Woulfe speaks on Spousal Health Insurance Coverage for Teachers; Cites Hospital experience

During the five years that I was the Business Manager of a metropolitan hospital in Minneapolis, I had the opportunity to supervise 40FTE employees and in the course of my responsibilities was responsible for the financial payment of the 200,000 hospital in-patient and outpatient accounts that were generated.

Can you guess which of the 200,000 accounts I had a chance to specialize in? Yes, the ones that had inadequate health insurance coverage. Eventually they had to be paid or written off to Hill Burton Charity care, which I also was directly responsible for. My experience has given me a good view of the consequences of inadequate health insurance on families.

There has been the concept expressed that school district teachers who choose "family coverage" when their spouse already has coverage with an employer are somehow "wasting" health insurance coverage. That is a misguided view. Teachers and anyone choosing health care coverage pick family coverage because it is needed. Period. It is true that health care expenses are rising. It is also true that family coverage is a negotiated benefit that teachers have a right to choose as I understand it.

In many cases I have seen, "family" commercial health insurance coverage is very inadequate. Surgical schedules are inadequate. "Usual and allowable" expenses that the policy provides are inadequate. Such inadequate coverage can result in disaster. Thus, in such a case, anyone and yes teachers would wisely choose family coverage for their spouse because it is a prudent financial planning decision.

Finally, there are two classes of folks that have the highest exposure to health expense risk. You guessed it. Health care workers and teachers. If you work in a hospital you are very aware of the risk and it is important to be well covered with health insurance. Ditto for teachers. Those folks who work in public safety know this.

In summary, I strongly support the right of teachers to choose spousal family health coverage because they are best able to make the proper choices for their family and because I know first hand that when it is chosen it is because it is needed. It was a valid negotiated benefit and needs to be honored.

I would, if the public selects me as school board member, use my experience in the hospital setting to review coverage to the mutual benefit of the district and its employees.