Tech District Teachers Irate at Dental Plan Switch

CREST HAVEN — Saving money can be like pulling teeth, just ask the county Technical School Board of Education.
The 104-member Cape May County Technical High School Education Association told the district board of education May 20 of its displeasure over the switch to Aetna DMO and PPO from Delta Dental Premium Plan.
Association President Jim McKinley made a presentation at the board’s May 20 meeting. Backing him were some 12 teachers who took time from their day to attend the 1 p.m. meeting.
With a flip chart on an easel, McKinley told the board, which saved $36,000 by the two-year change in dental plan coverage, that the association’s 87 members who reside in Cape May County and 17 who reside elsewhere will be ill-served, since there are just eight participating dentists in the plan locally.
He also noted that for many years, the association’s membership did not have dental coverage. That coverage, via Delta Dental came with the signing of the last contract in 2005.
There are no participating local (within 50 miles) dentists in the Aetna DMO and eight in the PPO plan.
With the price of gas, McKinley noted, it may be advantageous for members who live in southern Cape May County to use dentists in Delaware rather than driving to Bridgeton.
Having the two Aetna options, McKinley said, “It really sounded like a good plan.”
Then, he said, teachers started to do the math. They found there would be not only 125 employees from the district participating, but their families would bring the estimated number of dental users to over 400.
“How can eight offices realistically accept 400 new patients and provide them with the best of care? If cannot be done,” said McKinley.
Tom Myers, field representative for the New Jersey Education Association, said that while the Aetna plan “Is very comparable to Delta on paper, it looks good…two other criteria must be considered.”
One of those was the Aetna’s network “is very small in this county, and most employees live in this county,” Myers said.
Superintendent Robert Matthies said he’d met with McKinley three times about the matter after the board’s April decision.
Board Secretary Paula Smith said the board was aware of Aetna’s scale, and that the district received assurances that “Aetna will pay 90 percent of out of network plan.”
Members would first have to pay for the dental visit, then receive reimbursement from Aetna, something that does not happen with Delta, McKinley said.
The board went into executive session to discuss the matter at the close of the meeting.
Teachers also asked the board to reconsider holding meetings at 1 p.m., a time, which makes it difficult for many parents and association members to participate.
They were told that the meetings were set at the November reorganization, and that change, if any, would have to be done after the next reorganization.
See next Wednesday’s Herald print edition for follow-up on the board’s decision, if any.