LETTER: Trust information requires clarification

To the Editor:

I want to respond to a letter to the editor by Mr. Christopher Parent that makes inaccurate statements regarding the WEA Trust.

Here are the facts:

The WEA Trust never had a “stranglehold on the taxpayers” of Wisconsin, as Mr. Parent claims. We have only insured roughly one-third of all public school employees in the state and that has been consistent throughout the years. Many of the largest school districts, like Milwaukee, Madison and Racine, have never been insured by the trust.

School districts were never “forced to” purchase WEA Trust insurance. It is common for the trust to win or lose business; it is the nature of Wisconsin’s competitive insurance market.

Many school districts in the state have chosen to join or retain the trust because of our competitive pricing and strong reputation for customer service. For example, after a competitive bidding process, the Marshfield School District chose to switch to the WEA Trust from their previous provider. This switch saved the district $850,000. For more examples of districts saving with the trust, visit weatrust.com/districts-save.

WEA Trust is also a major provider for the State of Wisconsin Health Plan and is offered in 49 counties. In all of the counties where we participate, the Trust is considered a Tier One option. To be placed in Tier One, the trust must be one of the most competitively priced and efficient provider options in the State Health Plan (verify at etf.wi.gov). This pricing is consistent with the plans that we offer to school districts.

Mr. Parent states in his letter that he was “shocked to see the amount of misinformation spread.” To his first point, we agree. I encourage Mr. Parent and others to visit weatrust.com/facts, or other credible sources I referenced to end the “spread of misinformation.”

Steve Lyons

Director of Public Affairs, WEA Trust

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion