Denver Public Schools Extends Contract with Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Thousands of Denver Public Schools employees and their families can breathe a sigh of relief as the Board of Education voted to extend the district’s contract with Kaiser Permanente Colorado, ensuring they can keep their doctors for another year.
The decision to extend the contract comes after DPS leaders initially recommended dropping Kaiser as one of the providers available to employees for health insurance. Under the proposed plan, staff would have had to choose between MotivHealth Insurance Company or UnitedHealthcare.
However, Superintendent Alex Marrero’s handling of the bidding process raised concerns among school board members, leading to an outside investigation and the district’s human resources director being placed on leave.
While the decision to extend Kaiser’s contract was welcomed by the insurer, the bidding process for insurers will need to be reopened later this year. The extension was requested by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, which criticized the district’s handling of the process.
Director John Youngquist questioned Marrero’s lack of recommendation on how to proceed with health coverage, highlighting the operational issue at hand.
Despite some dissent, the majority of the board voted in favor of extending Kaiser’s coverage, emphasizing the importance of maintaining continuity for DPS employees and their families.
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