What is self-funded health care?

When we took charge of managing our health care benefits, we became a self-funded trust. This means that your benefits come entirely from the Trust, not from a big insurance company. We collect monthly contributions from members, and then use those funds to pay bills and claims. Sometimes we have money left over, which we then use to provide even better benefits.

Check out the video below to learn more about how self-funded health care is different from traditional health insurance, and how your Trust works.

What is your role in the Trust?

Being in control of our own health care benefits does not mean we spend our days running an insurance operation. We’re still fire fighters. But we do have a big role to play in making sure the Trust thrives and is there for all of us, from recruitment through retirement. 

There are three things we can all do:

  1. Take good care of ourselves. Getting regular check-ups and screenings, living well, and staying fit all help to prevent illness, injury, and expensive treatments down the road. Healthy members save the Trust money, which means more benefits and a bigger safety net for all of us.
  2. Use our benefits wisely. Our health care benefits are there for us to use. So complete your AFFME exam, get a massage, buy glasses for your kids. But remember: it’s our money. We pay the bills. So when we’re healthy, let’s use only what we need.
  3. Look out for each other. Part of building a healthy financial future for the Trust is understanding our benefits, knowing how self funding works, and passing this information on to others. When we get to know our Trust, we can protect it and each other better.

We built the Trust together. Let’s keep it strong.