Hello!

I’m Mike Monroe, and I’m the Executive Director for the WTIA Employee Benefits Trust. I’ve recently assumed this new position, which means that my role is now 100% dedicated to the topic of employee benefits. The thought of this may sound painful to many, but it’s very personal to me.

I grew up in a family of union workers. My mom was a teacher and my dad a teamster. Benefits (and benefit negotiations) were often a topic of conversation at the dinner table. I learned from a very young age that health and benefits are critically important to employees and their families.

Now, I’m in a position to affect employee benefits for thousands of tech workers in Washington State. This is an honor, privilege, and a huge responsibility.

That said this is the first post of my new series “Ask our CBO.” In this monthly series, I’ll answer your questions and tackle issues that matter to WTIA member companies and their employees.

Sample question can include:

• How should I budget for my annual medical premium costs?
• Accountable care organizations: What are these and are they right for my employees?
• How can I keep my premium costs down while staying with the same provider and care network?
• What is the difference between an insurance carrier and care network? Are care networks offered by carriers that different?

I look forward to receiving your questions and concerns and to helping you make the most out of your employee benefits programs!

Send your questions directly to me at mmonroe@washingtontechnology.org.

Sincerely,