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Athena Lindsey, a teacher and policy fellow at Teach Plus Mississippi, repeatedly heard the same concerns when surveying teachers in their preparations for school boards. Historic 2022 Teacher Salary Raise: “I can’t feel the raise because the insurance premium goes up every time I get a raise.”
Public employee insurance premiums rose 6% from January 1, marking the fifth straight year of increases.of report A Teach Plus Mississippi study showed that reducing premiums was the third-highest-priority policy for teachers, followed by two related to salary increases.
“Many of them in the survey said they had a side job just because the insurance plan was ridiculous,” Lindsay said.
Mississippi First calculates that the average teacher salary in Mississippi is $53,000, dropping to $40,990 after taxes and retirement benefits. Individuals on the plan make up 1% of his take-home pay, while employees who have state insurance with their families pay 25%. After paying premiums, the take-home pay drops to $30,910 for employees on the plan with their families.
Five teachers interviewed by Mississippi Today expressed growing frustration with rising costs and declining quality of benefits. State officials say the changes were made to combat rising health insurance premiums that are causing the budget deficit, and state plan reserves have fallen by $119 million over the past nine years. doing. Legislators have said they are considering addressing the issue at the next session.
State health insurance served approximately 194,000 state employees and their dependents in 2021, the most recent year with data. Most people opt for the “Select” plan, which offers more perks, but the number of people using that plan has been steadily declining since her 2016.
While individual premium costs for single-employee plans have changed little, the number of people whose families are also insured through state plans has increased significantly.
By state law, the state contributes 100% of an employee’s basic coverage premium. Employees pay between $20 and $46 per month for personal coverage if they choose a plan with more benefits. The state does not cover child and spouse insurance premiums, resulting in significantly higher family premiums. Fees range from $124 to $840 per month, depending on the number of dependents and quality of insurance.
According to statistics released by the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, Mississippi is one of two states in the Southeast that does not pay additional premiums for family insurance. 2021 Public HearingsRep. Kent McCarty of R-Hattiesburg said: Specification This session for the state to pay 50% of alimony premiums, but died in commission.
“Many jobs already provide coverage for dependents, and teachers often leave to take the job. I figured it would be a way to keep it in,” he said. He said.
a Recent reports The first study published by Mississippi looked at why teachers are leaving the classroom. In that survey, 42% said they could not afford deductibles, premiums, or other medical expenses not covered by insurance, and financial concerns were closely linked to the risk of leaving the classroom. rice field.
Tren Ballard, K-12 Policy Director at Mississippi First, said, “Whether it’s cutting costs for teachers or improving the quality of programs, any improvement in this area will require more money from the state. of resources will be required.
This difference between individual and family premiums is common in the teaching profession.according to 2020 report A study released by the Southern Area Board of Education found that teachers pay an average of $200 less in single plan monthly premiums and $257 more in family plans than private sector employees.
Megan Boren, Project Manager on the Board of Directors, said: teacher reward With most states in the Southeast having a sizeable cost differential between single and family coverage, we knew there was work to be done. Bohlen doesn’t say Mississippi is struggling in this area, but he cites Alabama, Virginia, and Florida as exemplary states that have successfully reduced employee costs.
“A lot of this just has to do with how health insurance is set up, and there’s a lot of room and good strategies that employers, governments, or others can take on these parts. There is no,” Bohlen said.
invoice This legislative session will study the state’s health care system and make recommendations for proposed legislation in 2024. A task force proposed by Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leaksville, will focus on the financial solvency of the plan. , rate increases, benefits, and comparisons with other Southeastern states.
“We just want to dig deeper into why our spending keeps going up and up,” says DeBar. “We don’t want insurance[costs]to get in the way of getting insurance or getting an annual health check-up because people can get worse later on if they don’t get treatment. because there is.”
Some teachers share his concern that current rates are discouraging employees from seeking preventive care.
Jason Reed, a teacher in the DeSoto County School District, said, “If you’ve had a devastating year, I think it’s for you, but this should be in a very unhealthy state.
Reid, a second-degree cancer patient, hit the out-of-pocket cap with both diagnoses and experienced the safety nets the plan could offer, but rising costs made most of his colleagues worried that they would never I said I feel like I’ve never seen it.Advantages. Reed added that insurance plans typically keep people away from becoming teachers, rather than preventing them from doing so.
Advocates also say the lack of state investment is alienating other state officials. Brenda Scott, president of the League of Mississippi State Workers, said teachers got a “decent” raise last year, but other state workers’ raises are “very rare.”
Scott wants to make it easier for state employees to raise premiums when they come, or to allow states to expand Medicaid to give employees more coverage options. He said he hoped that the members would be raised.
“They’re not expanding Medicaid that’s meant to cover the working poor,” she said.
It’s the other changes to the plan that are frustrating the premium hike.
Several teachers have expressed frustration at the declining quality of prescription drug coverage since then. Switching from Prime Therapeutics to CVS CaremarkThe change, state officials said, was made to save money on rising medical costs.
Renee Webber-Butler, a teacher in the Perry County School District, was informed that the ADHD medication her 16-year-old son was taking would no longer be covered after the switch. He tried multiple drugs and after seeing some negative side effects, he found success with Vyvanse (a drug no longer covered by insurance).
“When I explained to him what was going on, he said, ‘Mom, why don’t you take your medicine when you’re mean and angry?'” Webber Butler said. How do you look at your own child and say: “Son, I’m sorry … With an educator’s salary, we can’t (pay out of pocket.)” ”
She said they found another medication for him covered, but said it was “ridiculous” that her son had been on three different medications in six months. .
State health plan administrator Cindy Bradshaw said the switch to CVS Caremark and the recent increase in deductibles and premiums are adjustments to balance health plan finances. rice field. Each year since 2016, the plan has spent more on medical expenses than its premiums cover, resulting in a significant reduction in the plan’s surplus. In 2012, his surplus was $247 million, but by the end of 2021 he had dwindled to $64 million, according to her 2021 actuarial report on the plan.
State Health Insurance Plan Granted During 2022 Legislative Session $60 million American Rescue Plan funds, and invoice passed the committee and gave the plan an additional $30 million in the Federal Pandemic Relief Fund at this session.
When discussing incremental action by the state board that administers health insurance plans, Bradshaw said, “We’re trying to gently land the plane instead of making a big crash.
this article first appeared in Mississippi today Republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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