Delaware County commissioners spent a large portion of a reconvened budget hearing debating how to budget for employee health insurance in 2026, whether to raise employees’ premium contributions and how expected savings from a benefits renegotiation should be treated in this year’s spending plan.

The discussion centered on two pressures: a forecasted uptick in total plan cost and a separate estimated $500,000 in potential savings from renegotiating the county’s contract with its benefits broker. Commissioners and staff disagreed about whether to assume those savings in the 2026 budget or leave the book conservative and adjust after negotiations are complete.

Why it matters: Health-insurance outlays represent millions of dollars from the county’s operating budget. How the county budgets for premiums and how much of any negotiated savings are passed to employees will affect both the county’s bottom line and workers’ take-home pay.

Most of the numerical detail in the hearing came from staff and the county’s insurance representative. Steven Brand, who the commissioners asked to discuss insurance options, told the panel the current premiums total about $1,300,000 a year and that the county budgeted about $982,000 for 2025. Brand said the $1.3 million number “takes you through March 2026,” and described a plan to negotiate contract timing so payments would align with county receipt dates (January and July).

Commissioners debated employee contribution splits. Several commissioners argued for moving toward a 90/10 employer/employee split (meaning employees pay 10% of premiums), with one saying the county should “be at 90/10 right now” and others proposing intermediate steps (85/15 was suggested as a compromise). Opponents said moving employee shares now risks asking workers to pay more before the county completes renegotiations that might lower the total premium cost.

Staff and outside advisors warned commissioners that projection tools (OpenGov and a forecasting vendor, Apex) calculate costs differently. Commissioners were told Apex’s forecast for total plan cost in 2025 was roughly $6.64 million and that a broader forecast including dental and vision could reach about $7.17 million. A county staff summary showed the health-benefit fund balance at about $321,000 as of Aug. 31. Staff estimated employee contributions would total roughly $545,000 under current assumptions.

Clinic utilization and cost-savings were also discussed. The county’s on-site clinic billed about $531,000 in 2024 and roughly $347,000 so far in 2025; staff said there were about 112 unique clinic users in a rolling 12-month period from a possible 821 covered employees, producing a roughly 7% utilization rate. Commissioners noted that low clinic use undermines the argument that clinic savings should be counted now against premium costs.

On timing, staff recommended leaving the current budget line items for health insurance unchanged until negotiations conclude, saying: “We can’t budget for what might happen in the future,” and that the numbers in the book reflected current rates. Commissioners split between incorporating a conservative portion of projected savings now (some proposed a partial $250,000 reduction scenario) and waiting for final, negotiated figures before changing the book.

No formal vote or binding direction was taken; the discussion ended with a plan to return with more precise figures at the next session so the board can decide whether to adjust contribution levels or budget lines.

Looking ahead: Commissioners scheduled a reconvened meeting to review updated negotiation outcomes and more detailed forecasts before making binding changes to employee premium shares or the health-insurance budget.