Stark County commissioners voted to budget a 7% county contribution increase for 2026 health insurance and approved a longevity-based discount for employees after hearing that the county’s medical plan is paying out more in claims than it collects in premiums. Human Resources Director Joetta Piercy said the insurer quoted a 19.3% premium increase if plan design is unchanged and presented alternatives that lower the county’s premium jump by changing cost‑sharing and deductibles. "We have paid out more in claims than we have paid in premiums," Piercy told the commissioners, and said plan changes — higher deductibles, higher out‑of‑pocket maximums and slightly increased office and ER copays — would reduce the insurer’s proposed increase.

Piercy recommended a plan option that raised individual deductibles from $500 to $750 and family deductibles from $1,000 to $1,500, and offered a column of plan scenarios showing estimated county premium increases of 19.3%, 13%, 10% and 7%. Commissioners discussed alternatives including keeping richer benefits and having employees pay part of the premium increase versus increasing member cost‑sharing to slow premium growth. "If you kept the current plan… the county came out and said that we could cover x percent of that increase, and then the employees would have to cover the rest," one commissioner asked; Piercy said premiums would likely continue to rise unless plan design changed to increase member cost‑sharing.

After discussion the commission voted to adopt the 7% county contribution increase scenario for budgeting, paired with a longevity discount program intended to reduce employee premium contributions over time. The approved longevity proposal provides a 2.5% reduction every 5 years for single plans and a 5% reduction every 5 years for family tiers, applied starting from each employee’s benefit‑eligible date. The board recorded the motion and roll call: the motion was made by Commissioner White and seconded by Commissioner Claris; Commissioners White, Claris, Franchak and Marsh voted aye and the chair voted aye. The change will take effect with the county’s 2026 budget year and new premiums, with payroll deductions beginning when the insurer’s premiums take effect in December 2025 and the budget year starting January 1, 2026.

Commissioners asked staff to gather employee feedback on the two lanes discussed (lower premiums with higher deductibles versus higher premiums with richer benefits) and to run numbers showing the net impact to typical employee scenarios. Piercy offered to provide the county’s incurred loss ratio and the share of members who met the current $500 deductible (32% of individuals and about 29% of families, she said) so commissioners can compare how many employees are affected by each option. The board also asked staff to return to the October budget meeting with final premium figures and implementation details for how the longevity discounts will be applied to payroll.