April 2015

School District Progress on K-12 Health Care Benefits Purchasing

Proposed Scope and Objectives

Steven Meyeroff, JLARC StaffJohn Bowden, JLARC Staff

School District Employee Health Benefits

• Benefits and employee costs vary between districts.

April 2015K-12 Health Care Benefits 2/6

$1.03 billion in 2014 spent for K-12 health care benefits.

Health care benefits are negotiated in each of the 295 school districts.

• Covering nearly 202,000 employees and dependents.• Districts receive $768 per month per full-time equivalent

employee.

Legislature Established Goals in 2012 for Purchasing K-12 Health Care Benefits

April 2015K-12 Health Care Benefits 3/6

Improve transparency; 1

Create greater affordability for family coverage;

2

Promote innovations and cost savings; and3

Provide greater parity between state employee and K-12 employee health benefits.

4

Study will Address School District Progress and Purchasing Options

April 2015K-12 Health Care Benefits 4/6

Are school districts making progress in meeting the 2012 Legislative goals?

If not, determine if legislative and agency actions are needed.

Examine options identified in the 2012 statute for consolidating purchasing systems

Next Steps and Contacts

Preliminary Report December 2015

Proposed Final Report January 2016

John Bowden, Research Analystjohn.bowden@leg.wa.gov360-786-5298

Steven Meyeroff, Research Analyststeven.meyeroff@leg.wa.gov360-786-5176

John Woolley, Project Supervisorjohn.woolley@leg.wa.gov 360-786-5184

www.jlarc.leg.wa.gov