Banner County switches employee health plan to Triad with $3,500 deductible and $25,000 bridge HRA

The Banner County Board of Commissioners voted June 17 to change the county's employee health insurance to an association plan administered by Triad, adopting a plan with a $3,500 individual deductible and creating a $25,000 health reimbursement arrangement to cover employee out-of-pocket costs during the July–December plan transition.

County Human Resources and benefits advisor Nick (last name not specified in the record), who presented the options, said, "The increase with Blackhawk this year is going to be at 4.7%." He reviewed three options: renewing with Blackhawk at a 4.7% increase, moving to a Blue Cross Blue Shield association plan (slightly lower cost but with changes to deductible accumulation), or switching to an association health plan through Triad (administered by the Acuity Group and underwritten by SiriusPoint). He said Triad could yield roughly 10–15% savings versus the 2024–25 plan year while improving network access by moving from the county's First Health network to Cigna.

Why it matters: commissioners said the decision balances cost control for the county with protections for employees who face the most exposure if deductible accumulators restart on a calendar-year schedule. Commissioners and staff pressed for protections to avoid employees paying two deductibles in a short window when the plan year changes.

During the presentation, Nick told the board that one difficulty in switching carriers is that some administrators would not allow a midyear deductible accumulator; without that, employees could face two deductibles in a 12-month span. He recommended the Triad option combined with an HRA to reduce employee exposure and suggested preserving current HSA funding levels. "That would allow us to move the deductible for employees down to $3,500," he said when describing plan design variations.

Commissioners discussed the details at length. Questions focused on network access (First Health vs. Cigna), how coinsurance would operate once the deductible is met, whether HSA eligibility would be preserved, and the administrative mechanics and costs of running an HRA to bridge the second half of the calendar year. County Clerk Katie asked whether moving to a different HRA administrator would consolidate accounts; the presenter confirmed the bridge HRA could be managed through a single administrator and recommended moving from the county's existing HRA administrator to one with better digital reimbursement capabilities.

Formal action: a motion to adopt the Triad plan with a $3,500 deductible and to create a $25,000 HRA for the July–December transition period was moved, seconded and approved by the board. The presenter said documents and implementation steps would be prepared for signatures, and the administrator would contact county staff to finalize how the HRA funds are disbursed.

What the county will do next: county staff will receive enrollment and signature documents from the plan administrator, finalize the HRA design and administrator, and coordinate communications to employees. The presenter requested a prompt decision to meet carrier deadlines; commissioners committed to completing the required signatures within days.