California Education Coalition
for Health Care Reform
The severity of the health care crisis combined with escalating costs is having a devastating effect on public education. In response, public education leaders—representing both management and labor organizations—have joined together in their commitment to reduce costs and ensure quality, affordable health care for all public school employees. From offering free trainings that empower school districts and unions to make better health care decisions to exploring alternative, cost effective methods of providing coverage, CECHCR is leveraging its combined power and resources to find solutions to this crisis in public education. CECHCR has introduced a design for a statewide school pool that promises a new direction in health care purchasing for the public education community by increasing control over health care decisions, lowering costs, improving services and making collective bargaining much easier. The passage of federal health care reform, the Affordable Care Act, supports the important role CECHCR plays in helping California’s school districts and unions come together to work towards health care solutions that serve the entire education community.
Read CECHCR's Executive Summary
Read CECHCR's Latest Update
CECHCR's Second Opinion Program Helps Save Millions! Another solution to your skyrocketing health care costs might be CECHCR’s Module V Second Opinion services. The experience in Montebello Unified School District is one Second Opinion example. When Montebello was faced with a 30 percent increase to their health insurance plan, CECHCR Consultants John Glynn and Mark Lowenthal of J. Glynn & Co. assisted their insurance committee through the second opinion process that helped avert the crisis and move members to a new plan. Described as a “tide turn” for the District, this joint effort between management and labor resulted in a combined savings of approximately $11.5 million for 2010, and the savings have now increased to $14 million in 2011. Implementing the change for 3,000 employees quickly due to an approaching member renewal deadline presented a challenge that required a true team effort.
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CECHCR Helps Districts Navigate Purchasing
Districts can gain the knowledge and tools they need to make more informed health care purchasing decisions by signing up for free health benefits trainings sponsored by CECHCR. Make a difference for district employees by putting into action free strategies and tools that can lead to cost savings, such as how to choose a health plan, sample model contracts and RFPs, and how to negotiate more effectively with a broker to get the best coverage at the lowest cost.
California Education Coalition for Health Care Reform
1337 Howe Avenue, Suite 210, Sacramento, CA 95825
916.567.9911, ext. 18 - vsjol@ccscenter.org
