Vermilion Parish School Board gets new health insurance options

Finally - the numbers are in for how much school employees will be paying for health insurance as of May 1.
The school board is in the process of hiring Blue Cross Blue Shield as its new insurance provider. They are expected to sign a contract Friday morning.
The cost of monthly premiums are rising and the coverage is changing, the school board members learned Monday night during a committee meeting.
A spokesperson from Dwight Andrus Insurance, the school board new insurance agent., explained the new rates Blue Cross Blue Shield came up with in order for the school board to break even with its insurance claims.
The spokesperson did say Blue Cross Blue Shield did submit lower monthly premiums, but the school board would continue to lose money with those premiums.
Three proposed plans were submitted, and the school board requested a fourth plan with a higher premium to be submitted at Thursday’s regular school board meeting.
The new plans have equal to or slightly higher monthly premiums but the coverage has changed. The new health insurance, if the board approves it Thursday night, has a higher deductible, higher percentage of what they pay (old 80/20 co-insurance to now 70/30) with a $40 co-pay for doctor visits.
Right now, under United Health Care Insurance, employees had two choices - Choice Plus and Bronze Plan.
The Choice Plan has a $750 deductible and pays 80/20. The plan also has co-payments for doctor visits.
Under the Choice Plan an employee is paying $264 per month. Employee and spouse are paying $556 per month. A family is paying $765 per month.
Then there is the Bronze Plan, which is a lot cheaper but the deductible is $3,500 per year. An employee is only paying $150 per month. An employee and spouse paid $390 per month and a family paid $610 a month.
Well, say goodbye to those numbers because they are changing with Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is presenting three plans. There is the standard plan, the HSA Plan (comparable to the Bronze Plan) and then the Buy-Up Plan (comparable to the Choice Plus Plan).
The School Board has to approve or deny these plans by Thursday.
School Board member Chris Gautreaux is asking for a fourth plan with a high deductible ($4,000) in hopes of lowering the premiums.
School Board member Kibbie Pillette explained that the premiums are going to rise but in the long run, the school board is going to save money because of the discounts they are expecting to save over the long haul. If and when the school board begins saving money, then they will look at offering a better health insurance plan in the future.
Because of the new increase in premiums, it is going to cost the school board an extra $650,000 a year. School employees will be paying a total of $350,000 a year more.
Here are the new proposed insurance plans the school board is looking at and is expected to adopt one at tonight’s meeting.

The Standard Plan

The Standard Plan comes with a new $2,000 deductible; 70/30 and a $40 co-pay for a doctor visit

Premiums
Employee only - $270 per month ($6 more a month than the old Choice Plus Plan.)

Employee and spouse - $566 per month ($10 more than Choice Plan)

Family - $781 per month ($16 per month more than the Choice Plan).

H S A Plan ($3,300 deductible, 70/30 co-insurance and no co-pay for doctor’s visit)

Employee Only - $100 per month ($164 less than The Choice Plan)

Employee plus spouse - $481 per month ($75 less than the Choice Plan).

Family - $664 per month ($101 less than the Choice Plan).

Buy-Up Plan ($1,000 deductible, 80-20 co-insurance, $40 co-pay for doctor’s visit. )

Employee only - $344 per month ($80 more a month than the Choice Plan)

Employee plus spouse - $722 per month ($166 more per month than the Choice Plan)

Family - $996 per month ($231 more a month than the Choice Plan).

If the school board approves the new plans Thursday, then the process begins of introducing the three plans to school employees over the month. The school employees will have until May 15 to decide what insurance plan they will accept or deny.