OLYMPIA — A measure intended to streamline and standardize health insurance for Washington’s public school employees has proved to be among the most opaque and divisive issues taken up by the Legislature this year.
The bill would move over 100,000 school employees and their family members from a system where more than 1,000 bargaining units in 295 school districts negotiate the workers’ share of premiums to one where a single state board with both union and management representation does so.
Gov. Chris Gregoire confirmed Friday that the measure is among those in play in special-session budget negotiations, but declined to discuss her position on it.
The proposed system would be run by the state’s Health Care Authority, which oversees the Public Employees Benefits Board that covers upward of 200,000 state employees and their dependents.