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Goodhue County approves county employee insurance renewals with Blue Cross and MetLife after committee review
Summary
The county board accepted the insurance committee's recommendations to renew health coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield and to move dental, vision, life and disability plans to MetLife. The board approved a package that includes options intended to limit a projected 2026 premium increase.
The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners voted to accept insurance committee recommendations to renew employee health coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield and to contract dental, vision, life and disability coverage with MetLife.
An insurance committee presenter summarized the committee's work and recommended steps to contain rising costs, including going out to bid for health coverage because renewal exposure was initially high. The presenter said the health-insurance renewal ranged "between a 23 and a 26%" increase depending on options and that a 23% figure would apply if the county implements a direct primary care option through a third-party provider.
The committee recommended several specific changes: offer direct primary care through a primary-care vendor, increase Plan 1 deductibles to $3,400 single and $6,800 family to maintain HSA eligibility, increase Plan 2 deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums to preserve a minimum-value designation, and offer a high-value network option that would exclude Mayo Clinic and VA providers for a lower-cost provider network. The committee also recommended accepting MetLife’s bids for dental (a proposed 21% premium reduction), vision (about a 20% premium reduction), basic and voluntary life, and short- and long-term disability.
On Minnesota Paid Leave, the presenter said the state option is a 0.88% payroll tax with at least 50% employer share and that a private MetLife bid came in at 0.8%.
Board members asked for clarification about total dollar impact and whether future increases would be calculated from the 23% or 26% renewal scenarios. The presenter said the detailed line items were included in the committee report and that staff would follow up with the county’s broker about which baseline the insurer would use for next-year increases.
A motion to approve the package, as presented, was made and seconded; the board chair called the vote and declared the motion carried.
The action will affect county budget planning for 2026; presenters and commissioners discussed that health-insurance cost pressure could increase the levy and that current budget drafts assumed a roughly 25% overall increase in insurance costs.
