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NY44 HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN TRUST

WEST SENECA, NY · EIN 141886527 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE Y44 · Mutual & Membership Benefit · Very Large (>$50M) · ny44.e1b.org
revenue
$152.3M
expenses
$159.1M
net assets
$47.4M
employees
3
program ratio
100%
mission · from form 990

PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 44 OF NYS INSURANCE LAW, PROVIDING HEALTH BENEFIT COVERAGE FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES.

profile · synthesized from sources

The NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust is a self-funded, Article 44 health benefits trust established in 2003 for employees of school districts, BOCES, and community colleges across New York State. It provides health, dental, and wellness benefits while emphasizing cost containment through joint labor-management governance. The plan partners with third-party administrators like UMR and Independent Health to deliver coverage.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Brook+ Diabetes Prevention Program
CDC-certified digital program offering personalized coaching, curriculum, and tools to reduce type 2 diabetes risk.
Dental Plan
Provides 100% coverage for many dental services through in-network providers via Guardian PPO network.
Vālenz Bluebook
Tool for members to compare medical procedure costs and find Fair Price (green) facilities to save money and earn rewards.
WeightWatchers
Fully covered weight-loss program for eligible employees, providing digital tools, coaching, and community support.
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Union and Association Benefit Funds 4 activities
    • Administers self-funded health benefit plans for school districts and educational institutions in New York State
      Provides health benefit coverage to eligible employees and retirees under Article 44 of the NYS Insurance Law, operating as a self-funded trust since January 2008. The plan helps contain healthcare costs by aligning contribution rates with actual claims experience across schools, districts, BOCES, and community colleges.
    • Administers third-party management of health benefits for multiple plans and millions of members
      Acts as a third-party administrator for over 3,800 benefits plans and 6 million members, handling operational aspects of health benefit delivery including ID card distribution and member communications.
    • Offers medical cost transparency tools and financial incentives for cost-effective care
      Provides members with a price transparency tool to compare healthcare service costs and identifies Fair Price™ facilities for diagnostic imaging, outpatient surgery, and inpatient procedures. Offers financial rewards to members who choose these lower-cost, high-quality providers.
    • Provides comprehensive dental benefits through in-network providers
      Covers 100% of the cost for many dental services provided by in-network providers, subject to an annual maximum amount.
  • Diabetes Self-Management & Prevention Programs 1 activity
    • Covers preventive health programs including diabetes prevention and weight management
      Offers a CDC-certified digital diabetes prevention program (Brook+ Diabetes Prevention Program) and provides fully covered WeightWatchers memberships to eligible employees. The wellness initiative supports participants in achieving at least 5% body weight loss and averaging 150 minutes of weekly physical activity, with a helpline to assist membership transfer and engagement.
  • Pharmacy Access and Medication Assistance 1 activity
    • Provides access to specialty pharmacy and prescription drug coverage with prior authorization
      Covers GLP-1 drugs for members diagnosed with diabetes who meet prior authorization criteria and provides access to specialty pharmacy services, including for members transitioning from Payer Matrix.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$152.30M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$150.19M99%
Investment income$2.04M1%
Other revenue$72K
expenses
Total expenses$159.13M
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$211K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$63.75M
Cash$52.46M
Investments$11.26M
Liabilities$16.33M
Net assets$47.42M
Liquid reserves4.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +16.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 10
  • CANDACE REIMER — TRUSTEE
  • CHRISTA MCHALE — TRUSTEE
  • DAVID SCALZO — TRUSTEE
  • DONNA WALTERS — VICE CHAIR
  • EILEEN FLEMING — TRUSTEE
  • FRAN DIFRANCESCO — TRUSTEE
  • JAMES FREGELETTE — CHAIR
  • JOHN POPE — TRUSTEE
  • MICHELLE OKAL-FINK — TRUSTEE
  • ROBERT GIANNICCHI — TRUSTEE
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • Capital Rx Partner — Pharmacy partner providing formulary management and pharmacist guidance for the Trust.
  • Centers for Disease Control Government — Certifies the Brook+ diabetes prevention program.
  • Erie 1 BOCES Partner — Cooperative founding partner with labor organizations in creating the Trust; superintendent appoints half of the Board of Trustees.
  • Erie 1 BOCES Partner — Founding organization and administrative home of the Trust
  • Guardian Partner — Administers the dental benefits and maintains the in-network provider network for the plan.
  • Independent Health Partner — Provider of medical coverage for Trust members in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.
  • Independent Health Partner — Recommends the Brook+ diabetes prevention program.
  • New York State Department of Financial Services Government — Oversight agency for the NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust
  • Niagara Wheatfield Central School District Partner — Partner district with a designated benefits administrator for NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust
  • Nova / Independent Health Partner — Medical provider network for Trust members residing in eight Western New York counties
  • Rightway Partner — Partner organization providing specialty pharmacy services to NY44 members
  • Rightway Partner — Provider of prescription coverage for Trust members in multiple regions of New York State.
  • St. Mary’s School for the Deaf Partner — Partner school with a designated human resources director handling NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust matters
  • Sweet Home Central School District Partner — Partner district with a designated benefits administrator for NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust
  • UMR Partner — Administers the NY44 Health Benefits Plan as the third-party administrator.
  • UMR Partner — Medical provider network for Trust members residing in most New York State counties outside Western New York and NYC/Long Island
  • UMR Partner — Provider of medical coverage for Trust members in most counties of New York State outside of specific western and metro NYC regions.
  • Vālenz Bluebook Partner — Provides a cost transparency platform for NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust members to compare healthcare prices and quality.
  • WeightWatchers Partner — Partners with WeightWatchers to provide a fully covered weight-loss program for eligible employees.
  • school districts in New York State Partner — Provides health benefit plans to school districts and their employee associations across New York State.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Behavioral Intervention through Healthcare Consumerism
    methodology: healthcare-consumerism
    By encouraging members to actively compare prices and quality of healthcare services, the plan promotes cost-conscious decision-making, because engaging members as informed consumers leads to behavior change that reduces unnecessary spending and increases savings when they choose Fair Price facilities.
  • Joint Labor-Management Governance for Benefit Design
    methodology: joint-labor-management-governance
    By structuring governance with equal labor and management representation, the plan ensures equitable decision-making on benefits and contributions, because shared authority builds trust, aligns incentives, and produces more sustainable and responsive health benefit policies.
  • Personalized Lifestyle and Coaching Support Model
    methodology: personalized_lifestyle_support
    By combining tailored lifestyle interventions with ongoing coaching and community support, the plan improves engagement and health outcomes, because personalized feedback (e.g., via Points systems) and sustained human guidance reinforce long-term behavior change in areas like weight management and diabetes prevention.