I’m going to shift the theme of this issue a bit, from Savour Summer to Savour Our Insurance Plan.
I am not going to talk about the plan itself but rather how it functions.
Our plan is RTOERO insurance. Many think it’s Johnson insurance; it’s not. RTOERO hires Johnson to advise us and to administer our plan. This is an important distinction: Our plan is run by members for members. A committee of 10 RTOERO members decides what will be covered on the plan and at what cost. These decisions are made based on requests from members and data from our consultants with respect to current and future costs.
The members who take on this task are dedicated people. They must take and pass, with at least a 70 per cent average, a five-part course offered by Dalhousie University. The committee meets five times a year for a day and a half, plus members may potentially serve on ad hoc committees and assist with the annual workshop for your district benefit representatives. Continued training and updating occurs regularly throughout the year.
When making decisions, the two primary considerations are always the needs of members and the financial stability of the plan. The committee would like to approve all requests from members, but before any decision is made, it must determine the long-term financial implications.
This team of RTOERO members, just like you, retired from the education community, and they have the same concerns that many of you do. They are an amazing group of committed people who have the best interests of you and RTOERO always at the top of their minds. Thank you, current members and past members, for guiding our insurance plan forward and ensuring that our health needs are well covered.
Here’s to peace of mind — and that is worth savouring!
Martha
