By Molly Mulebriar
With help from their insurance consultant the Brownsville Independent School District, the largest employer south of San Antonio, has successfully managed to achieve a $7,000,000 health plan deficit without even trying.
In their October 7, 2025 board meeting school trustees debated whether to seek competitive proposals next year.
“Our employees didn’t pick our insurance, they were forced to take it!” said one board member. Another said it may be time to look into TRS ActiveCare, the financially troubled government health plan for Texas school districts.
After an unnecessary and prolonged discussion trustees voted to seek competitive alternatives in a 152-day process that will begin in March 2026. “We need to see what’s out there!”
For free entertainment grab some popcorn and go here, click on the October 7, 2025 school board meeting video and start watching at the 3:00:05 mark.
Will trading a logo for another save the day? Will the district fire their current consultant and hire another? Will the current broker retain the account? (Yes, the district has both a consultant and a broker). Will the district sue the current third-party administrator (United HealthCare) for “broken promises” as they have been known to do in the past on more than one occasion? (Pilot Life Insurance Company, Group & Pension Administrators, HealthSmart). Will every Tom, Dick and Harry in need of practice bid again next year? Will the trustees make their +$60,000,000 decision during the same board meeting immediately following 15-minute presentations by each competing vendor as has been the practice in the past or will they have already made up their minds and they get a kick out of going through the motions? Will Sams Stadium be the venue once again for vendor presentations? Will unread and never to be read “as to form” contracts be signed? Will Valley Baptist align with Aetna again and send their local hospital administrator to make the pitch? Will the Agent Wolf Pack of yesteryear rise again to seize market control before the fact? Who will control and guarantee the information chain of custody before and during the bidding process? Will the ghost of Johnny Caliche reappear out of nowhere along with his private eye investigator, shadowing vendors back across the river to pre-arranged and waiting Brownsville police poised to arrest on DWI charges? Will Dr. X, a behind the scenes political operative, invite himself to insurance committee meetings as he has been known to do to ensure his +$1,000,000 fee-for-service cut of the self-funded honey pot pie? Will sudden wealth become noticeable in reserved parking at the BISD Puzzle Palace? Will do-nothing alphabet types continue eavesdropping while chewing gum at the same time? And lastly, their +$60,000,000 brings a whole lot of bargaining power that can be applied to the three local hospitals in town, all to be made to compete for direct lower cost contracts – Will the district do that or will they continue to rely on managed care contracts they can’t see nor audit, memorialized in smoke filled rooms up north in Minnesota or Chicago with the promise “We have the best discounts!”
