Missouri – Early Retiree Reinsurance Program
Rising health care costs have made it difficult for employers to provide quality, affordable health insurance for workers and retirees while also remaining competitive in the global marketplace. The percentage of large firms providing workers with retiree health coverage has dropped from 66 percent in 1988 to 29 percent in 2009.1 Health insurance premiums for older Americans are over four times more expensive than they are for young adults,2 and the deductible these enrollees pay is, on average, almost four times that for a typical employer-sponsored insurance plan.3
The Affordable Care Act creates a new program called the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program to help address this challenge that employers and older employees are facing. The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare.
Businesses, other employers, and unions that are accepted into the program will receive reimbursement for medical claims for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. Savings can be used to reduce employer health care costs, provide premium relief to workers and families, or both. Applicants who are approved into the program receive reinsurance for the claims of high-cost retirees and their families (80 percent of the costs from $15,000 to $90,000). The program ends on January 1, 2014 when State health insurance Exchanges are up and running.
HHS has approved the following sponsors from Missouri. More applications are being approved each day.
- ACF Industries LLC
- Ameren Corporation
- American Century Services, LLC.
- Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
- Arch Coal, Inc.
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
- Ash Grove High Cons School Dist 4*
- Automobile Club of Missouri
- Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc.
- Bismarck R-V School District
- Bi-State development Agency of the Missouri-Illinois Metropolitan District d/b/a/ Metro
- BKD, LLP
- Bloomfield R-XIV School District
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Board of Education
- Board of Police Commissioners
- Board of Trustees-Concordia Plans of The Lutheran Church Missouri-SY
- Boone County R-IV School District
- Branson Schools*
- Bricklayers Local 1 of Missouri Welfare Fund
- Buchanan County*
- Carpenters' District Council of Kansas City
- Carrollton R-VII School District
- Carthage R-9 School District
- Cassville RIV School District
- Central R-3 School District
- Centralia School District R-VI
- City of Columbia, Missouri
- City of Independence, MO
- City of Kansas City, Missouri
- City of Lebanon
- City of North Kansas City
- City of Rolla*
- City of Saint Charles Of MO
- City of Springfield MO
- City of St. Joseph
- City of St. Louis
- City of St. Peters, Missouri
- Columbia Public School District
- Community of Christ
- Conservation Employees' Benefit Plan Trust Fund
- County of Lafayette*
- CSD Insurance TR
- Curators of the University of Missouri
- Desoto73
- Diamond R-4 School District
- District Council #3 Painters and Allied Trades Welfare Fund
- Doniphan Reorganized Sch Dist # 1
- EAST NEWTON CO. R-VI SCHOOL DISTRICT
- Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
- Emerson Electric Co.
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
- Ferguson-Florissant School District
- First Community Credit Union
- Fort Osage R-1 School District
- Fort Zumwalt School District
- Francis Howell School District
- Fredericktown R-I School District
- Gainesville R-VSCHL FICA 125
- Government Employees Health Association, Inc.
- Grain Valley R-V School Distri*
- Grandview R-II School District.
- Graphic Communications International Union Local 235 Sickness & Accident
- Graybar Electric Company, Inc.
- Great Plains Energy Incorporated
- Greater St. Louis Construction Laborers' Welfare F
- Greenville RII School District
- Hallmark Cards, Incorporated
- Harrisburg R-VIII School District
- Harrisonville Cass R-IX School District
- Heat and Frost Insulators St. Louis Welfare Fund
- Hiland Dairy Foods Company, LLC
- Hillsboro R-3 School District
- Hillyard Industries, Inc.
