Menomonee Falls School Board approves new health insurance plans

After numerous discussions, the Menomonee Falls School Board on Monday officially approved the district's health benefit plan that will offer employees three options with varying deductibles and employee premiums.

Open enrollment for the new benefit plans will begin Jan. 1 as the district moves to self-funded insurance through Humana, its current carrier.

The proposed employee premiums are set so the School District's contribution is the same under all three plans. By changing to self-funded health insurance, the district could save up to $750,000; however, the total savings will depend on which plan employees choose and their health care spending throughout the year.

Preventive care is covered 100 percent in all three plans, according to School District documents.

Plan one is a traditional preferred provider organization plan and most similar to the employees' current insurance plan, with the exception of adding in-network coinsurance.

This plan has the highest premium and a $250 deductible for singles. The deductibles in each plan double for families.

Plans two and three are consumer-driven plans with higher deductibles, according to documents. The employee pays less for premiums from their pay checks through contributions; however, the deductibles are higher. The third option has the highest deductible, but lowest premium. The second and third options also include a Health Reimbursement Arrangement, or HRA.