On July 16, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEB Board) met. Members attended in person at the Health Care Authority (HCA) in Olympia and remotely. The meeting was open to the public both in person and via Zoom.
Meeting recap
Highlights are listed below. See the briefing book for all presentation materials.
The Board approved following resolutions:
- SEBB 2025-03 — Rescinding Resolution SEBB 2023-05: UMP Hearing Instruments, effective January 1, 2026, resolution SEBB 2023-05, as adopted on June 1, 2023, is rescinded.
- SEBB 2025-04 — UMP Hearing Instruments: Beginning January 1, 2026, prescribed hearing instruments in all Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) plans will be covered at 100 percent of the allowed amount every 36 months. Coverage for members enrolled in UMP Achieve 1 and UMP Achieve 2 is not subject to the member meeting the plan deductible. Coverage for members enrolled in UMP High Deductible is subject to the member meeting the plan deductible.
- SEBB 2025-05 — Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest (KPNW) Medical Premiums: The SEB Board authorizes the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest 2026 employee premiums.
- SEBB 2025-06 — Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington (KPWA) Medical Premiums: The SEB Board authorizes the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington 2026 employee premiums.
- SEBB 2025-07 — Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of WA Options (KPWA-O) Medical Premiums: The SEB Board authorizes the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington Options, Inc. 2026 employee premiums.
- SEBB 2025-08 — Premera Medical Premiums: The SEB Board authorizes the Premera 2026 employee premiums.
- SEBB 2025-09 — Uniform Medical Plan Medical Premiums: The SEB Board authorizes the Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) 2026 employee premiums.
The Board passed the premium resolutions, but there were “no” votes on each of the premium resolutions. The board members concurred that they do not endorse or support the rate increases and expressed concerns about rising costs for members, but several board members chose to vote for the resolutions to keep as many plan choices as possible for SEBB Program members — especially those who are in current treatment plans and would be severely impacted if the plans closed. Plan choices are important because SEBB members are in the best position to weigh their own financial and health circumstances when selecting a plan. Board members strongly encouraged HCA to pursue a new procurement that could result in additional, or different, plan choices in the future.
HCA staff provided presentations on the following:
- Follow up on UMP hearing aid benefit design
- Preview of open enrollment and preparations to ensure a successful member experience
- Overview of the HCA request for proposal (RFP) process
Next meeting
This concludes the 2025 SEB Board season. The next public meeting of the SEB Board is scheduled for January 22, 2026. Board members and the public may attend in person or virtually via Zoom. A link for virtual attendance will be noted on the meeting agenda and posted on the SEB Board Meetings and materials webpage.
