TRS-Care, the state-run health insurance for retired Texas educators, saw significant changes to its plan structure and premium rates in 2017. The changes occurred in both the Texas Legislature’s regular session and the following 30-day special session. For many retirees, these changes included an increase in premium costs to ensure the health care program stayed solvent.
Many retirees have been contacting the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) about the TRS-Care premium charges for the month of December 2017. The charges that have been applied to retirees are for that month, which was the older reduced rate. The charges that will occur at the end of January 2018 will reflect the new, higher rate. These changes will be visible to retirees in the monthly annuity statement.