Enrollment for USD 253 Emporia’s new employee health insurance plan begins next month.
The USD 253 Board approved the new “hybrid” insurance plan by a unanimous vote Wednesday evening. The plan will replace the district’s current 50/50 plan which saw the provider pay a matching sum for every dollar paid by employees.
This plan was favorable for a number of years as the district enjoyed over a decade of flat insurance usage, right around 85 to 90 percent to be exact. However; the district’s premium costs recently began increasing over the last two years due to a sharp uptick in usage that saw the district’s rate jump to around 100 percent.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Rob Scheib says the increase sparked discussions for a new strategy and the district ultimately arrived at the new model which offers employees three different options.
1. 50/50 plan
2. 80/20 plan with a $35 office co-pay
3. High deductible plan
Scheib says the district believes this is the best option for all parties involved and will satisfy the desires of all staff following recent input over the past year.
The new plan will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Enrollment will begin for district employees on Oct. 18 of this year. Further information can be found on the district’s website www.USD253.org.
In other business, the board received the monthly COVID-19 update from Superintendent Dr. Allison Anderson-Harder. At this time the district’s COVID advisory committee is not recommending any changes to the current board-approved mitigation strategies.
During the consent agenda portion of the meeting, where multiple items may be approved with a single vote, the board approved a lease extension agreement with Flint Hills Mall for 2021-22 at a cost of $34,014, unchanged from last year. Two executive sessions were also held for student remote access matters where the board approved a list of students to exceed the 40-hour remote learning maximum.
The board’s second exec session was for superintendent evaluation with no action taken.
The USD 253 Board will next convene on Wednesday, Oct. 13 inside the Mary Herbert Education Center at 7pm.
