UNM faculty union fights 13% health insurance hike

The faculty union at the University of New Mexico is pushing back against an upcoming 13.1% increase in their monthly health insurance premiums, which they say will burden employees with extra costs.

The union is calling on UNM to reverse course on the rate hikes, citing affordability concerns. The higher premiums will eat into any raises UNM employees will get for the next school year, said Jennifer Jordan, incoming faculty union secretary.

"I have one kid going into college, one kid going into high school, and I'm a single mom, and I pay for their insurance," said Jordan, an assistant professor and librarian at UNM. "Having less in my paycheck would definitely be a hardship."

Union leaders say they want the university to cover 80% of their insurance cost, putting them on par with other state employees. UNM currently covers 60% to 80% of employee health insurance premiums depending on salary.

Other state workers get 80% of their health insurance premiums covered by their employers under New Mexico law and are responsible for paying the remaining 20%. The state Legislature voted to include K-12 school employees in the 80/20 split starting next school year, though the new policy does not apply to university employees, faculty union secretary Jessica Goodkind said.

"We really would have liked to have been included in that legislation, but we were not," said Goodkind, a professor in the sociology department.

UNM spokesperson Ben Cloutier said the university is raising insurance premiums to account for significant nationwide rate hikes.

"These cost challenges affect all UNM employees — faculty and staff alike," Cloutier said. "We remain in ongoing dialogue with the faculty union and are committed to maintaining a strong benefits package for everyone who works at UNM, while also safeguarding the university's long-term fiscal health."

The costs for UNM's contribution to employee health insurance will also go up 13.1%, an increase of nearly $9 million, university officials said.

The Legislature has allocated a 1% raise for public employees next fiscal year, which Goodkind says is not likely to make up for the money employees will lose on higher insurance premiums. Negotiations between the union and the university for next year's contract are still ongoing.

According to a union survey, about a third of full-time faculty — 270 employees — will end up earning less next year than they did this year due to the rate hikes, she said.

According to UNM's benefits calculator, a faculty member earning $90,000 annually pays $319.45 a month for an individual plan under UNM LoboHealth, a BlueCross BlueShield plan that holders can use at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The university would cover the remaining $479.18 monthly cost.

This cost is set to rise to $361.30 monthly for a single person next school year. The university will pay $541.95.

For an adult with children earning $90,000, the price for a UNM LoboHealth plan without dental or vision coverage will rise from $591.63 a month to $669.13.

"I'm going to do better than a lot of people, because I only insure myself," Goodkind said. "The people that are the worst off are people who insure multiple members of their family."

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.