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 recent passage of 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.
Montebello Unified School District Success Story
When the Montebello Unified School District was faced with a 30 percent increase to their health insurance plan, CECHCR Consultants John Glynn and Mark Lowental of J. Glynn & Co. assisted their insurance committee through a “second opinion” process—funded by CTA and CSEA—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—promoted by CECHCR—resulted in a combined savings of approximately $11.5 million for 2010. 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.
