Wisconsin – 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 Wisconsin. More applications are being approved each day.
- Alaska Carpenters Health & Welfare Trust Fund
- Appleton Papers Inc.
- Ashwaubenon School District*
- Aurora Health Care, Inc.
- Barron Area School District
- Bay Area Medical Center
- Bemis Company, Inc
- Bemis Manufacturing Company
- Board of Education - JT School District 3 North Crawford School District
- Board of Education Office of Supt*
- Board of School Directors - Milwaukee Public Schools
- Board of Trustees - Milwaukee Painters Local Union No 781 Health Fund
- Board of Trustees - Wisconsin Laborers Health Fund
- BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF PLUMBERS LOCAL 75 HEALTH FUND
- BOT OF LOCAL UNIONS NO. 19 & 127 HEALTH & WELFARE
- BOT OF THE WISCONSIN PIPE TRADES HEALTH FUND
- Bradley Corporation
- Briggs & Stratton Corporation
- Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group, LLC
- Brillion Iron Works, Inc
- Broadway Enterprises, Inc.
- Brown County
- Calumet County
- Case New Holland Inc.
- Church Mutual Insurance Company
- City of Antigo
- City of Appleton
- City of Beloit
- City of DePere
- City of Eau Claire*
- City of Green Bay
- City of Janesville
- City of La Crosse
- City of Milwaukee
- City of Neenah
- City of New London
- City of Oak Creek
- City of Oshkosh Wisconsin
- CITY OF PLATTEVILLE
- City of Prairie du Chien*
- City of Racine
- City of Rice Lake
- City of Sheboygan
- City of Superior
- City of Waukesha
- City of Wausau
- City of Wauwatosa
- City of West Allis
- City of Wisconsin Rapids
- Cooperative Educational Service Agency No. 6
- COUNTY OF ADAMS
- County of Dane
- County of La Crosse
- County of Marinette
- County of Milwaukee
- County of Outagamie
- County of Rock
- County of Walworth
- County of Waukesha
- County of Waupaca
- CUNA Mutual Insurance Society
- D.C. Everest Area School District
- Darlington Community School District
- Dean Health Systems, Inc.
- Deerfield Community Schools
- DeForest Area School District
- DEMCO, Inc.
- Diversey
- E. C. Styberg Engineering Co., Inc.
- Electrical Construction Industry Health and Welfare Plan
- Evansville Community School District
- Foley & Lardner, LLP
- Fond du Lac County
- Fox Valley Sheet Metal Health Plan
- Fox Valley Technical College
- Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity HealthCare Advisory Svc In*
- Gehl Company
- Grant County WI
- Grant County Wl
- Great Northern Corporation
- Green Bay Area Public School District
- Green Bay Packaging Inc.
- Gundersen Lutheran Administrative Services, Inc.
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, LLC
- Heritage Credit Union
- HG Weber and Company, Inc.
- Highland School District
- Hortonville Area School District
- InSinkErator Division Emerson Electric Co
- Iron Workers Local No 8 Welfare Fund
- Ironworkers Local 383 Health Care Plan
- Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Joint School District No 2*
- Jones Dairy Farm
- Journal Communications, Inc.
- JT School Dist No 1 Elkhart Lake
- Kenosha Building & Construction Trades Welfare Fund
- Kenosha Joint Services
- Kewaunee County
- Kimberly Area School District
- Kimberly-Clark Corporation
- Kohler Co.
- Ladish Company
- Lake Mills Area School District
- Lincoln County*
- Madison Area Construction Employees Trust - Health & Welfare
- Madison Area Technical College
- Madison Gas and Electric Company
- Manitowoc County
- Manitowoc Public Utilites*
- Manpower Inc
- Marathon County
- Marinette Public School District
- Marshall & llsley Corporation
- Master Lock Company
- Menomonie Area School District
- Mercy Health System Corporation
- Meriter Health Services
- Merrill Area Public Schools
- MGS Mfg Group Inc
- Middletown Works Hourly and Salaried Union Retirees Health Care Fund
- Mid-State Technical College District
- Milwaukee Area Technical College
- Milwaukee Carpenters District Council Health Fund
- Milwaukee Drivers Health & Welfare Trust Fund
- Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
- Milwaukee Roofers Health Fund
- Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc.
- Mosinee Schools
- Mukwonago Area School District
- Nashotah-Delafield Joint No. 1
- Neenah Joint School District
- New Glarus School District*
- North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters' Health Fund
- Northcentral Technical College
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
- Northern School District Trust (N.S.D.T.)
- Operating Engineers Local 169 Health Benefit Fund
- Oregon School District
- Parkview School District *
- Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 400 and MCA of North America
- Polk County - Dept of Administration
- Portage Community Schools
- ProHealth Care, Inc.
- Racine County
- Racine Unified School District
- Rexnord LLC
- Richardson Industries, Inc.
- Riverdale High School With Grades Below
- Rockwell Automation, Inc.
- S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc
- SCA Tissue North America
- School District of Beloit, Wisconsin
- School District of Brodhead
- School District of Crandon
- School District of Elmbrook
- School District of Grantsburg
- School District of Greenfield
- School District of Greenwood
- School District of Juda
- School District of Kettle Moraine
- School District of Lake Holcombe
- School District of Marshfield
- School District of Milton
- School District of Monticello*
- School District of Neillsville
- School District of New Richmond,WI
- School District of Poynette
- School District of Prescott
- School District of Rhinelander
- School District of South Milwaukee
- Sentry Insurance a Mutual Company (EIN: 39-0333950)
- Sheboygan Area School District
- Sheboygan County
- Snap-on Incorporated
- Southwestern Wisconsin Community School District
- Sparta Area School District
- St. Croix Regional Medical Center
- St. Marys Dean Ventures, Inc.
- Stevens Point Area Public Schools
- Strattec Security Corporation
- Sun Prairie Area School District
- The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
- The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
- The School District of Maple
- The Vollrath Company, LLC
- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
- ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, Inc.
- Unified School District of Antigo
- Verona Area School District
- Viroqua Area School District
- WAICU Benefits Consortium, Inc
- Washington County
- Watertown Unified School District
- Waukesha County Area Technical College District
- Waunakee Community School District
- Wausau Paper Corp.
- Wausau School District
- Waushara County Government
- Webcrafters, Inc.
- WELS Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association
- West Bend Joint School District #1
- West Bend Mutual Insurance Company
- Western Technical College
- Winnebago County
- Wipfli LLP
- Wisconsin Education Association Insurance Trust
- Wisconsin Electric Power Company
- Wisconsin Electrical Employees' Benefits Funds LLC
- Wisconsin Energy Corporation
- Wisconsin Health Fund
- Wisconsin Masons Health Care Fund
- Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools
- Wisconsin Retirement System
- Wisconsin Sheet Metal
- Wood County
*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.