Monterey County HR urges employees to enroll in TransCare to avoid 5% insurance rate increase

Buck Rogan, Monterey County chief human resources officer, and union leaders told county employees at a staff meeting that higher enrollment in the TransCare telehealth program could secure a preferred insurance rate and prevent up to a 5% increase in premiums for 2026. Rogan said county staff are currently at about 57% enrollment and that the county’s goal is to reach an 80% threshold by the August update.

The enrollment target matters because, Rogan said, the preferred rate would prevent the county and its employees from facing higher costs next year. “And it’s important because we don’t wanna pay as much as 5% more,” Rogan said.

Union presidents and representatives encouraged sign-ups and described the program as quick to join and immediately useful. Leslie Cielo, CSEA, said, “It took less than 5 minutes. You just go download the app, make an account, very easy. And I did it about 2 or 3 weeks ago.” Another union representative said the county is confronting high local health-care costs and called TransCare one of the few opportunities to influence rates.

Speakers described concrete benefits beyond routine appointments. Rogan said planned surgeries can be covered under TransCare when enrolled in advance, citing a recent example in his family. “One of the great things about the TransCare program is that if you need to have a surgery and it’s planned… then that surgery is free,” Rogan said.

No formal action, vote or policy change was announced at the meeting; presenters urged employees to sign up so the county could reach the 80% enrollment threshold before the next carrier update in August. Staff did not present a timeline for any employer-side outreach beyond the comments at the meeting.

The discussion occurred during a county staff meeting; employees who want to enroll were told the process uses an app and can be completed quickly.