![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/55038508478_0d50e0f95b_o-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nNews Brief<\/p>\n
Thursday, February 5, 2026 \u2014 8:43 am<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Insurer Aetna and the Central Valley\u2019s largest health care provider, Community Medical Centers, reached a contract agreement this week, restoring access for retired educators in the Fresno Unified School District.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Failed contract negotiations disrupted health care coverage in January for retirees 65 and older on the Aetna Medicare Advantage plan, which the district switched to in 2023. Retirees lost access to in-network care with Community Medical Centers.<\/p>\n
A contract agreement between Community Medical and Aetna was one of the few ways to immediately restore full health care access to affected retirees. Until 2023, Fresno Unified funded supplemental insurance that paid for retirees\u2019 health care after their Medicare coverage. In the self-funded model, the district contracted directly with individual providers to cover the remaining costs rather than establishing a network of providers.<\/p>\n
During the disruptions, the district\u2019s health board\u00a0voted to restore the plan option<\/a> that operated between 1976 and 2023.<\/p>\n In 2023, Fresno Unified switched from a self-funded retirement plan to contracting with Aetna through the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan, which has a nationwide network of providers, including Community Medical Centers. Retirees had a choice between the Aetna plan and the Kaiser Medicare Advantage plan, which had always been available.\u00a0<\/p>\n The health board\u2019s restoration of the self-funded model as an option, due to federal requirements, won\u2019t become available until the 2026 open enrollment period and take effect in January 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n Retirees will have the choice of the district\u2019s supplemental insurance plan, similar to what ran until 2023, the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan that contracts with Community Medical Centers and others nationwide, as well as the Kaiser plan.<\/p>\n However, a\u00a0complaint filed by retired educators<\/a> remains pending. The complaint, which Fresno Unified said is baseless, alleges that the school district violated a 2010 court decision that protects retirees\u2019 promised lifetime benefits. Amid disruptions, retirees maintained their benefits, but not as promised or as legally protected, they said.<\/p>\n More News Briefs <\/p>\n \n Thursday, February 5, 2026, 11:19 am <\/p>\n USC selects interim president Beong-Soo Kim to be its next leader<\/a><\/p>\n \n Thursday, February 5, 2026, 10:42 am <\/p>\n San Francisco teachers set to strike Monday if no deal is reached<\/a><\/p>\n \n Thursday, February 5, 2026, 10:24 am <\/p>\n