Teacher’s advocacy will lead to major change in dependent medical, dental, vision benefits

Many young adults statewide will gain millions of dollars more worth of medical, drug, dental and vision coverage as a result of the advocacy of an Oʻahu teacher.

Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui, Jr. brought the teacher’s concern to the Hawaiʻi Employer-Union Hawaii Benefits Trust Fund, known as EUTF, where Tui and fellow fund trustees approved a key policy change Tuesday.

Starting in July, dependents of state and county employees and retirees who are between the ages of 19 and 26 will no longer have to be full-time students to be covered under EUTF for medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage.

Currently, the EUTF requires dependents of state and county employees and retirees who are between the ages of 19 and 24 to be full-time students to be covered under EUTF dental and vision coverage. For medical and prescription drug coverage, dependents of actively employed EUTF members are covered up to age 26 while dependents of retired EUTF members are covered between the ages of 19 and 24 and must be full-time students.

The charts below summarize the changes.

Earlier this year, Shannon Hill, a fifth grade teacher at Iroquois Point Elementary, emailed HSTA raising concerns about the coverage mismatch and Tui took up his cause, asking him to write to EUTF and he requested the board review its current dependent coverage policy.

In emailed testimony to the EUTF, Hill wrote, “As a teacher, union member, and recently single/solo parent, I was dismayed to learn from EUTF this past spring that my then 19-year-old daughter was being dropped from dental benefits, because of her college status; she was taking three classes (nine credits) at LCC (Leeward Community College) at the time, and because that was considered part-time, she was dropped.”

“This has resulted in her missing a dental check up/cleaning, and caused further strain on our already tight budget by the new need to seek private insurance options for her. Dental health is closely linked to overall medical health, and should be treated the same,” Hill said.

“I am glad that medical benefits are extended to dependents in need of them through age 26, and I believe strongly that dental, and also vision coverage should be treated the same way. If this change is made, it will help my family, but I believe that if this change is made it will also help many families of teachers in Hawaiʻi,” he added.

Reacting to the policy change, Tui, HSTA’s president, said, “Once again, the advocacy of our members has resulted in many people within and outside of our union reaping the benefits and, in this case, enjoying stable health care for their dependent children up to age 26 without additional burdens.”

As a result of Hill and Tui’s request for a coverage review, the EUTF staff found that 100% of western states surveyed (Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming) cover active employee dependent children until age 26 for dental and vision without a full-time student status requirement. In addition, those same states surveyed except Alaska (coverage until age 21 and then until age 26 if full-time student) cover retiree dependent children until age 26 for medical, prescription drug, dental and vision without a full-time student requirement.

The EUTF said eliminating the full-time student status requirement for active state and county employees and retirees would reduce the fund’s administrative work by the equivalent of about one and a half employees. It would also eliminate the need for a dependent children audit, which is conducted every other month.

Since the EUTF board approved the change at its meeting this week, the EUTF Administrative Committee will begin to amend the EUTF Administrative Rules which could be approved by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke in February for an effective date of July 1, 2025 for dependents of active and retired state and county employees, according to Derek Mizuno, EUTF administrator. Active employees could add the dependent children during regular open enrollment in April/May and EUTF would conduct a special open enrollment for retirees.

After the meeting on Tuesday, Hill, the teacher who sparked the policy change, remarked, “I am amazed that a positive change like this has happened so quickly. It’s very heartening to see that it is possible for concerned union members and leaders to accomplish a shared goal.”