Denver Public School board reverses decision to drop Kaiser Permanente for health benefits after outcry

The Denver Public School board voted on Tuesday night to extend its agreement with Kaiser Permanente for another year.

DENVER — For teachers and other staff members of the Denver Public School district, they won’t have to worry about finding another doctor or wonder if care will continue after the school board voted to keep Kaiser Permanente as one of its health care plans. 

Kaiser Permanente has had a relationship with Denver Public Schools for 53 years until that was put into jeopardy late last year. 

The health care company sent out an email to DPS employees announcing the district was no longer considering the company for benefits. The announcement prompted employees to contact board members and the district with a flood of emails. 

“DPS chose a process lacking transparency and integrity, leaving employees feeling unsupported and unheard,” said one staff member during public comment at a board meeting earlier this month. 

Another staff member told board members he was going through skin cancer treatment and that changing a health care company would be difficult. 

Even Kaiser Permanente’s president Mike Ramseier took to the microphone during public comment. 

“I’m here tonight because I believe there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the total cost of our health care plan coverage,” Ramseier said. 

A DPS spokesperson said in a lengthy statement to 9NEWS the decision to no longer consider Kaiser  “…was based on general quality….and cost.” 

The district also said Kaiser decided to “improperly influence the decision that had been made during a legal and appropriate process.” 

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association blamed the district’s insurance consultant for providing the district with bad projections on costs. 

“This situation has made clear that the district’s healthcare consultant, Moreton, has been underbudgeting and poorly projecting healthcare costs for years,” the DCTA said in a statement. 

9NEWS reached out to Moreton for a response, but has yet to receive comment. 

A Kaiser spokesperson said in an email, “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving DPS employees and their families, and our focus is on meeting and exceeding the expectations of our patients and the school district. We’d like nothing more than to continue our partnership for many years to come.”