by Michelle DuBarry, FFAP VP for Communications
Have you ever wondered who decides what our health insurance options are at PCC and how we could improve them? Why can’t we collectively bargain for lower deductibles, or expanded coverage to specific treatments, drugs, or providers? The short answer is that public employees in Oregon negotiate our health insurance plans and rates collectively, which creates a larger pool of “customers” for insurers and theoretically, more negotiating power. Historically this has meant public employees have access to higher quality and less expensive healthcare plans than our counterparts in the private sector. But if you have interacted with this system, you know it is far from perfect.
PCC employee health plans are selected and administered by the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB). The OEBB Board, which includes representatives from school districts, public employers, and labor unions including FFAP, meets regularly throughout the year to evaluate the health plans, gauge member satisfaction, consider emerging medical technologies, and assess the overall market. Each spring the OEBB Board engages with health insurance carriers to negotiate benefits and costs, ultimately selecting approximately 20 benefits plans for members to choose from.
Plans selected by OEBB are forwarded to PCC. From there, a group of PCC employees known as the Joint Committee for Insurance Benefits (JCIB) narrows the choices down to the ones you see during open enrollment – usually five medical, three vision, and four dental plans. The JCIB includes representatives from FFAP as well as our sister union the Federation of Classified Employees, and PCC HR representatives.
During bargaining, FFAP negotiates with the College to determine how much PCC will contribute to insurance premiums. FFAP does not have the option to negotiate the specific health plans during bargaining, only the amount PCC contributes. Cost sheets can be found here (full-time employees) and here (part-time faculty).
In 2017, Oregon passed a law prohibiting OEBB insurance premiums from increasing more than 3.4% per year. In many ways this is beneficial as it keep the overall cost of insurance lower for our members. But when health care costs rise, as they often do—sometimes by 7% or more in a single year—OEBB is tasked with cutting benefits or increasing members’ out-of-pocket costs to stay under the 3.4% cap. For example, this year the board made the painful decision to limit coverage for groundbreaking GLP-1 drugs (better known by their brand names such as Wegovy and Ozempic). Imagine being told you have pre-diabetes, but the one treatment that has the best chance of helping you avoid progression of the disease is not covered by your health insurer. It’s an absurd situation made worse by a fragmented and dysfunctional healthcare system.
How FFAP Members can Influence Health Insurance Options at PCC
There are several ways you can influence the healthcare options available to PCC employees. One is by observing OEBB meetings and offering input into the decision-making process. Meetings happen on the first Tuesday of most months and are open to the public (including remote options). You can see details on the OEBB Board meetings webpage. If you have a question or a feedback about your health insurance, coverage options, or the 3.4% cap, or anything else insurance-related, you can write to the board at OEBB.board@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
We are looking for members to join the JCIB! If you are interested in having a seat at the table to determine which insurance plans our members choose from, you can email me directly at michelle.dubarry@pccffap.org.
If you need help with a specific insurance situation
I serve on both the OEBB Board and the JCIB and can often get a fast response to specific questions about insurance situations or coverage. If privacy is a concern, I can also forward questions and feedback anonymously to administrators and OEBB board members. If you have questions or need advice about navigating insurance, please reach out to me at michelle.dubarry@pccffap.org.