THE CECHCR PROGRAM

The Volition Group is proud to offer services through the California Education Community Healthcare Resource program (CECHCR), which has been trusted for over twenty years to help California public school districts.

Schools are facing an increasingly complex benefits landscape.

Between rising insurance premiums with seemingly no clear solution, and emotionally charged multi-million dollar benefit decisions for employees and their families, the stakes feel higher than ever.

We guarantee our clients will walk away with a clear, actionable path to achieving the best outcome for their organization.

DISTRICTS WE’VE WORKED WITH:

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The Volition Group’s CECHCR Program provides school leaders with a clear path to the best outcome. Our step-by-step program includes:

Core CECHCR Services

We will start by helping you create a collaborative Joint-Labor Management Health Benefits Committee made up of representatives from all sides of the table. Then we evaluate your current benefits landscape, after which we will equip you with the tools and in-person training needed to make well-informed benefits decisions.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Next, we conduct a comprehensive review of your benefits program to give your committee actionable, objective guidance about short and long-term solutions to the unique problems you're facing. From there, we’ll develop the best purchasing strategy for your district using the CECHCR Approach to achieve strong fiscal outcomes while maintaining quality, benefits, and access.

REVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

Through the new CECHCR Education Modules, we now offer services to your committees, leadership, and employees, providing ongoing education, tools, frameworks, and worksheets. Our goal is to help you build ongoing internal knowledge so that you may continue to make informed decisions for your organization, and your employees can feel more confident about their healthcare decisions moving forward.

ONGOING SUPPORT

INQUIRE ABOUT CECHCR >

Build
Knowledge

Improve
Collaboration

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Money

RECENT WINS

RECENT WINS

$7 MILLION IN ANNUAL SAVINGS

Glendale Unified School District 25’

After years of unstable healthcare renewals, TVG helped Glendale Unified School District finally break free of the cycle in Spring/Summer 2025 with these transformative wins:

  • 15% lower costs annually

  • Better benefits with the same employee-trusted network

  • Labor-management alignment (bargaining completed in 1 day)

BRENTWOOD’S LOWEST KAISER RENEWAL EVER

These districts were facing double-digit renewal increases and limited leverage, with previous broker-led RFPs that failed to deliver real alternatives. Enter TVG - we removed structural barriers, addressed risks, and opened the market to true competition with immediate results:

  • Historic renewals for all districts

  • Better benefits with the same employee-trusted network

  • Smooth transitions to California Schools VEBA, effective January 1

Brentwood Union 24’, Byron, Oakley, Castro Valley 25’

$2.4+ MILLION IN ANNUAL SAVINGS

Mesa Public Schools, Summer 25’

Mesa Public Schools, the largest district in Arizona, turned to The Volition Group to lead competitive RFPs for pharmacy and TPA services. By applying our independent, fee-only model, we secured:

  • $1.3 million in annual pharmacy savings ($17 saved per prescription)

  • $1.18 million in TPA expense reductions (30% lower fees with the same network and benefits)

WHAT MAKES CECHCR ADVISORS DIFFERENT

  • Never take commissions from insurers or vendors.

  • Only get paid a fixed fee by the district; not by the insurance carrier.

  • Make sure labor and management get the same information, at the same time.

  • Help leadership teams make informed, confident decisions tailored to you.

Our Advisors

Matt Bittner

Prior to forming TVG, Matt served as the General Manager of California Schools VEBA, where he was responsible for managing nearly $1 billion dollars in annual healthcare spend for 70 school districts representing 150,000 education workers.  While responsible for such a large healthcare spend he led numerous strategies designed to improve benefits, access and ultimately manage cost; all through a joint labor-management framework.

Matt’s work is defined by a focus on fiscal responsibility, transparency, and sustainable strategies, helping our clients find ways to offer the very best benefits to their employees at the lowest and most sustainable cost.

PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF THE VOLITION GROUP

Anthony Pulliam

With over 25 years of experience in health insurance administration, including over 15 years at California’s Valued Trust (CVT), Anthony brings deep expertise in developing innovative, member-centered healthcare solutions for public employers in California. He has a unique ability to bridge perspectives across diverse stakeholders and educate employer and labor purchasers on making the best possible decisions for their organizations and members.

The addition of Anthony strengthens TVG’s ability to negotiate, design, and implement transparent, sustainable healthcare strategies that drive measurable savings while maintaining quality care.

