The Hernando County School Board voted 5-0 at a special meeting on Oct. 30 to remain fully insured with Florida Blue for 2027. The district delayed its planned switch to a self-insured employee health plan by a year. Board members also agreed to join the Florida Educator Health Trust, known as FLEHT, in 2028. The vote came after Florida Blue disclosed two high-cost claimants that could have left the district exposed to large, unplanned medical bills.
The board had voted 3-2 on Sept. 22 to become self-insured. Florida Blue would have administered the plan, while FLEHT would provide coordination and oversight. Board members Michelle Bonczek and Shannon Rodriguez voted no on that earlier measure. Rodriguez said on Oct. 30 that too many questions remained unanswered. She also said the district would take on significant liability. She noted the vote came the same day as the board’s workshop on the subject. Several members said they backed the new plan reluctantly. Two accused Florida Blue of holding back key information until the last minute.
Under self-insurance, the district would pay employees’ medical claims directly. It would also buy stop-loss insurance to cap its exposure to catastrophic cases. Florida Blue informed the district of two “lasers,” which are provisions that set a much higher deductible for specific people expected to run up large medical costs. Those provisions delay when stop-loss coverage applies, shifting more financial risk back to the employer. A plan with a standard $75,000 individual deductible might set a lasered person’s deductible at $150,000 or more, according to SharxPlan, a health benefits website.
FLEHT pools Florida school districts so they can buy coverage at a scale and price that individual districts cannot match on their own, according to the trust’s website. Bruce Green of FLEHT attended the Oct. 30 meeting. The district also plans to open an employee health clinic in 2027 as part of the transition. Hernando County employees will keep their current coverage through Florida Blue for the coming year.
Read more about the district’s plans from the Tampa Bay Beacons and learn about the trust at the Florida Educator Health Trust.
Originally reported by Tampa Bay Beacons – Hernando
