Schools
Employee Benefit Change Saves Waukesha School District $3M
Opting out of district's wellness plan will cost employees more money.
employees will pay more for their insurance if they chose not to participate in the district’s new health wellness plan, according to a change in employees’ insurance benefits approved by the board Wednesday night.
Employees will pay 12 percent for their health insurance premiums as of Sept. 2. In January, that amount will increase to 17 percent for employees who do not participate in the district’s wellness program.
This change will help the budget by about $3 million, according to the district. The district currently spends about $24.5 million on behalf of 1,300 employees and retirees for health insurance benefits, which is somewhat offset by employee premium share contributions.
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Members of the Education Association of Waukesha (EAW), the teacher’s employee group, contribute $20 per month for a single plan or $40 for a family plan. Currently EAW members are without a contract, which in conjuction with the passage of Act 10 (known informally as the budget repair law), allows the district the opportunity to make these changes.
The AFSCME employee groups, who are contracted through June 2013, will change their health insurance payment from $35 per month to 3 percent ($24.44 for a single plan and $55.33 for family) as of Jan. 1, 2012, with participation in the wellness plan. On Jan. 1, 2013, the premium share will increase to five percent per month with wellness participation. AFSCME members who do not participate in the wellness plan will pay twice the premium share amount.
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According to previous discussion of the wellness program, the program would include health assessments, site-based wellness promoters; physical activities; a weight loss program; a general wellness program including stress management; and wellness coaching.
According to the district, the state’s passage of Act 10 provides school districts with the ability to develop and implement employee benefit plans based on factors that include budget and future sustainability of the plan; internal comparables among employee groups and external comparables, other school districts and industries.
