The meeting was called to order by Gregg Elder at 4:05 p.m.

 

A motion was made by Susan Lindsey and seconded by Molly Ringo to adopt the agenda as written. The motion passed unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Molly Ringo and seconded by Adam Goldstein to approve the minutes from the February 11, 2015 meeting as written. The motion passed unanimously.

 

The Trustees introduced themselves to guest Kathleen Guffey, a staff member from Jackson High School.

 

Sean introduced Jim Schirmer of United Healthcare (UHC). Sean and Jim were asked to attend the meeting to discuss issues that have come up as a result of the move to UHC. Sean noted that from his industry perspective, the issues that have been raised are within the normal range of experiences when there is a change of carrier. He said while there have been some issues experienced; there have been more that were without issue.

 

Jared and Randi have been in conversation regarding reported employee issues and concerns. Randi said she and her staff are problem-solving daily with UHC and that they have been very responsive and willing to seek to solve any problems to make the experience better for Everett Public Schools employees.

 

Some personal experiences with the UHC coverage were shared with the group. These included issues with dual covered employees, with certain medications not being covered or not being covered at a zero balance as was the case with Premera. Sean and Jim explained that the dual coverage option is unique to Everett Public Schools’ employees. It is not a normal UHC plan option and because of that, they had to work through this with their staff. Jim said a fix is being implemented and should be in place within a couple of weeks. Affected employees will receive communications when a fix is in place. This issue affects approximately fifteen employees.

 



 

Jim shared how his customer service staff receive information related to employee plans. Because Everett Public Schools has a unique plan, the UHC customer service representatives were not aware and did not have the correct information to help address employee issues. This was an error on the part of UHC. Jim said customer service staff have since been provided information on Everett Public Schools’ unique plan, call accuracy is up and complaints are down. UHC is still working to address other areas of concern such as naturopathic, massage and acupuncture.

 

Jared expressed his frustration with the renewal information provided in August and that he felt many things were stated in the packet but not the current issues with prescription coverage. Sean said he appreciated Jared’s feedback but that these issues were discussed and that he shared there may be some prescription change issues. Sean said it is a learning process for employees because it is different from what they have been used to.

 

Jared shared examples of employees whose medications are no longer available through UHC or that the price was greatly increased. Birth control is an ongoing area of concern. Jim explained some tiered drugs are different between Premera and UHC. UHC is working to make sure employees get the medications they need. They are more than happy to work directly with any member. He explained they will not put any drug into a higher tier if there is not a lower cost option, and they work with the member’s physician to choose a lower cost option; however, if the physician says they need to use a particular medication UHC can make that happen. Jim said he will research the birth control issue and report back to the human resources department. He thanked the group for their feedback.

 

The group also discussed phone calls from UHC to employees’ homes and not having positive experiences with UHC staff regarding claims issues. The change to MetLife vision has also created some issues, including members not receiving insurance cards. Susan shared her experiences and noted that MetLife goes through VSP. Communications to staff regarding these issues will be provided and this issue will be revisited at the April meeting. In the meantime, please contact the human resources department with any issues.

 

Darla provided the February financials and reviewed the highlights with the group.

 

Darla provided an update on the renewal process. She noted that Mercer has reviewed the renewal and the annual renewal fee of $6,494 is the same as it has been over the last three years. A motion was made by Jeff Moore and seconded by Molly Ringo to renew the annual Fiduciary Liability Insurance. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Wellness Program Monthly Report

Gail reviewed the monthly Wellness Program activities with the group.

 

Wellness Program Vision Statement

Gail noted the next step would be to create Wellness Program goals. Gail provided examples and asked for the Trustees’ feedback on the idea of creating a culture of wellness and what that means to them. The Trustees discussed the information and said they preferred that Gail provide recommendations to them. Gail will draft some goal areas for the Trustees’ review and feedback.

 

A draft calendar for the upcoming fiscal year was provided for the Trustees’ review. Action on this topic will be taken at the April meeting.

 

·   Begin preliminary discussion with consultants on plan renewals (Sean)

·   Review Operational Manual (Trustees)

·   Investment Manager presentation (Becker & Jayson)

·   Adopt annual regular meeting calendar for upcoming fiscal year (Trustees)

·   Developing strategies to reach our goals and KPIs (Gail)

The meeting was adjourned by Gregg Elder at 5:35 p.m.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Kelly Shepherd

Secretary

 

kn

 

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