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Flagler administrators unveil new base insurance plan, gap coverage and district wellness center set to open July
Summary
HR and the district's broker presented a recommended slate of employee benefits — a new lower-cost base medical plan, a voluntary gap policy, vision-network options, a modest dental renewal, and a plan to open an on-site Marathon Health wellness center in July 2025 with incentives to drive early use.
At an April 22 Flagler County School Board workshop, the district's human-resources leaders and its broker presented a set of recommended employee-benefit changes and unveiled an engagement and marketing plan for a district-run wellness center operated by Marathon Health.
Brown and Brown (the district broker) and district HR staff recommended adding a new, lower-cost "base" medical plan to the current menu so employees could choose between the existing plans or a lower-premium option. The presentation described actuarial migration assumptions (for example, the model assumed about 50% of employees on the district's current standard plan might move to the new base plan) and said the board contribution model would shift to give greater relative support to dependent coverage (the suggested example showed a 90% board contribution for employee-only coverage and a 50% contribution for dependents under the base plan). Representatives said some employees could see substantial monthly savings under the new structure — the presentation included sample illustrations such as a $940 monthly saving for one example of premium-family coverage and a $210 monthly saving in another employee–spouse example.
The district also described a voluntary "gap" plan that would supplement inpatient and outpatient hospital costs. Staff said the gap plan would require a $1,000 deductible and would reimburse certain hospital/diagnostic costs up to $3,500 per person for outpatient care (capped for three family members under the plan as explained in the presentation). The broker noted the dental renewal required a 9% increase after the prior two-year guarantee, and the vision offering will allow employees to choose between EyeMed and the VSP network via the plan administrator.
Human-resources staff said the insurance committee — including union and management representatives — had signed off on the recommended slate and that the materials will be used in open enrollment this fall. Staff emphasized plans for an expanded benefits guide, short explanatory videos, one-on-one enrollment assistance and on-site help during open enrollment to help employees choose among options.
Separately, the district outlined an on-site Flagler Schools Wellness Center to be operated by Marathon Health. The center, planned to open in July 2025 at the former gym in the Belterra swim facility, will offer primary care, chronic-condition follow up, lab services, DOT physicals for bus drivers and other services at no direct charge to employees and eligible spouses enrolled in the district medical plan. Initial hours will total 40 weekly (examples given: Monday 7 a.m.–4 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Wednesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; lunch closure 1–2 p.m.). The engagement plan includes a soft opening, tours for leadership, a ribbon cutting, in‑school site visits by benefits staff and a district communication campaign. To encourage early use, staff proposed a $25 payroll incentive for an employee's first wellness-center visit and a $100 payroll incentive for completing an annual physical at the center; staff estimated employees could earn up to $125 in year one under the incentives.
Staff also discussed operational details such as appointment-reporting and hour adjustments based on utilization data, potential future weekend or limited-hour offerings, telehealth/virtual visit capabilities, and how the wellness center could accept orders for lab work prescribed by outside providers. Construction photos in the presentation showed demolition and framing work in progress; staff said they expect completion by midsummer and planned to open appointment scheduling roughly 30 days before the soft opening.
No formal board vote was recorded on April 22 on the insurance slate or the wellness center marketing plan; staff said they will continue implementation steps, finalize enrollment materials and proceed toward a July opening of the wellness center.
