TRS Releases 2022 Annual Health Benefits Report

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) published its 2022 Health Benefits Report to give the public an in-depth look at the TRS health plans’ performance, financials, and plan structures.

Highlights

TRS health plans serve over 670,000 participants through TRS-ActiveCare (active employees) and TRS-Care (retired employees).

TRS-ActiveCare highlights include:

• In the first year of enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 1444, 90 percent of employers chose TRS-ActiveCare for the 2022-2023 school year. In the second year, TRS retained 99 percent of those districts for the 2023-2024 school year.
• TRS implemented a regional pricing system in an effort to ensure TRS-ActiveCare rates align with the costs of healthcare in the area, keeping costs an average of 18 percent less than others in the market.
• COVID relief funds were used to prevent an increase in premiums and decrease rates in many regions.

TRS-Care highlights include:

• TRS-Care premiums remained the same for the sixth plan year in a row.
• COVID relief funds were used to cover many out-of-pocket costs, and policyholders received a one-time payment of $448.12 in March.
• Medicare-eligible participates will see a decrease in their deductible from $500 to $400 in 2023.

The report goes into detail about unique member needs and how TRS addresses them, the way costs are managed and value is increased, efforts to improve competitiveness of premiums and affordability, funding, and more. For more details, read the full 2022 TRS Annual Health Benefits Report.

Senate Bill (SB) 1444

SB 1444, passed during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, made it possible for districts to enter or leave TRS-ActiveCare. Districts considering opting out of TRS-ActiveCare should request their claims and contribution information from TRS so they can analyze the data and track trends. Instructions for requesting the data are available on the TRS website.

For districts that do not have the time or the expertise to analyze their data in-house, a third-party vendor such as TASB Benefits Cooperative can assist with the evaluation and help ensure districts are making the best choice for their employees.

More information can be found in the HRX article Opting Out of TRS-ActiveCare.