{"id":147059,"date":"2026-01-24T00:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T00:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/147059\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T00:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T00:16:10","slug":"fresno-unified-retirees-allege-elder-abuse-via-health-care-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/147059\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno Unified Retirees Allege Elder Abuse Via Health Care Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresno Unified retirees filed a formal letter of demand Thursday against the district and School Board, alleging elder abuse and opposing the imposition of the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main concern is that without their consent, the retirees and their beneficiaries had their medical coverage switched to an Aetna Advantage plan that doesn\u2019t constitute the lifetime medical coverage that retirees and their beneficiaries have been entitled to,\u201d attorney Kevin Little said.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the Joint Health Management Board \u2014 comprised of union representatives and district staff \u2014 placed retirees on Aetna\u2019s Medicare Advantage plan. The for-profit provider caused retirees to \u201c(Experience) systematic harm documented through testimony, patient interviews, and provider communications,\u201d the document states.<\/p>\n

Prior to the advantage plan, retirees had Medicare as their primary insurance and a district provided secondary plan. And on Jan. 16 of this year, JHMB voted to allow that option to return.<\/p>\n

The problem: The plan doesn\u2019t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201c(People need) this issue to be rectified immediately, not a year from now,\u201d Little said.<\/p>\n

A group of retirees has been advocating for this plan since the district removed it as an option. And concerns amplified when contract disputes between Atena and Community Medical Centers caused thousands to be cut off from care offered through the region\u2019s largest medical provider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recently received the complaint, so we are still in the initial review process. However, it\u2019s our policy not to discuss items involving potential litigation,\u201d a Fresno Unified spokesperson said in a statement to GV Wire.<\/p>\n

The group submitted an additional claim \u201cletting (the district) know that if this issue is not resolved to our satisfaction that we fully intend on filing suit,\u201d Little said.<\/p>\n

Related Story: Fresno Unified Retirees Healthcare Demands Are Met \u2014 for Now<\/a><\/p>\n

Demand Letter Alleges \u2018Elder Abuse\u2019<\/p>\n

The letter, filed on behalf of approximately 6,200 retirees and beneficiaries, details \u201celder abuse and civil rights violations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very disappointed in Community for taking access away from our retirees who need it so desperately.\u201d \u2014 Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup<\/p>\n

\u201cThe district\u2019s conduct \u2014 knowing or reasonably should have known that network disruptions, prior authorization denials, and plan opacity would disproportionately harm the oldest, most vulnerable retirees\u2014constitutes systematic elder abuse,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n

Aetna Advantage Plan caused retirees \u201csystemic harm\u201d through its cancelation of medical appointments for cancer care, lung transplant, and specialty care patients, documents say.<\/p>\n

And now, there is uncertainty surrounding retirees\u2019 access to care offered through Community and its medical partners. A significant portion of retirees rely on Community specialists and cannot switch providers mid-treatment, retirees say.<\/p>\n

And those who suffer from cognitive decline or do not have family advocates cannot navigate the appeals process Aetna\u00a0requires.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the temporary agreement between the district and Community, allowing care through Feb. 20 is \u201ccreating ongoing uncertainty for retirees and providers alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup\u2019s first priority is getting this care back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a pathetic response from Community. It\u2019s not system wide,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the tiniest concession that they could give. And I\u2019m very disappointed in Community for taking access away from our retirees who need it so desperately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calls to all other trustees were not returned.<\/p>\n

However, the letter points to \u201cnetwork instability\u201d and \u201crestricted provider networks\u201d as the origin of these issues.<\/p>\n

Retirees have incurred massive injury due to the coverage, according to Emily Brandt, a retired English teacher. And she feels some district leaders have been \u201cinsensitive to issues\u201d and have a gap in understanding regarding what life is like for older retirees.<\/p>\n

Related Story: Thousands of Fresno Unified Retirees Cut Off From Health Care<\/a><\/p>\n

Retirees Cite Previous Lawsuit in Demands<\/p>\n

The demand letter cites a 2010 court decision, which found that Fresno Unified violated the promise of lifetime benefits offered to employees and demanded the district \u201crestore the benefit\u00a0and make retirees whole for their losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresno Unified violated this ruling and once again stripped retirees of lifetime benefits, according to the letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe promised lifetime health benefits constitute vested deferred compensation that cannot be impaired without legal justification or additional consideration. The Medicare Advantage Plan substitution provides neither,\u201d documents state.<\/p>\n

Fresno Unified committed to paying for retiree health care beginning in a 1977 bargaining agreement, according to the original lawsuit. In return, employees forwent salary increases.<\/p>\n

The district altered that benefit in 2005 after negotiating with employee unions \u2014 reducing health-care liability.<\/p>\n

After, the district began requiring retirees to pay for benefits to help close a health-care funding gap. But retirees, who were guaranteed free health care, accused the district of breaking its promise.<\/p>\n

The ruling required the district to reinstate the free benefits policy and repay \u2014 with interest \u2014 contributions made by retirees since 2005. The district agreed to extend the date of the judgment to include all those who retired before Sept. 1, 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our contention that there\u2019s no lawful reason to treat post-2006 retirees differently,\u201d Little said. \u201cPretty much everyone who is being impacted by this was associated or employed by the district in 2006\u2026 We believe there\u2019s no lawful justification to interrupt the vested rights of these beneficiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Story: Fresno Unified, Teachers Union Say Community Using Retirees as …<\/a><\/p>\n

Aetna Doesn\u2019t Meet Lifetime Benefits, Letter Claims<\/p>\n

The letter asserts that the health care coverage offered to retirees does not qualify as \u201clifetime benefits,\u201d which the district promised retirees.<\/p>\n

Fresno Unified will pay about $530 per member, increasing expenses by 85%, according to School Board documents. Expenses will increase by 11.7% in 2027.<\/p>\n

Currently, Aetna\u2019s Medicare Advantage PPO and Kaiser Senior Advantage HMO are the only options of retirees ages 65+. The School Board approved the continuation of a contract between the district and Aetna in December.<\/p>\n

Fresno Unified will pay about $530 per member, increasing expenses by 85%, according to School Board documents. Expenses will increase by 11.7% in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe district\u2019s continued characterization of Aetna Medicare Advantage and Kaiser Senior Advantage as \u201clifetime benefits\u201d is legally and factually false,\u201d documents state. \u201cOnly original Medicare, as a federal program existing permanently through statute, qualifies as a true lifetime benefit within the meaning of the 2010 court ruling and the district\u2019s historic promises. For-profit managed care products can be modified, terminated, or narrowed by contract at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, JHMB imposed Aetna Medicare Advantage on retirees without consent, consultation, or legal justification, the document alleges.<\/p>\n

However, JHMB asserts it did communicate with retirees. The board met with FURA three times prior to the 2023 decision, Fresno Unified CFO Patrick Jenson previously told GV Wire.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the retirees group sent their own letter of demand to the district\u2014 threatening litigation if retirees could not access the previous Medicare plan.<\/p>\n

The district requested specific examples of individuals that were experiencing coverage issues, but FURA never responded, according to Jensen. GV Wire\u2019s submitted a public records request for these communications on Jan. 9 but have not received them.<\/p>\n

\u201cA structure intended to \u2018embody core union values: transparency, democratic representation, informed consent,\u00a0 and accountability to the members whose lives are affected\u2019 instead evolved into a decision-making apparatus that made changes of extraordinary permanence with minimal engagement of members or retirees,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresno Unified retirees filed a formal letter of demand Thursday against the district and School Board, alleging elder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[93,112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-147059","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-featured","9":"tag-fresno","10":"tag-fresno-headlines","11":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}