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Ellis County approves 2026 health benefits renewal after lower-than-budgeted premium increase
Summary
The commission approved Blue Cross Blue Shield renewals and related benefits after staff reported a 3.6% premium renewal—below the 7% estimate used in the 2026 budget—and recommended small employee paycheck impacts to preserve the reserve fund.
The Ellis County Board of Commissioners voted 2–0 on Oct. 7 to approve the county’s 2026 health, dental and related benefit renewals with Blue Cross Blue Shield and associated plans managed through FCMI, continuing MASA air-ground membership coverage.
County Administrator Darren Myers said the 2026 budget had included a conservatively estimated 7% premium increase, but the actual renewal came in at 3.6 percent. Myers said that difference will reduce projected county expenditures and that, as of the latest figures in the meeting packet, the county’s benefits reserve balance has climbed back toward a recent high of $1,120,000. “When Julie worked with the different renewals ... they came in at 3.6%, which saves us about $42,005.50 in our general fund budget for 2026,” Myers said during the presentation.
Human-resources consultant Julie Yarmer (FCMI) and county staff presented details from the wage-and-benefits committee and recommended modest payroll impacts to continue building the reserve. Commissioners were told the typical incremental effect would be about $2.80 per paycheck for single coverage and about $8 per paycheck for family coverage under the recommended structure. The county has a long-standing policy that the employer pays roughly 86% of premium and employees pay 14%.
Staff also recommended retained MASA air-ground membership coverage for employees; county presenters said the program costs about $8,700 a year for coverage that has protected employees from large air-transport bills in recent cases. The record included two high-cost examples cited by staff; those figures were discussed by staff as illustrative of why the MASA membership was retained.
Commissioner Michael Burgess moved to approve the renewals and authorize the county administrator to sign the renewal documents; Commissioner Neil Younger seconded. The motion carried 2–0.
Myers said because the 2026 budget used a conservative premium estimate, the near-term savings will be reconciled during the normal year-end budget adjustments and any unspent amounts would return to the county’s budget stabilization or reserve accounts.
The county will hold employee open-enrollment meetings and an in-service information day on Oct. 13; coverage changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026, for enrolled employees.