SENIOR CONSULTANT AND CLIENT EXECUTIVE

Emma Hume

Emma brings a specialized background in benefits administration systems and communication strategy to the firm’s consulting services. She focuses on creating clarity for employers, helping them understand the full impact of their healthcare decisions and equipping them with the tools to manage their programs transparently and effectively.

By designing communication strategies and education tools that make benefits more accessible, she ensures that both decision-makers and employees gain lasting value from TVG’s work.

STRATEGIC CONSULTANT AND DIRECTOR OF OPS

Cindy Young

Cindy Young served as the Project Director for the California Education Coalition for Healthcare Reform (CECHCR) for over 20 years. She assisted employer and union representatives in developing educational models to assist California’s school districts and community colleges to improve purchasing of health, dental and vision insurance.

In conjunction with the CECHCR Board, Ms. Young assisted in educating over 650 school districts. Ms. Young retired in 2024, but continues to assist i n the educational programs offered by TVG.

CECHCR EDUCATION CONSULTANT

EXTERNAL PROGRAM ADVISORS

  • Cindy Young, CCS/CECHCR Project Manager, Retired

  • Ruben Ingram, Former CECHCR Coalition Co-Chair; Executive Director, School Employers Association of California (SEAC), Retired

  • Janet Walden, CCS President & CEO, Retired

  • Mike Simonson, Deputy Superintendent, Chief Business Officer San Diego County Office of Education

  • Daryl Hemenway, Bargaining Specialist, California Teachers Association

LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION >

  • "One of the advantages of how CECHCR approaches healthcare is their focus on collaboration and explaining complex benefits information as simply as possible. Working with advisors like Matt who focus on transparency and an open process allows for trust to be strengthened between labor and management. Additionally, CECHCR is always willing to speak with employee groups the same way they work to educate the insurance committee and the District."

    — Bill Young, Deputy Superintendent Business Services of Natomas Unified School District

  • "Lake Elsinore Unified School District has benefited greatly from the CECHCR Approach to healthcare education, enhancing our understanding of healthcare for our insurance committee members. With Matt and CECHCR's guidance, we're now better equipped to assess our options in the market as we continue to grow our understanding throughout the RFP process. Our collaboration has been very productive, and we're excited about the prospects of developing a healthier program as a result. The education provided by CECHCR is clear and directly addresses our group's needs in managing a program that delivers high-quality benefits."

    — Robert Recatto, Director of Safety and Risk Services of Lake Elsinore Unified School District

  • "One of the major advantages of how CECHCR approaches healthcare is their focus on collaboration. The Natomas Teachers' Association were apprehensive about moving forward in any healthcare conversations with our district without having a neutral third party who could provide us with the education and understandings that we knew we needed. Bringing in CECHCR made us all feel comfortable with not just the process but our collective decisions. Working with advisors like Cindy and Matt who focus on transparency and an open process which allows for much more trust to be built around the process. Additionally, CECHCR is always willing to speak with employee groups and educate our members the same way they work to educate the insurance committee and the district. Trust, collaboration and transparency all result in a really productive process that our members can count on. After having had CECHCR in the conversations with NTA and NUSD we feel much stronger about future collaboration, we have a common base to start from shared language and understanding."

    — Mara Harvey of Natomas Teachers Association

  • " The Sacramento City Teachers Association has worked successfully with CECHCR for nearly a decade. We recently had the opportunity to work with Matt Bittner as part of the CECHCR team serving our school district and union in an extensive RFP process. Matt’s contributions were marked by exceptional clarity, helpfulness, and most importantly, a commitment to objectivity and transparency. We are happy that Matt will carry on the important, neutral work exemplified for decades by the CECHCR project, and that he will be a great resource in addressing healthcare issues."

    — Nikki Milevsky, President of Sacramento Teachers Association

  • No hidden payments. No divided loyalties. We don’t answer to carriers or vendors—ever. We work only for you.

  • Transparent processes. We don’t do one-sided work, secret proposals, or push quick fixes. Our work will always align with bargaining requirements and focus on collaboration between labor and management.   

  • Long-term support and knowledge transfer. You’ll understand every decision and feel confident making it, now and for years to come.

Our Commitment to You

For over 20 years the CECHCR Approach to healthcare education and purchasing has achieved documented savings in excess of $200 million, as well as improved labor-management relationships across the state.

The healthcare markets are more volatile than they have been in decades and the need for the CECHCR Approach has never been greater, which is why the Center for Collaborative Solutions has selected The Volition Group to carry on its legacy.