The new health insurance policy aims to provide Clark County teachers with something new, a safety net.
The trust, now known as THTHealth, was founded in 1983 to provide teachers with the opportunity to operate their own medical system. Non-profit activities are overseen by the Clark County Education Association, a teachers union.
Teacher trust must comply with a set of financial reporting rules and positive cash flow obligations. If you do not comply, you can terminate it according to the contract signed in October.
In return, the school district said it has contributed to an estimated $ 23 million worth of premium increases over the next two years, as well as a one-time $ 15 million cash injection. The Trust estimates that the district’s premium increase will provide an additional $ 20 million.
The first $ 5 million in cash injections must be used to bring relief to educators dodging collection agencies because the trust did not pay part of the medical bill. So far, only 44 educators have been identified by debt collection agencies, and have worked with law firms to resolve these debts and educate, according to new CEO Tom Zumtobel. It is said that the financial records of the person are being organized.
The first agreement requires the Health Trust to operate openly so that teachers and the general public can ultimately see how well it works. You must provide your district with monthly and annual financial reports and monthly reports on payment of medical expenses. You also need to submit a report that tracks cash flow costs and changes in your medical plan.
“Transparency and partnership are what I feel best because we all need to get there,” said Trust CEO Tom Zumtobel. “And the agreement actually brings us regular dialogue.”
“I think the problem in the past was, above all, that the (trust) leader was not transparent to the school district and not to CCEA.”
Fikisha Miller, a former school district chief negotiator, revealed at a meeting of the Clark County Board of Education in October that teachers’ trust could only be made transparent this time.
“Not only is it publicly accountable, but there is a tooth in this agreement that THT will not undertake the business, just take care of the teachers, and THT will be completely gone.”
If the trust does not meet some of the requirements of the agreement, it may be retained in the “major defaults”, and if three major defaults are accumulated within a year, that trust closes the door. , The school district needs to move to a universal health insurance plan. The agreement states.
THT Health has also agreed to settle all unpaid $ 34 million in medical expenses by June 30, 2022 and reimburse the district’s recent $ 35 million prepayment by the end of June 2024. did.
Another provision requires THT Health to disclose its state of trust in detail to the school board within 90 days of submitting its annual audit report at the end of December each year.
John Berardita, Managing Director of the CCEA, said trust depends on the New Deal’s challenges.
“I think it’s a very fair requirement on the part of Teachers Health Trust to comply with these conditions,” he said. “And because they are public funds, they have to be used for what is intended, and trust needs to do what it is supposed to do. And that is education. It’s about providing health care to people and at the same time trying to essentially clean up the turmoil that has occurred. “
Linda Cavazos, Chairman of the Board of Education, said he hopes TTH Health will succeed with this agreement.
“A very strict but fair guardrail is in place to show that they (trust in health) can be accountable and take care of teachers, because that’s the final game,” she said. Said. “We want them to succeed.”
Please contact Jeff German (jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564).follow @JGermanRJ On Twitter.