- IBEW Local Union No. 124 Health and Welfare Fund
- IBEW, Local 1, Health and Welfare Fund
- Independence School District 30
- Iron Workers of St. Louis District Council Welfare Plan
- Jefferson City School District
- Junior College District of Metropolitan
- Kansas City Area Transportation ATA Transit Co
- Kingston K-14 School District
- Kirkwood School District R-7
- Laclede Gas Company
- Liberty Public School District #53
- Lindbergh School District (public school district)
- Malden R-I School District
- Marquand Zion School District R VI
- Maryville University of St. Louis
- McDonald County Reorg School District R-1
- Meadow Heights R-II School District
- Mehlville R-9 School District
- Mexico Public Schools
- MFA Oil Company
- MILLER SCHOOL DISTRICT R-II
- Mineral Area College
- Mississippi Lime Company
- Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan
- Missouri Farm Bureau Services, Inc.*
- Missouri Highway and Transportation Department
- Missouri State University
- Missouri Western State University
- Mo-Kan Iron Workers Welfare Fund
- Mo-Kan Sheet Metal Workers:Welfare Fund
- Mo-Kan Teamsters Health and Welfare Fund
- Neosho R-5 School District
- Nevada R-5 School District
- NIXA R-II Schools
- North Callaway R-I School District
- North County School District R 1
- Northeast Reorganized School District
- Northwest Missouri State University
- Northwest R-I School District
- Oak Ridge Reorganized School Dist 6
- Odessa R-VII School District
- Olin Corporation
- Operating Engineers Local 101 Health and Welfare Plan
- Operating Engineers Local No 148 Health & Welfare Trust
- Ozark R-VI School District
- Paris Board of Education
- Park Hill School District
- Parkway School District
- Patriot Coal Corporation
- Pipefitters Local No. 533 Health and Welfare Fund
- Plumbers & Pipefitters Welfare Educational Fund
- Plumbers Local No. 8 Health and Welfare Plan
- Potosi R-3 School District
- Reeds Spring RIV School District
- Reorganized School Dist 2
- Reorganized School District 1
- Rockwood School District
- Rolla Public Schools
- Saint Louis University
- School Dist 124
- School Dist 4 Reorganized
- School Dist 7 Reorganized
- School Dist C12 West Plains*
- School Dist Mt. Vernon
- School Dist. 12 Reorganize
- School District 1, Norwood
- School District 74 North Kansas City
- School District of Valley Park
- School District of Clayton
- School District of Joplin R-VIII
- School District of the City of Ladue
- School District R2 Liberal*
- School District R-3 Camdenton
- School District R3 Pleasant Hill
- School District Rt 2 Lathrop
- Scott County R-IV School District
- Sedalia School District #200
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 Welfare Fund
- Shelby County R-IV School District
- Sigma-Aldrich Corporation
- Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation
- SOLAE, LLC
- Solutia Inc.
- South Callaway R-2 School Distric
- South Callaway R-2 School District*
- Southeast Missouri Hospital Association*
- Southeast Missouri State University
- Special School District of St. Louis County
- St Louis Metropolitan Police Department
- St. Charles Community College
- St. Charles Public Schools
- St. James R-1 School District
- St. Louis Area Insurance Trust
- St. Louis Board of Education
- St. Louis Graphic Arts Joint Health & Welfare Fund
- STE Genevieve Pub School District R2*
- Stewartsville C-2 Consolidated School District*
- Sturgeon R-V School District
- Summersville RII Schools
- Teamsters & Employers Welfare Trust of Illinois
- Teamsters Medicare Trust for Retired Employees
- Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
- Trustees of Carpenters' Health and Welfare Trust Fund of St. Louis
- Trustees of Dist. No. 9 Intl Assoc of Machinists Welfare Trust
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 Welfare Fund
- University City School District
- University of Central Missouri
- University Physician Associates
- Warrensburg R-VI School District Foundation Inc
- Webb City R-VII School District
- Welfare Fund of Engineers Local 513
- West St. Francois County R-IV School District
- Westran School District R-1*
- Wheaton R3 Schools
- Willard R-II School District
- William Jewell College
- WireCo WorldGroup Inc.
- Woodland School District
*New program participants as of May 24, 2011. List to be updated monthly.
[1] Kaiser / HRET. Employer Health Benefits: 2009 Survey.
[2] Center for Policy and Research. Individual Health Insurance 2009.
[3] Kaiser Family Foundation. 2010. Survey of People Who Purchase Their Own Insurance.