- Note: Click here for the June board meeting materials, including links to the meeting webcast and the comprehensive “board book” agenda.
Premium Rates Negatively Impacted by Alternative Plans
TRS Board Approves New ActiveCare Rates
The TRS board at its special meeting (held virtually) approved TRS-ActiveCare premiums and benefits for the new plan year starting Sept. 1.
BCBSTX administered non-HMO plans — which comprise the vast majority of ActiveCare covered employees — will see overall average premium increases of 6.2 percent.
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Interim “Ombuds” Appointed
The board took action to begin implementing the portion of the TRS Sunset bill — HB1585-Lambert (signed by governor) — that includes a provision requiring TRS to appoint an ombudsman.
The board appointed, as an interim “ombuds” — the TRS’ word of choice for “ombudsman” — Katherine Farrell, who will also continue to serve as the board’s administrative secretary. A process will begin soon to solicit applications for a permanent “ombuds”, which will be a topic for the board’s next meeting in July.
“Golden Ticket”
The only other bill that passed during the session that staff briefed the board on was the portion of HB2022-Darby, that gives the approximately 18,109 Medicare eligible retirees who opted out of TRS-Care from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2019, a one-time chance to re-enroll themselves and their dependents in the program by Dec. 31, 2023.
Guthrie said that TRS will begin a communications outreach program soon to inform the affected retirees of their (informally named) “golden ticket” opportunity to rejoin TRS-Care.
TRS Headquarters Reopens
TRS also announced that it reopened the TRS headquarters building in downtown Austin to the public on June 7 after having been closed, except for limited in-person counseling sessions, for more than a year due to the pandemic. Appointments are still encouraged for in-person counseling sessions.