School retirees will get $350 deductible option

The Red Wing School Board voted 4-0 Tuesday in a special meeting to allow all retirees the option of having $350 deductible health insurance. Board members Heidi Jones and Steve Anderson were not present. Board member Dennis Porter recused himself from the vote due to conflict of interest.

The issue came up at the Dec. 3 school board meeting when a group of teachers who retired before 2008 raised concerns about their health insurance deductibles going from $350 to $3,000. Tuesday’s vote will allow those retirees to finish their contracts with the $350 deductible.

For most retired teachers, their contracts state that they will receive a single $350 deductible health insurance plan for 96 months after retirement.

But for teachers who retired before 2008, their contracts only state they will receive a single health insurance plan for 96 months; it doesn’t specify a deductible. However, those retirees said that the only health insurance option available at the time was the $350 deductible plan, and they inferred that is what they would get.

Labor negotiations earlier this year changed the deductible the pre-2008 retirees’ deductibles from $350 to $3,000.

Finance Director Brad Johnson said the affected retirees will have until Dec. 14 to enroll in the $350 deductible plan.

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