Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Boston Globe: "Mass. municipalities & school districts hit hard by rising health insurance costs"

"Escalating health insurance costs turned into a budget nightmare this academic year for Pioneer Valley Regional School District Superintendent Patricia Kinsella. Between July and October, her district got hit with two double-digit increases, totaling nearly 40 percent.

Boston Globe: "Mass. municipalities & school districts hit hard by rising health insurance costs"
Boston Globe: "Mass. municipalities & school districts
 hit hard by rising health insurance costs"
The double whammy forced the district to lay off a librarian and eliminate three vacant positions. Paychecks for teachers and other employees who earn below statewide averages also shrank as they shouldered their portion of the premium increases.

“These were heartbreaking cuts to make,” Kinsella said. “None of us felt good about it.”

Across Massachusetts, school districts and municipalities are grappling with hefty health insurance increases, typically between 10 and 20 percent, and sometimes even more. The higher costs are pushing up annual health insurance spending by hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars."

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