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Council adopts emergency ordinance changing 2026 employee health plans after steep renewal proposals
Summary
Facing steep renewal pricing and several large claims, council approved an emergency ordinance adopting Cigna renewals and redesigned plan choices for 2026; staff and the broker said the city faces a marked claims premium gap and outlined follow-up work to examine self-funding, PBM carve-outs, wellness and plan design options.
The Lee's Summit City Council unanimously adopted an emergency ordinance on the city’s employee benefits program for calendar year 2026 after staff and the city’s broker reported major renewal volatility in the health insurance market.
Matt Wheeler of Holmes Murphy summarized market responses and the city’s options. “When Cigna released their renewal, they were uncomfortable with where the risk was positioned...they, in fact, released, or had a calculated release of 39%, which was released initially at 27%...ultimately when Cigna released their renewal, they were at 24%,” Wheeler said, describing how large claims have shifted market pricing. He added that, using the city’s recent premiums and claims, the plan had paid about $21,400,000 in premium and experienced roughly $26,000,000 in gross claims—an approximately $4.6 million shortfall over the period reviewed.
Wheeler said the cabinet and finance staff explored insured and self-funded options, stop‑loss quotations,…
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