How the Health Insurance Crisis Impacts MCEA Members

For those who didn't see it, there was a well written article in Sunday's Washington Post entitled "You Have No Idea What Health Costs: If You Did, You Might Just Want Real Reform". The article did a good job of explaining the disconnect between what consumers pay and what health care actually costs. To read the article, go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091900112.html.
This issue has real and immediate meaning for MCEA members. This year, the cost of health insurance for MCPS employees increased by more than $20 million. Next year (2010-2011), those costs are projected to increase by an additional $20 million.
Almost all of the MCPS insurance plans are 'self-insured' - that means the insurance company just gets a flat administrative fee per plan participant. The increased costs are due strictly to the increasing volume and costs of health care services provided to MCPS employees.
As the Post article reports, nationally over the past decade health insurance premiums have increased by 138%, and the cost of the average family plan is projected to rise to more than $30,000 by 2019.
Even folks like us - who have health insurance through our employer - face a health insurance system that is unsustainable. Health care reform that meaningfully controls the escalating cost of health care, is in all our interests.

Tom Israel, MCEA Executive Director.