Grand Prairie Independent School District

Medical Plan Employee Benefits RFP #14-16

Proposal Deadline: April 10, 2015, 10:00 AM

Table of Contents

  1. General ConditionsPage 3
  2. Current ConditionsPage 5
  3. General Carrier RequirementsPage 6
  4. Requested Benefit Plan DesignsPage 7
  5. QuestionnairePage 8
  6. Insurance Company Contact InfoPage 9
  7. Evaluation CriteriaPage 10

General Conditions

Grand Prairie ISD is requesting proposals for the following insurance contracts:

Fully Insured Employee and Dependent Medical Insurance

The plan effective date will be 9/1/15 and quoted rates must be firm for that date. Proposals will be accepted until 10:00 AM April 10, 2015.

Proposals will be received by Grand Prairie ISD Purchasing department at:

Sherry Ellis

Grand Prairie ISD

2602 S. Beltline Road

Grand Prairie, TX 75053

All Proposals must be plainly marked on the outside of the sealed envelope as follows:

Medical Employee Benefits RFP #14-16

  1. Please provide two (2) copies of your response along with an electronic copy of your response – the electronic copy needs to be in the form of a flash drive.
  2. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to accept any proposal deemed to be in the best interest of GPISD and to waive any formalities in the proposal process. The District is not required to select the proposal with the lowest cost, but shall take into consideration other relevant factors such as the ability to service the contract, past experience, financial stability, terms offered and other criteria. The District reserves the right to select any proposal deemed advantageous to the District at their sole discretion. The District reserves the right to waive or alter or negotiate any terms contained in this RFP if in the view of the District it is in their interest to do so.
  3. The term of the contract shall be for not less than 12 months, subject to early termination as provided by law and the terms of the contract. In addition, unless otherwise specified in the proposal, the award of this proposal shall include a the option of the District and contingent upon agreement by both parties to any change in costs or benefits, to renew and extend this contract on a year to year basis as may be permitted by applicable law and board policy; provided that the maximum term of the contract and all renewals thereof shall not be more than three years before this contract must again be offered for request for proposals.
  4. Grand Prairie ISD does not guarantee or warrant the final enrollment for any insurance product.
  5. Companies must propose all of the requested benefit plans on a fully insured basis.
  6. Alamo Insurance Group has been engaged by GPISD to assist in marketing their medical coverage. As such, Alamo Insurance Group has worked with the District to develop this RFP in accordance with the Districts goals and objectives. Alamo Insurance Group will assist the District in evaluating all proposals.
  7. GPISD reserves the right to return to the top candidates to request a best and final proposal based on one or more components of the original proposal. GPISD reserves right to negotiate certain terms and conditions with the top candidates.
  8. Contact by proposers or their representatives to any GPISD board member of staff involved in the RFP process is strictly prohibited and could result in disqualification of the proposal.
  9. Alamo Insurance Group will be compensated by GPISD on a fee for service basis only. Please delete any commissions from you proposed rates including any bonus arrangements. Proposals with commissions or bonuses paid to any agent/broker will not be considered.Responses from agents/brokers are not requested at this time.
  10. Questions may be addressed to: Sherry Ellis, Purchasing Director, at – All questions (in writing only) are due by March 27, 2015 by 10:00 a.m. CST. No questions will be answered after that date.
  11. This document is being provided in a Word format. All answers to questions should be included within this document. Reference documents may be attached and noted.

Current Conditions

  1. Grand Prairie ISD currently offers the following Medical plans on a fully insured basis through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas:
  • High Plan
  • Mid Plan
  • Low Plan
  • HDHP (HSA Plan)
  • Hospital Indemnity Plan
  1. A census with current enrollment in the current plans is attached.
  2. Claims experience for all current plans is attached.
  3. Current Benefit Plan Summaries are attached.
  4. Eligible employees must work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
  5. The District contribution to the medical plan is $301 per eligible employee regardless of which plan the employee elects. All dependent cost is borne by the employee.

General Carrier Requirements

  1. All companies must be licensed in the state of Texas.
  2. All insurance companies must have an AM Best rating of A- or better. Please provide the Best's rating for each company quoted.
  3. All rates must be guaranteed for a minimum of 12 months from the effective date.
  4. Renewal rates must be provided no later than 120 days before the anniversary date each year or in response to an RFP.
  5. The selected company will be responsible for all claims incurred on or after 9/1/15. It is imperative that any exclusion, limitation or other deviation be clearly outlined and discussed.
  6. If proposed contracts are to replace existing contracts of the same type, the new contract must assume the current policy benefit structure and provide a "no loss/no gain" assumption of risk, and give credit for all annual deductibles and out of pocket amounts
  7. All companies must provide a single point of contact for inquiries and problem resolution to the plan participants, District HR staff and their agent.
  8. Sample contracts must be provided for all plans quoted.
  9. All companies must have the ability to receive electronic eligibility feeds from the Districts selected Benefits Enrollment System.
  10. All companies must provide sufficient staff to assist with open enrollment meetings.
  11. All companies must mail ID cards and policy information directly to the participant’s home.
  12. All companies must provide detailed claims experience upon request to both the District and their consultant not less than monthly.
  13. All companies must provide three (3) references of Texas Public Entities to include:

Group Name

Contact Person

Phone Number

Address

Number of eligible employees

Requested Benefit Plan Designs

  1. Please provide benefits matching the current plan designs as closely as possible. In addition the District is interested in your best thinking with regard to plan design, networks, ACO’s or other strategies that will contain cost long term. Please provide alternate proposals that meet these criteria.
  2. Please provided a fully insured option for all plan designs proposed.
  3. Please provide a Hospital Indemnity Benefit (HIB) plan matching the in force plan for those employees not electing a comprehensive minimum value health plan. The rate for the HIB plan should be the District contribution amount of $301.

Questionnaire

  1. Will you accept eligibility via electronic file feeds?
  2. What standard claim reports will be provided, and at what frequency will they be provided to the District and their consultant? Please provide samples.
  3. What is the pooling point in your renewal underwriting process?
  4. What is the current trend used in underwriting for medical and pharmacy?
  5. What PPO network are you proposing?
  6. Is this your broadest network or a “high performance” network?
  7. What is the premium differential for using your “high performance” network”
  8. What claims management processes are unique to your company, and how will they contain cost for the District?
  9. Please provide a geo access report for all employees based on the employee zip codes provided in the census.
  10. Please provide documentation with regard to network savings and discounts.
  11. Please describe in detail any wellness program you offer to the District at no additional cost.
  12. Please provide a detailed description of assistance that can be provided to the District for the purpose of implementing wellness initiatives.
  13. Currently BCBS provides a full time on site wellness coordinator to work with the District.

Insurance Company Contact Information

  1. Insurance Company Name:
  1. Contact Person:
  1. Contact Person Telephone Number:
  1. Contact Person E-Mail Address:
  1. Contact Person Mailing Address:

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Comprehensiveness of benefit offerings.
  2. Initial proposed price.
  3. References.
  4. Experience integrating with the Districts selected enrollment system.
  5. Ability to service the contract.

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