Elmhurst School District's Insurance Dilemma

Elmhurst School District 205 recently faced a tough decision regarding their health insurance. The school board had to vote on a new insurance contract with a 5. 1 percent increase. This increase is a big improvement from last year's 37 percent hike. The district is dealing with a $5. 8 million deficit this year. The insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, initially proposed a 10. 1 percent increase. However, the district managed to negotiate this down to 5. 1 percent. This was done while keeping high-quality benefits and causing minimal disruption for staff. One board member, Jim Collins, raised concerns about the contract. He was worried that the contract doesn't require preauthorization for a weight-loss drug that costs $1,400 a month. He thought this was a bad decision for both employees and taxpayers. Another board member, Courtenae Trautmann, also had issues with the proposal. She felt that the district could do more to control costs without negatively affecting staff. Member Kara Caforio decided to vote for the contract to respect the insurance committee's process, but she warned that increases in benefits could mean less for salaries.