Personnel committee recommends Germantown School District keep 2026 medical plan, add dental enhancement with district covering cost

The Germantown School District Personnel Committee voted Oct. 21 to recommend that the full board approve the district dministration nd consultant—hoices for the 2026 employee benefits package, including UMR medical options, Delta Dental and Delta EyeMed, and an enhancement to the dental plan for which the district will cover the additional cost.

The recommendation came after a presentation by a benefits consultant from R&R Insurance who reviewed national health‑care trends, specialty drug and catastrophic claim drivers, and the district—xperience since moving to a self‑funded plan. The consultant said that, because of the district ecision to self‑fund and steps taken on network design and pharmacy contracting, the district is operating in a stronger position than many employers faced with national medical inflation.

The consultant told the committee that medical inflation nationally is near 10% and that two principal cost drivers are catastrophic claims and specialty prescriptions. She said Germantown—ontrols more of those costs through self‑funding, a third‑party administrator and a stop‑loss arrangement, and by steering employees toward higher‑discount, higher‑quality providers through the district dopted Nexus tiering. "While I'm painting a pretty bleak picture here," she said, "because Germantown took this step several years ago to move to self funding, this isn't as bleak of a story." She added that the district will keep the same medical plan design for 2026 and that participants and the district face no increase in medical premiums for the plan year.

On dental, the consultant said the dental plan's loss ratio indicated it was running over budget and recommended a 5.5% increase in dental rates and the addition of "CheckUp Plus," which would make routine cleanings not count against members' annual maximums. The recommendation to add CheckUp Plus included a proposal that the district absorb the entire rate increase so employees would not see higher payroll costs. The consultant said the district's favorable medical results meant the district could absorb the modest dental increase without passing costs to employees.

Board members asked several clarifying questions about participant costs under the HSA and copay plans. One board member asked whether prescriptions under the HSA plan require meeting the full deductible before plan coverage begins; the consultant confirmed that is how an HSA deductible works but noted pharmacy discounts and integrated couponing may reduce out‑of‑pocket prices. The committee also heard that the district maintains both an HSA and a copay plan specifically so employees with high prescription costs can choose the copay option.

Following discussion, a committee member moved to forward a positive recommendation to the full board "to approve the proposed UMR options for health insurance, Delta Dental, and Delta EyeMed coverage for the 2026 plan year to include the enhancement to the Delta Dental coverage and the associated cost increase to be covered by the district with all costs noted in the Germantown School District 2026 benefit rate sheet that was provided." The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Committee members and speakers emphasized the long‑term work to move to self‑funding and the administration's monthly monitoring of plan performance. One board member praised the multi‑year effort, saying it had enhanced benefits while producing savings that could be redirected to classrooms.

The committee's recommendation will be taken up by the full Germantown School District Board at its next meeting, where the board will consider final approval of the 2026 benefit packages and rate sheet.