Kaufman County approves HEBP 2025–26 renewal; county to absorb employee premium increase

Kaufman County Commissioners Court approved the Health Employee Benefits Pool (HEBP) 2025–26 renewal during its regular meeting at the annex building Tuesday, voting to accept a county-specific increase of 5.2% and to have the county cover the per-employee cost.

The renewal matters because the pooled plan overall required a 6% increase; Kaufman County’s 5.2% renewal means the county’s claims were better than the pool average, county staff said. The county will also absorb a separate dental renewal increase of 12.7%.

Cathy Davenport, the meeting presenter, said the pooled plan’s overall “pool needed amount” settled at 6% but Kaufman County outperformed the pool, arriving at a 5.2% renewal. “Your claims experience or loss ratio is running at 94%. So what that means is you are running right at a breakeven point,” Davenport said. She told the court the pool’s principal statewide cost drivers were cancer claims and an increase in high‑cost individual claimants. “Cancer was our number 1 cost driver, and those costs increased over 6%,” she said.

Davenport described dental plan changes pushed by market demand — removing age limits on orthodontics and covering implants — and said those changes tripled dental claims in some groups. The dental renewal averaged a 12.7% increase, she said. The county’s auditor asked for the per‑employee cost the county would pay if it picked up the increase; the auditor calculated about $619–$620 per individual.

Davenport also said two administrative steps must accompany renewal: signing a current interlocal agreement with TAC HEBP and completing a HIPAA certification process. She said outside counsel advised that some groups had not signed updated interlocal agreements since the early 2000s and that the HIPAA certification adds legal protection when personal health information is shared for plan management. Davenport said the pool does not provide the HIPAA training but can point to free online training options.

Commissioner Phillips moved to approve the renewal and the associated documents; Commissioner Boyle seconded. The court voted in favor. The motion carried.

The court’s action covers the plan renewal, acceptance of the dental renewal, and agreement to pick up the identified employee cost; staff said they will provide the interlocal and HIPAA certification materials for signatures and implementation.

Details the court cited in debate — the pool’s 6% baseline, Kaufman County’s 5.2% renewal, the dental 12.7% increase, the county incentive (one PTO day for employees who receive an annual physical) and the $619–$620 per‑person cost estimate — were provided to the court by Davenport and the county auditor during the item presentation. The court’s motion to approve carried unanimously.