| Senate ponders teacher insurance Proposal would fully pay premiums for school staff but not dependents 04/10/2001 By Terrence Stutz / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – Public school employees would have fully funded individual health insurance and be offered up to five levels of coverage under the preliminary draft of a teacher health insurance bill unveiled Monday.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, laid out the proposal as his panel debated the best way to use the $1 billion that Senate leaders want set aside for a teacher health insurance plan.
Mr. Bivins' proposal would earmark the state funds to pay the insurance premiums for as many of the state's 550,000 school employees as want to join the statewide plan. But school districts would have to pay a small portion of the premium – and dependent coverage would be the responsibility of the employee and district.
"We anticipate that most – if not all – school districts would participate in the plan," the senator said of the voluntary program.
One incentive for districts and employees to join the state program is that they would forgo the state funding if they declined to participate.
"I think it is unlikely that any school district will turn its back on this money," he said.
Teacher groups were unenthusiastic about the plan, saying it offers less than what some teachers have and does not address dependent coverage – a big issue with teachers.
"It is disappointing to us," said Donna New Haschke, vice president of the Texas State Teachers Association. "We were hoping for more. This plan makes no provision for coverage of dependents."
She insisted that state funds were sufficient to set up a better plan. "It seems as though they are unwilling to make the kind of commitment that many of them campaigned for last year," she said.
The Senate proposal also would offer up to five levels of insurance, ranging from basic catastrophic coverage – the least costly option – up to comprehensive coverage similar to what state government and higher-education employees have.
Expenses such as deductibles and the cost per office visit would vary depending on the coverage level.
Mr. Bivins' proposal would combine the $1 billion in new state funds with the $1.2 billion in local funds spent on teach health insurance annually to begin a statewide health plan in fall 2002. It would be administered by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
In discussing the limitations of the proposal, the senator noted that lawmakers must be careful not to approve a plan that costs more than the state can afford – although they would like to see a comprehensive program.
"It seems like our choices are either to have a heart and lose control of the program, or not have a heart and maintain control of it," he said.
The chairman of the House Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance is expected to lay out a draft of his legislation Wednesday.
Rep. Paul Sadler, D-Henderson, said he would like the state to put in at least $1.5 billion in the first year of the program.
He has discussed a proposal that would set up a mandatory health plan for rural and small school districts with fewer than 1,000 employees. Employees of larger school districts would receive $125 a month from the state to pay insurance premiums or health-related expenses.
Mr. Sadler also has suggested that every public school employee receive another $1,000 a year to help pay for family coverage or for additional medical expenses.
In laying out his draft bill Monday, Mr. Bivins said the plan also would be partially funded by tapping the capital gains of the $19.5 billion Permanent School Fund.
Use of the education trust fund would require voter approval of a constitutional amendment, and critics have suggested that it would be a mistake to hinge the teacher health insurance plan on a constitutional amendment that would draw opposition.
But Mr. Bivins said he was convinced the amendment would pass.
"I think we should anticipate receiving strong political support for this proposal," he said, noting that supporters of school health insurance such as teacher organizations "will put the word out" for voters to support the amendment.
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