Ysleta Independent School District approves changes employee health care plan
he Ysleta Independent School District approved changes to its employee health care plan Wednesday night.
The new plans raise healthcare contributions for both employee premiums and deductibles. They also raise the contribution to the plans by the school district for each employee.
The district will now pay $410 per employee per month in 2014, up from $370 in 2013. The district will pay this amount for each employee with the district, whether they subscribe to the district’s coverage or not. YISD employs more than 6,000 workers.
Ysleta Teacher’s Association president Arlinda Valencia said the school district is trying to push employees away from using “Plan A” which offered a $90 monthly premium and a moderate deductible. This was the most widely used plan of the three offered by the district’s insurance provider.
The new “Plan A” in 2014 will now have a $211 monthly premium.
The greatest change that was offered to employees since the September 11 meeting was the introduction of a fourth option with a $200-a-month premium and a $500 deductible.
Insurance providers say the number of catastrophic claims have risen in the past years: more employees are having multiple births, premature babies, organ transplants and cancer treatments. Employees criticize the district’s leadership for not slowing raising the cost of premiums and employer contributions for the past three years.
