M.E.S.S.A. TO BISHOP: WE ARE COMPLYING WITH LAW
Responding to a letter from Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) questioning whether the Michigan Education Special Services Administration was complying with requirements to release health insurance data, the executive director of the organization said it was fully complying with the requirements of PA 106, 2007. The law sets specific time frames for the organization to act, MESSA Executive Director Cynthia Irwin said in a letter responding to Mr. Bishop, and under those time frames MESSA will release health information data to individual districts beginning next month.
MESSA moved as quickly as it could and in conformity with the law but it had never kept data by specific districts, Ms. Irwin said, but by regions.
Ms. Irwin's response of last Friday was to a letter sent her on March 5 by Mr. Bishop that was also signed by Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland) and Sen. Mark Jansen (R-Gaines Twp.). The letter repeated criticisms raised by school districts and others that they had not gotten health care information as required by the new law.
The measure was a major accomplishment of the Republican agenda during 2007, with supporters of the act saying it would help lead to significant cost savings by school districts in future years.
In their letter to Ms. Irwin, Messrs. Bishop, Jansen and Kuipers said they understood that MESSA had vigorously opposed the bill. "But we also understand that the public entities that pay for the insurance for their employees should have a right to see the de-identified aggregated claims data. The debate over the law is finished. It is time for MESSA to fully comply and release the claims data to school districts that have requested the information."
MESSA did oppose the bill, Ms. Irwin said, but the organization is complying with the law. Because the measure will force MESSA to change its community rating system it may actually force smaller school districts to pay more for insurance, she said.
MESSA had hired a firm to help structure the data so it could be split out by districts by last December 1 as it was required, Ms. Irwin said.
In terms of when the data is being distributed to the school districts, the act requires that it has to be based on a 36-month period that ends 120 days before the renewal date for the locality, Ms. Irwin said. Since most districts renew on a July 1 basis, that 120-day period before is during this month, she said, and therefore the data will start to become available in April.
"Although the act is specific about the calculation of a 'relevant period,' it doesn't precisely state when the data release must be completed. We have assumed that the data release should be accomplished within a reasonable timeframe after the close of the 'relevant period,'" Ms. Irwin said.
