More than 30 years ago, when she was a rookie on patrol, retired Dallas police Lt. Kimberly Stratman shot a man carrying a machete. The anxiety from that day still creeps up on her
Doctors told her that rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune problems that emerged later were related to the stress of the job. She also developed thyroid cancer. Those health problems followed her into retirement six years ago
Now, as the city considers dropping the health insurance plan that the Mansfield resident and her husband — a Dallas police SWAT officer — rely on, Stratman has a new set of worries
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Moving to one of the two remaining healthcare options would cost Stratman at least an extra $150 per month on top of the $736 she pays now. When her husband retires, their collective premiums would total add up to $25,000 per year — after a combined 70 years of service to Dallas
If the city cuts Stratman’s preferred provider program, she may have to find another endocrinologist. Hers has managed her cancer, now in remission, for years.
Getting a new-patient appointment could take months. Stratman said she and other retirees don’t have that kind of time
“The disrespect in how we’re being treated is unacceptable,” she told The Dallas Morning News. “I know the city has to make changes. I don’t like how they’re doing it.”
Retirees, employees and first responders have roundly criticized the proposal. City leaders say it could save Dallas taxpayers at least $10 million as the city confronts some of the nation’s highest medical costs
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Deep cuts
Dallas’ proposed $5.6 billion budget closes a projected $50 million shortfall through job cuts, program reductions and the elimination of the preferred provider plan used by more than half of the city’s roughly 13,000 employees
The PPO plan, known as “Blue Choice,” allows members to see specialists and doctors in and out of the Blue Cross Blue Shield network without a primary care physician’s referral
The two remaining “Blue Essentials” managed-care plans require members to have a primary care doctor in Texas to obtain prescriptions and specialized care. One includes a health savings account
The proposed budget also eliminatesthe use of GLP-1 drugs solely for weight loss and shifts from at-home wellness kits to in-office visits to earn the city’s wellness incentive.
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During a briefing Wednesday at City Hall, several council members asked whether alternatives were available and how the change could affect employee recruitment and retention or families with children who have special needs
“If there’s a way to find for them to have all of these benefits, that would be my desire,” council member Laura Cadena said
Keeping the PPO plan could cause premiums to rise as much as 60%, although the increase would be less than $40 a month for some employees. Restoring it could also require job cuts beyond the 300 already included in the budget, Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland said
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert reminded the council that they had “challenged us to look at ways to create longer term sustainability.” Then she challenged them to find the $10 million needed to preserve the PPO plan
“What we’ve recommended is not because we want to impact employees in a negative way,” Tolbert said, but a change meant to “have a healthy plan and a plan that’s going to be sustainable with the types of programs included to help our employees be well.”
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Skyrocketing healthcare costs
Dallas is self-insured, meaning it bears the risk when claims exceed premiums. Claims exceeded projections by tens of millions of dollars last year, helping produce the city’s current predicament, said Shawn Quildon, vice president of Holmes Murphy, the city’s benefits consultant
“If you couple those things with what’s happening across the nation, but specifically here in the DFW metroplex, it’s not sustainable,” she said.
The remaining plans would charge lower-paid employees less and higher-paid employees more. City officials said requiring regular care from a primary care doctor should improve health outcomes, make care more efficient and help diagnose costly illnesses sooner
Claims exceeding $100,000 for just 120 employees cost Dallas taxpayers $25 million last year, Quildon said
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About 1% of providers used through the PPO are not in the Blue Essentials network, city officials said. Still, Chief Human Re
“As part of any change in benefits, you are going to see a disruption,” Arias said. “We don’t take this lightly. Obviously, employees do not like change. No one does.”
Mayor Eric Johnson did not comment on the proposal during the council briefing.
‘Makes me sick’
Dallas Police Association president Sean Pease questions the city’s 1% figure. He said everyone he has spoken with has told him their doctors aren’t inthe new network.
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Some officers have told him they would leave for cities that offer free health coverage or better premium options
Pease told The News that he pays $700 per month for himself and his wife, and he’s not even retired yet
“There’s been nothing else that the city has done that has caused more people to say, ‘I’m out if this takes place,’” Pease said.
Pease’s wife had melanoma removed from her neck, increasing her risk
of skin or breast cancer. Neither her oncologist nor her dermatologist participate in the non-PPO plans
Pease also said retirees who have moved away from Dallas could face fewer choices under plans built around a limited network of primary care physicians
First responders tend to retire earlier than their civilian counterparts due to physical and or mental burnout. They often spend years waiting to qualify for Medicare at 65.
Stratman retired at 54 after doctors told her the job was going to kill her.
Her husband, 58, would love to join her, but his health coverage alone would cost $12,000 a year, excluding dental and vision, until he qualifies for Medicare
“It makes me sick,” Stratman said. “Just sick.”
