LAS CRUCES – New Mexico’s second-largest school district sent a message to state lawmakers Tuesday night: Public school employees are paying too much for health insurance.
The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution at its regular public meeting calling on lawmakers to bring back legislation enacting and funding an “80/20 rule,” under which employees who obtain their health benefits through the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority would contribute no more than 20 percent of the cost of their insurance premiums, regardless of their position or salary. The remaining 80 percent would be covered by the state.
Five teachers spoke in support of the resolution during public comments, saying recent pay increases for New Mexico teachers would be essentially absorbed by the cost of insurance and that some teachers would, in effect, take home less pay after insurance as some struggled to keep up with the cost of needed medication.
Advocates say the rule is needed to bring parity to a system where non-school public employees, whose benefits are provided through the General Services Department, or Albuquerque Public Schools workers pay thousands less for similar plans at similar salary levels.
A 2021 Legislative Finance Committee analysis found stark disparities in the system.
LCPS staff, for instance, could pay $4,223 for a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan similar to plans costing non-school public employees $1,500, based on single coverage and an income of $41,000. APS employees, who insurance rates are set by their own board, would pay $1,958 under the same circumstances.
The LCPS resolution states that escalating cost of living, including health insurance premiums, present an obstacle to retaining educators at a time when, despite the recent salary increase, districts are still struggling to staff classrooms.
A measure that would have required employers to cover 80 percent of health insurance premiums covered through NMPSIA — mainly public charter schools and districts other than APS — died during the 2022 session because the state budget did not include funding for it. Among the bill’s five sponsors were Doña Ana County state Reps. Raymundo Lara, D-Chamberino, and Willie Madrid, D-Chaparral.
On Wednesday, Lara said he was confident legislation would be submitted during the legislative session that opens in January.
“The prospects are very, very good,” he said, stating that he and other lawmakers had been working to secure up to $55 million in funding for a new bill. “If we can get that funding built into the budget, that bill will more than certainly pass the House.”
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Algernon D’Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.
