Mary Hinson was selected by USA Today as a member of the 2006 USA Today All-USA Teacher Team. She is a former UA/Circle K "Teacher of the Year."

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TUSD is forcing retirees to switch insurance plans

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Tucson Unified School District's discontinuation of retirees' insurance is more than an inconvenience. It is a fiscal nightmare for many. It will conservatively cost me approximately $9,000 annually to make this change. There are 350 of us with similar issues.

The statement by TUSD's benefit's manager in a Star story last week that "switching (retiree) health-care plans is an inconvenience at best" is arrogant and clearly shows that TUSD did not do its homework and compare plan coverages before this change was recommended to the TUSD Governing Board.

I currently buy Aetna Point of Service plan from TUSD for my husband and me. After September 2008, I will be forced to sign up with Pacificare through Arizona State Retirement System. I am thankful, as a cancer survivor, that I can obtain health insurance through them. However, there is no comparison in coverage between the two providers.

Pacificare's premium costs $225 a month more. That is just the tip of the iceberg. There is not a calendar year deductible with Aetna. Pacificare has a $1,000 annual deductible per family. Diagnostic labs, x-rays and scans are covered 100 percent by Aetna. Pacificare covers 80 percent of these costs for the PPO plan; their HMO plan charges $150 per scan and $20 for x-rays. These are a regular part of the life of someone who is in treatment for or who has survived cancer.

Medications are $15 more per prescription under Pacificare. Aetna covers 100 percent of inpatient and outpatient hospitalization expenses. Pacificare members pay 30 percent of these costs if they sign up for HMO coverage and 20 percent if they have PPO coverage. Pacificare's list of additional expenses goes on and on.

TUSD is reneging on its promise to its retirees. We were offered a choice in healthcare plans — insurance through TUSD, coverage by COBRA, or coverage through Arizona State Retirement/Pacificare.

COBRA offered the same coverage as TUSD but its premium was significantly less as coverage was limited to 18 months. Had retirees known that TUSD was going to bail on us, we could have saved thousands of dollars and chosen COBRA as our insurance provider when we initially retired. The 350 of us who chose to sign up with TUSD for our health insurance did so because we were promised the level of health care coverage that current TUSD employees are afforded.

Where is the loyalty to TUSD retirees from the TUSD Board? I was privileged to teach for 32 years. I brought more than $2 million in grants and funding to Catalina Magnet High School and developed many partnerships and programs. These efforts were outside of my job duties. Fellow retirees have given you many and great contributions. We have been faithful TUSD employees.

Why not be proactive instead of reactive? Let us be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. There are 350 of us. We could volunteer one day per year in the central office and help with clerical duties. TUSD could retain the one employee who deals with our health coverage.

Eliminating retirees' insurance coverage is saving the district the salary of one employee — approximately $45,000. Think about what it's costing us.