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Barry County adopts 2026 employee health plans; adds Priority Health HSA option
Summary
The Barry County Board of Commissioners approved a set of health insurance plans for 2026 recommended by the county Health Care Cost Containment Committee, including a new Priority Health HSA option alongside three renewed Blue Cross plans; county staff said the move limits next year's premium increase compared with market rates.
The Barry County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the county’s recommended employee health plans for 2026, keeping three Blue Cross options and adding a Priority Health high-deductible HSA plan that county staff said will allow some employees to enroll without a premium contribution.
County staff said the change comes through the West Michigan Health Pool, a self-funded pool the county joined last year. A staff presenter said, “By being in the pool ... the average increase this year for the pool was 9.1%,” and that the county’s negotiated increase was reduced to 8.35% because of its lower loss ratio.
The Health Care Cost Containment Committee recommended renewing three Blue Cross PPO plans and offering one Priority Health HSA plan. County staff described the Priority Health option as a PPO-style HSA plan that will behave differently in coverage details and network composition from the Blue Cross plans and cautioned that some employees could face higher deductibles. “There are some pretty high deductibles with some of these HSA plans,” the presenter said.
Commissioners and staff discussed how employer HSA deposits are set. The presenter explained that employer contributions follow the state’s PA 152 caps and that the county deposits monthly on all but one two-person plan; the deposits vary because the state cap formula does not match how insurance carriers price two-person coverage.
Commissioner questions focused on employee education and how the county will explain network differences and prior authorizations during open enrollment. Staff said Gallagher, which administers the pool, will prepare a guide, and that open enrollment is planned to start Nov. 12 with in-person assistance available for employees.
Commissioner Bruce Campbell moved to approve the 2026 plans as recommended by the committee; the motion was supported by Commissioner Bassett and passed on a roll-call vote.
What this means: employees will have, for 2026, both Blue Cross and Priority Health network options; the county anticipates an 8.35% premium increase for county coverage, smaller than the carriers’ market averages cited by staff (Blue Cross about 15.5%, Priority Health about 13%). Staff warned some employees choosing HSA plans may face higher out-of-pocket costs depending on plan choice.
The board’s resolution approving the plans was approved during the meeting and staff said they will post summary of benefits and other enrollment materials to the county intranet ahead of the open-enrollment period.
Votes and next steps: County staff will publish plan summaries and Gallagher will provide enrollment support in November. Commissioners said they will monitor utilization trends and pharmaceutical drivers of cost into next year.
