IMPORTANT HEALTHCARE INFORMATION 

MCPS ended the exploration process of Medicare Advantage Plans and will continue to offer Cigna Medicare Supplement Insurance for next year. 

 

The Montgomery County Public Schools Retiree Association (MCPSRA) Board of Directors is grateful for the communication we received from MCPS as they explored moving from the current Cigna Indemnity Plan to a Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) for Medicare-eligible retirees. We heard from many of you about experiences you or those you know had with MAPs. MCPSRA was involved in the process with MCPS for several months.  We consistently advocated for retirees by sharing what we learned from you - that you wanted to keep the Cigna plan for many reasons.  Our involvement, through research, participation in meetings with MCPS, gathering feedback, and outreach all made a difference. 

 

As you may recall, in March 2026, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to explore a MAP insurance program for Medicare-eligible MCPS retirees.  

 

The MCPS Joint Employee Benefits Committee, known as the JEBC, met on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, and shared the results of the RFP.  MCPSRA is the only retiree group officially recognized by the MCPS Board of Education.  Three MCPSRA  board members serve on the JEBC, allowing us to stay informed and to actively advocate for retiree benefits. 

 

The RFP process led to the following outcomes: 

• The Aetna insurance company submitted a complete proposal; however, its pricing for MCPS was significantly higher than the current self-insured Cigna plan rates. 
• UnitedHealthcare and Humana, the two other national vendors, did not submit completed proposals. 
• As a result, the RFP was closed, and no further action will be taken at this time. 

 

We appreciate your support as we shared information with you and are thankful that MCPS chose not to pursue a change to a MAP for our insurance supplement. 

 

Please share this message with your fellow retirees who may have heard about the RFP and are not current MCPSRA members and encourage them to join us. 

 

See the information below to learn about a membership special that will end on May 31, 2026.  MCPSRA members are also members of the Maryland Retired School Personnel Association.(MRSPA). 

 

Please reach out if you have any further questions. 

 

Best regards, 

 

MCPSRA Board of Directors

MCPS BUDGET UPDATE AND REQUEST

MCPS is facing significant reductions in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. These reductions will impact the entire school system and could impact retirees.

Superintendent Taylor shared a video and outlined them in the attached chart. 

Watch Video https://mcpsmd.info/3Rz8SQw 

As an example, in Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026, the County Council allowed MCPS to redirect $25 million each year by using funds originally proposed for the retirement benefit and health trust funds as a “one time” solution to pay for current retirement benefits.  The link below is to an article from May 2025 that provides more information.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/05/13/mcps-budget-retirement-proposal/

We strongly encourage MCPSRA members to contact all Montgomery County Council members as soon as possible as they are discussing the budget now.  Time is of the essence.

In your message, you may want to:

• Thank them for their support of MCPS in the past 
• Briefly describe your concerns if the budget is partially funded 
• Request that they fully fund the proposed MCPS budget, acknowledging the fiscal situation
• If reductions in the Montgomery County Budget are necessary, the cuts should be extended to all components of the organization, not just MCPS
• Note that you are a member of the Montgomery County Public Schools Retiree Association

Thank you in advance for your advocacy and for supporting the MCPS school community.

Montgomery County Council Member Email Addresses Can be found on the Montgomery County Council Website