ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools teachers and staff could see their health insurance costs rise dramatically under a district proposal now before a special magistrate, according to numbers obtained by Channel 9.
Under the OA Plus Hybrid Plan, the current family deductible is $800. The district’s proposal would raise that to $6,000, a 650% increase. The Classroom Teachers Association’s counter-proposal would raise the family deductible to $1,600.
On the SureFit plan, the current family deductible is $600. The district’s proposal would take it to $4,000. CTA’s counter-proposal would raise it to $1,200.
The cost per paycheck for family coverage on the SureFit plan would also climb, from $266 currently to $588 under the district’s proposal. CTA’s counter-proposal would raise that cost to $293.
CTA President Clinton McCracken said the insurance proposal cannot be viewed separately from the district’s wage proposal, which is also part of ongoing negotiations.
“Teachers are up in arms, concerned about the district insurance proposal combined with the wages proposal that are on the table right now at impasse,” McCracken said. “When you put them together, it would mean an average pay cut of 7 percent for teachers who are already struggling to get by.”
McCracken said the increases go beyond premiums and deductibles alone.
“It’s what the district calls deductible first,” McCracken said. “So it’s not only an increase in premiums for one of the plans, but they avoid talking about the massive increases to deductibles.”
OCPS was not available for an interview. The district has pointed to broader financial pressures, including a nearly $145 million funding gap in the trust that pays for employee health insurance, driven by rising health care costs and declining enrollment.
McCracken said teachers should not be the ones absorbing that gap.
“Let’s start treating our teachers and their union as a partner in this conversation,” McCracken said. “That is not hyperbole. That is the absolute truth. Some of them, more than that, they can’t afford what the district has put on the table.”
Both sides are now waiting on a special magistrate, who could issue recommendations as soon as this week. From there, the matter would go to the Orange County School Board for a final decision.
See the full comparison of current and proposed health insurance costs below.
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