At a special June 3 meeting, the TRS Board of Trustees set rates and benefits for the 2021-22 school year.

By banding together, we do more to serve our educators. The strength of TRS-ActiveCare comes from our Texas-sized purchasing power. You are part of nearly 1,100 districts across the state who work to provide comprehensive health care to employees from Abilene to Corpus Christi.

Our coverage stands out because of:

• Broad networks with no county boundaries
• Primary plans with copays, lower deductibles, & $0 TRS Virtual Health
• Specialty drug coverage
• Wellness benefits that make being healthy easy

Rates and Benefits Details 2021-22 TRS-ActiveCare Rates & Benefits 2021-22 What’s New, What’s Changing?

A Glance Behind Setting Rates

Last year looked different for all of us. Pricing our plans had two unique factors – COVID-19 costs and competing plans offered by District of Innovation (DOI) districts.

COVID-19

COVID-19 treatment costs were high. But covering those bills meant they were one less worry for Texas educators. TRS provided $0 testing and coverage for all in-patient hospital stays. These COVID costs totaled $165 million through April 2021, which impacted premiums for the 2021-22 plan year.

Competing DOI Plans 

Premiums will increase on average by 6%. One of the main drivers of this is districts offering competing plans alongside TRS-ActiveCare through their DOI status. Without the impact of competing plans, premiums would have risen 4% rather than 6%.

These competing plans often exclude key benefits and attract lower-cost participants. In turn, the impact of high-cost claims on TRS-ActiveCare is greater and makes it difficult to minimize premium increases.

Despite these factors, we kept increases for employee-only coverage below $35 per month for all plans open to enrollment.

Recent Legislation

The Texas legislature passed SB 1444, and the bill has gone to the governor. TRS will provide guidance and outline the provisions of the bill throughout the summer and early fall. At this time, we’ll host meetings for district leadership about this topic.

We’ll provide more information on any other bills passed that affect TRS health plans.

We also know districts want access to more detailed claims data so we’re working to enhance that process. We’ll provide information about next steps this summer.

Annual Enrollment is Near

This year’s six-week Annual Enrollment will be from July 12–Aug. 23, 2021. It’s the time for your employees to review different plan options and make changes to their coverage.

We encourage everyone to review their options and pick the best plan for them and their families. If your employees don’t make a plan selection this summer, they’ll be enrolled in the same plan they are in this year.

Part 2 Benefits Administrator (BA) Training

Later this month, we’re holding part two of our annual BA training to cover the 2021-22 TRS-ActiveCare benefits. Each session is from 1-3 p.m. Register here. There are still spots available on June 16 & June 23.

If you have questions, we encourage you to reach out to your District Ambassador. They can answer questions or connect you to the right resources.

Best,

Katrina Daniel

TRS Chief Health Care Officer