By Cris Deacon
I can tell you exactly what I’m saying at this moment during a panel at the Employers’ Forum of Indiana Annual Conference yesterday….
A fellow panelist who was a CFO at a school district in Indiana said that they were ill-equipped to make any use of their own claims data and that it “wasn’t their role … their role should be educating children…” As I watched the audience’s reaction to these statements, I saw some heads nodding in agreement but also, several puzzled reactions.
When it was finally my turn to speak, I told everyone to buckle up and get comfortable being uncomfortable. I was going to respectfully and vehemently disagree with Mr. School CFO.
If you are the CFO of a school district, it is absolutely your role and duty to manage your employees’ health plan like a business. This includes having access to claims data, reviewing that data, managing spend, looking at high cost claims, and doing everything a good chief financial officer should do to protect the public fisc.
The apathy and attitude expressed by “Mr. School CFO” were, in fact, the perfect illustration of what is wrong with most employers’ approach their health benefits program.
You may believe this should be government’s problem to solve. You may believe this should be individual consumers’ problem to solve. You may even believe, in your heart of hearts, that you are ill-equipped to make these very serious and financially weighty decisions that impact the lives of thousands in your district.
But, if you take on the role of CFO, you better damn well step up to the plate and start acting like one. You know the price of gas and your transportation costs. You know the price of snow removal and vehicle maintenance. And you know the cost of your utilities and capital maintenance.
Stop writing blank checks with tax payer money and teachers’ wages.
