Washington County school board raises family HSA to $3,000 for employees on high-deductible plan

The Washington County Public Schools board on Thursday approved increasing the district—s employer contribution to employees' health savings accounts to $3,000 for those who choose the family high-deductible health plan, while leaving the $2,400 HSA amount in place for other enrollment tiers.

Superintendent Dr. Perrigan said the change is aimed at strengthening employee benefits while encouraging enrollment in the district's high-deductible plan. "I'm recommending that we do for this upcoming year ... increase the health savings account to $3,000 for employees who choose the family high deductible plan," he told the board during the meeting.

The board heard figures prepared by staff showing possible savings if employees switch plans. Dr. Perrigan said that if 125 employees on other family-level plans switched to the high-deductible family plan, the division would save about $57,000 in premiums; the same shift could save employees collectively about $400,000 annually depending on their prior plan. The superintendent also reported that the division ended the prior year with 174 employees enrolled in the high-deductible plan and that claims fell by nearly $600,000 year-over-year as enrollment in the plan rose.

The approved change applies only to the family high-deductible option; employees who remain on employee-only, employee-plus-child or employee-plus-spouse high-deductible tiers will continue to receive a $2,400 HSA contribution. Staff said open enrollment begins Wednesday and that employees who do not take action will remain on their current plan unless they change it.

Board members asked about employee experience and program uptake; Dr. Perrigan said staff had received mostly positive feedback from those who switched and that the division would track movement in and out of the plan during the next open-enrollment cycle. He described the package as "a no lose situation for the division and really a no lose situation for the employees," reflecting the administration's view that, under current pricing, the family HSA increase is a recruitment and retention tool.

Staff also noted practical details reported to the board: the high-deductible family plan carries a $6,000 family out-of-pocket maximum; the district previously increased the HSA from $1,500 to $2,400 for earlier plan years; and the proposed $3,000 amount would be applied only to the family high-deductible option to preserve budget neutrality for other tiers.

The board moved and seconded the measure; the motion passed on a voice vote. The administration said it will include tracking data in future reports to show enrollment shifts and claims trends.

Next steps: the $3,000 family HSA will be available to employees who elect the family high-deductible plan during the upcoming open-enrollment window.