WHAT IS THE RURAL ARIZONA GROUP HEALTH TRUST (RAGHT OR “THE TRUST”)?
RAGHT is an Arizona public sector multi-employer benefit trust created under the provisions of A.R.S. § 11-952.01. This statute allows Arizona public employers to join together to structure, finance and administer a range of employee benefit offerings with an eye toward:
- Increased employer control (rather than leaving it to insurance companies)
- Lower operating costs
- Enhanced preventative measures (Wellness); and
- Greater spread of risk.
RAGHT was created in 2002 by three of Arizona’s smallest rural municipalities specifically to be a “home” for smaller rural employers to collaborate in developing solutions to their shared employee benefit needs and challenges. These entities had long felt impotent when dealing with insurance companies due to their small size and limited purchasing power. Creating RAGHT gave them a collective voice and established a long term, flexible and always-evolving means of proactively managing the costs and complexities that come with Medical, Dental Vision, Disability and Life insurance plans, and their many supporting and interrelated component parts in today’s highly regulated environment.
