacher
Question 8: Employee and Employer premium information is dependent on employee contract and which of seven health plans the employee selects.
School District is currently on the State Plan (PEIP)
The Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare is a huge mess.
Think there should be better training for staff who work with enrolling employees; billings; statements etc. Insurance companies need to have better training
programs for it.
We actually have 4 health insurance deductible plans offered to staff members. Several negotiated contracts have different board share contributions to the
premiums single vs family. Also have board share contributions to the HSA plan if the employee opts for that coverage.
We already work with our health care provider and have a wellness program that provides benefits to our employees. We are not large enough to self insure
without belonging to a service coop. When we belonged to a service coop we were the largest district in the coop and our premiums were negatively affected
by the smaller districts' experience ratings so we left the coop and decided to fully insure. We are happy with that decision.
My biggest complaint related to
health care is the misinformation that Ed Minnesota gives to their employees regarding PEIP and their request for all of our financial information and provider
information under the guise that it is public information. I don't believe that is true and it is a time consuming burden. It also gives them an unfair advantage
when we request proposals. I have a spreadsheet that you might find interesting comparing their PEIP plans to our most expensive fully insured plan.
We are a small pool so any surgery or health incident has driven up our cost ans younger healthier employees are finding health care elsewhere. It is just too
high here for them to justify getting their insurnace through our school.
We currently have PEIP for Teachers and NJPA Health Partners for other employees.
10
School Districts that DO provide insurance
Any other comments to share:
We have mulitple plans and multiple groups with different benefit maximums. The amounts above refer to premiums for teachers understanding that the
deductible is funded first into a VEBA or H.S.A.
We have two health insurance plans available to our employees. The numbers I provided are for our 500 deductible plan.
We struggle to keep families on our plans as our family rates are so unaffordable. We only offer single or family, no employee plus one. We are loosing
healthy families and need to find a way to bring them back on our plan. The insurance pool through the service coop is "safe" and we have not pursued any
other options. We are open to any ideas to save money and offer affordable plans to our staff.
we've had large claims and our small pool of 43, the premium costs are extremely high, and the dollars may be better spent by disbanding our group, and letting
employees go find their own coverage, all depends on ACA
With limited dollars to spend on compensation, unions are starting to get the idea that they need to be move involved in health care strategies to control costs.
More assistance in effective ways to communicate with employees would be helpful. The legislators do not seem to care that all the requirements that they
impose on school districts (HITA bill currently under consideration is most recent example) are problematic in that they require more administration and more
hoops to jump through without guarantee of savings to individual districts. Instead of passing laws that in effect force schools to create their own statewide
health insurance pool (PEIP), if we really believe that all public employees should be treated the same, then put us all on the state plans (schools, cities,
counties, state) and let us all pay the same premium. Then, each union can negotiate for the amount of contribution. To Answer question 8: Premiums range
from 494 to 681 SINGLE and 1452 to 2047 FAMILY (We also have 2party rates). Amount paid by employer and employee varies by bargaining unit. We
have 7 bargaining units plus a non-union group.
School Districts that do NOT provide insurance
Does your organization provide a stipend for employees to purchase health insurance on their own?
yes %
3,60%
no %
2,40%
Average stipend = $4000
School Districts that do NOT provide insurance
Do you have a labor/management or employee committee that studies employee benefit issues?
yes %
3,60%
no %
2,40%
11
School Districts that do NOT provide insurance
How would you describe employees' knowledge of what drives their health care costs?
Response
excellent %
1,25%
good %
0%
Fair %
3,75%
poor %
0%
School Districts that do NOT provide insurance
If public sector organizations were to collaborate on health care costs, please rank the following on a scale of 1-5 in terms of what would be the most
helpful to your organization (with 1 being the most helpful and 5 being least helpful):
Bargaining clout with insurance
Model wellness
Bargaining strategies with Legislative
companies or health care providers in
program
union
changes
the region
Other (specify below)
rank 1 most
rank 1 most
helpful %
rank 1 most helpful %
helpful %
rank 1 most helpful %
rank 1 most helpful %
1,33%
3,60%
0%
1,20%
0%
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
rank 2 %
0%
0%
3,60%
1,20%
0%
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
rank 3 %
0%
2,40%
1,20%
2,40%
0%
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
rank 4 %
2,67%
0%
1,20%
1,20%
0%
rank 5 most
rank 5 most
helpful %
rank 5 most helpful %
helpful %
rank 5 most helpful %
rank 5 most helpful %
0%
0%
0%
0%
5,100%
Other (describe):
Trends
12
School Districts that do NOT provide insurance
Rank on a scale of 1-8 the following employee health plan subjects in terms of your interest in receiving information on them in the future (1 being most
interest, 8 being least interest):
How to work with health Wellness
How to engage
Affordable
Retiree health How to use the
How to self
Other (please
care providers
programs
employees/unions
care act
care
MNSure exchange
insure
describe below)
rank 1 most interest %
1,20%
rank 2 %
1,20%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
1,20%
rank 5 %
0%
rank 6 %
1,20%
rank 7 %
1,20%
rank 8 least %
0%
rank 1 most
interest %
1,33%
rank 2 %
0%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
0%
rank 5 %
1,33%
rank 6 %
1,33%
rank 7 %
0%
rank 8 least
%
0%
rank 1 most interest
%
1,25%
rank 2 %
2,50%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
1,25%
rank 5 %
0%
rank 6 %
0%
rank 7 %
0%
rank 8 least %
0%
rank 1 most
interest %
0%
rank 2 %
0%
rank 3 %
2,67%
rank 4 %
0%
rank 5 %
1,33%
rank 6 %
0%
rank 7 %
0%
rank 8 least
%
0%
rank 1 most
interest %
0%
rank 2 %
0%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
0%
rank 5 %
0%
rank 6 %
1,25%
rank 7 %
2,50%
rank 8 least
%
1,25%
rank 1 most interest
%
0%
rank 2 %
1,25%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
2,50%
rank 5 %
0%
rank 6 %
0%
rank 7 %
0%
rank 8 least %
1,25%
rank 1 most
interest %
0%
rank 2 %
0%
rank 3 %
1,25%
rank 4 %
0%
rank 5 %
1,25%
rank 6 %
0%
rank 7 %
2,50%
rank 8 least
%
0%
rank 1 most
interest %
0%
rank 2 %
0%
rank 3 %
0%
rank 4 %
0%
rank 5 %
0%
rank 6 %
0%
rank 7 %
0%
rank 8 least %
0%
Other (describe):
None
Any other comments to share:
None
13