Op-Ed: How special interests brought school health plan to brink

An op-ed argues New Jersey’s School Employees’ Health Benefits Program is heading toward instability unless state action addresses both premium increases and a worsening “death spiral” created by adverse selection. The author says Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration warned last week that the plan may not be available next year unless a 34% rate increase for active workers is approved at the Sept. 28 meeting. The governing commission, split evenly between labor and management, has deadlocked multiple times. The piece attributes the financial crisis to healthier districts opting out, leaving a sicker pool that raises premiums and pushes more districts to leave. Aon forecasts enrollment declines of 5% in 2024, 8% in 2025, and 18% in 2026.