Teachers gathered outside Stevens High School after classes Monday to protest steep increases in Northside ISD's health insurance premiums, with some employees describing monthly costs that have more than tripled under the district's new plan lineup. A Stevens High math teacher told reporters her premium jumped from $250 to more than $900 a month. Others at the rally said they're bracing for a benefits year unlike any they've seen before.
The protest, reported by WOAI, came after Northside ISD employees noticed unusually high premiums paired with reduced benefits when they selected new coverage in October. The district is shifting away from PPO plans toward an HMO model for the coming year, a change WOAI reports has left some staff worried about losing access to familiar doctors. Northside ISD's 2027 benefits guide confirms the new lineup includes three medical plans: a Charter plan with a $3,500 deductible costing $930.93 a month for employee-plus-family coverage, a NexusACO plan with a $2,500 deductible costing $1,006.79 a month, and a second Charter option with a $5,000 deductible costing $845.84 a month, according to the district's own enrollment materials.
Premiums Climb After Eight Flat Years
Northside ISD has said it is adjusting employee premium rates for the 2027 plan year after holding them flat for eight consecutive years, according to KSAT. Per WOAI, the district attributed the changes to higher nationwide medical costs, rising provider charges, and an industry-wide shift toward HMO plans. The same report notes that employee-only coverage under the new plans ranges from $78.99 to $141.25 a month, a far smaller jump than the family-plan increases driving much of the outcry.
Three Northside ISD teachers told KSAT's reporters that employees had typically been offered up to six health plan options in past years, a detail echoed in older district benefit documents showing that 2026 medical coverage ran through UnitedHealthcare with three traditional plans and three high-deductible options. This year's guide lists only three choices total. The district's enrollment window for 2027 coverage ran from October 5 through October 23, and the new plans take effect January 1, when CVS Caremark is also set to begin administering prescription drug benefits, according to the benefits guide.
Families Weigh Tough Choices
Ambra Hernandez, a Northside ISD art teacher who has an autoimmune disease, said she fears her doctors may become out-of-network under the new HMO plan. She also said some custodians will have to go without health insurance next year, noting that custodians earn between $14 and $20 an hour — roughly half what teachers make, by her account — making the new premiums unaffordable for many of them.
Victor Maldovan, a Northside ISD history teacher, said he plans to drop his wife from his insurance plan while keeping coverage for his son, who has ADHD and needs a specialist for his medication. Maldovan said his son will need a new doctor after losing his longtime pediatrician under the plan changes, and he said he doesn't yet know which medications the new plan will cover. “NISD is charging employees more while providing less coverage,” Maldovan said, describing the trade-off families now face.
A National Squeeze on Employer Health Costs
The pressure Northside ISD families are feeling mirrors a broader national trend. Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $28,303 in 2026, up 5% from the previous year, according to KFF. Workers' average annual contribution toward that family coverage hit $7,471 in 2026, a 9% jump, while KFF notes that wages grew just 3.7% and inflation ran at 2.7% over the same period — meaning premium growth outpaced both. KFF also projects further cost growth heading into 2027.
Texas isn't alone in grappling with the squeeze. In New Jersey, officials said repeated premium increases pushed some employer groups to abandon the public insurance plan for cheaper private-market alternatives, which worsened the risk pool and fed further rate hikes, according to the New Jersey Monitor. That state's School Employees Health Benefits Commission voted to approve premium increases of up to 34% for active school workers in 2027 — a steeper jump than anything documented in Northside ISD's own benefits guide, though it illustrates the pressure facing public-sector health plans nationwide.
Back in San Antonio, the premium fight has become entangled with another decision facing Northside ISD families this week. KSAT reported that voters were deciding Tuesday on a 3-cent maintenance and operations tax-rate increase per $100 of property valuation, which would help fund a 2% pay raise for district employees. Stevens teachers had planned their protest as a peaceful demonstration after classes, with organizers encouraging staff from other campuses to join, according to KSAT's earlier reporting on the rally plans.
