New Caney ISD adds Next Level Prime for employees and families

New Caney Independent School District is adding Next Level Prime for employees and eligible dependents enrolled in the district health plan, joining Humble ISD and Willis ISD. The move expands no-cost access to primary, urgent, preventive, behavioral and virtual care for Texas school district workers and their families.

Why it matters: - New Caney ISD employees and eligible dependents will get broader access to care without copays, deductibles or surprise bills. - The benefit is aimed at lowering barriers for working families and giving the district a more proactive way to manage employee health costs. - The move adds another Texas school district to a program that already has reported savings and high employee satisfaction in other districts.

What happened: - Next Level Medical announced that New Caney Independent School District will offer Next Level Prime to employees and eligible dependents enrolled in the district’s health plan. - New Caney ISD joins Humble ISD and Willis ISD as school district partners using the benefit. - The rollout covers employees and families in the Houston-area district.

The details: - Next Level Prime includes primary care, urgent care, preventive care, chronic disease management, health coaching, emotional wellness counseling, care navigation and 24/7 virtual care. - Covered services come with no copays, deductibles or surprise bills. - Next Level Medical said the benefit is designed to make healthcare more convenient, affordable and accessible. - Humble ISD introduced Next Level Prime in 2024 for about 4,500 employees and more than 3,000 covered dependents enrolled in its self-funded medical plan. - About 60% of Humble ISD’s covered population used the benefit in the first year. - Humble ISD reported $2.3 million in net health plan savings, a 30% reduction in emergency room visits, an 85% reduction in traditional urgent care visits and a 6% reduction in total medical claims spending. - Humble ISD also reported a Net Promoter Score above 90. - Willis ISD said Year 2 savings topped $2.4 million with five months left in the plan year, and the district maintained an employee Net Promoter Score of 90. - Since launching in 2021, Next Level Prime has grown to more than 150,000 members, kept an average member Net Promoter Score above 90 and posted client retention above 99%.

Between the lines: - The district wins for Next Level Medical are being used as proof points for other school systems weighing employee health benefits. - The reported savings and utilization at Humble ISD and Willis ISD suggest the model is designed to shift care away from emergency rooms and traditional urgent care settings. - For school districts, the pitch is not just better access to care but also a way to control health plan spending. - Juliet Breeze, founder and CEO of Next Level Medical, framed the expansion as part of a broader trend among school district leaders who want benefits employees will actually use.

What's next: - Next Level Medical will work with New Caney ISD to launch the program. - The company will educate employees and families on how to access the available services. - More districts could follow if New Caney ISD sees results similar to Humble ISD and Willis ISD.

The bottom line: - New Caney ISD is betting that a no-cost primary and virtual care benefit can improve employee access while helping the district manage health costs.