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Board hears details of health insurance renewal; district to increase contribution as negotiated
Summary
Shawnee Mission officials presented a detailed review of the district’s 2026 benefits renewal, citing a 9.8% medical-plan cost increase driven largely by prescription drug inflation and large claims; the board authorized renewal with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
District staff presented the proposed benefits renewal for the 2026 plan year and answered board questions before the board approved renewing the district’s medical insurance program with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Jeremy Higgins, associate superintendent of human resources, introduced the recommendation and noted the renewal figures had already been used during interest-based bargaining (IBB) negotiations. Dave Johnson, senior benefits consultant with CBIZ, explained the insurance carrier’s renewal calculations and singled out prescription drugs and a small number of very large claims as the primary drivers of cost increases.
"Last year at this time, we were negotiating the medical plan. The we ended up with a 9 and a half percent increase," Dave Johnson said,…
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