Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Benefits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morrison County board adopts 2026 health insurance rates, restructures HSA/HRA contributions
Summary
The board approved a 2026 health-insurance rate package that rebalances contributions to lower employee-plus costs, reduces opt‑out payments to $200 with no new enrollments, and sets open enrollment from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2; the insurance committee said the overall rate increase for 2026 was about 9.2%.
The Morrison County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7, 2025, approved the county’s 2026 health‑insurance rate sheet after a multi‑stakeholder insurance committee recommended changes designed to improve affordability for employees with dependents and to encourage consumerism.
Beth Berg, representing the insurance committee, said the committee agreed to shift some employer-funded HSA/HRA contributions away from single-coverage accounts into the employee-plus tiers to reduce monthly costs for staff covering dependents. The committee recommended a straight percentage premium increase applied across tiers and reported an overall insurance-rate increase of approximately 9.2% for 2026. Berg said the changes were negotiated to make insurance more affordable while supporting recruitment and retention.
Key changes approved by the board: - A reallocation of HSA/HRA employer contributions: single-coverage HSA/HRA contributions were reduced and those subsidy dollars were applied to employee-plus plans. - Opt‑out payment reduced to $200 and closed to new enrollments (existing opt‑outs can remain); the committee indicated opt‑out will be phased down over time. - The county’s current insurer (HealthPartners) coverage concludes after 2026; the county will go out to bid for 2027 coverage through the LOGIS pool handled by Gallagher. - Open enrollment for 2026 was set to run Oct. 15–Nov. 2, 2025.
Commissioners praised the committee’s work and noted the changes aim to keep the county competitive for recruiting staff. The board approved the rate sheet by roll-call vote; commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the 2026 rates.
Why it matters: Insurance premium structure affects employee take‑home pay, recruitment and the county’s budget. The committee said the restructuring will improve affordability for employees with families while maintaining the county’s budget commitments under the current agreements.
Implementation: The county will publish open‑enrollment materials and proceed with the LOGIS/Gallagher bid process for 2027. The insurance committee will continue to monitor enrollment and cost trends and report back as bids are evaluated.
