Board names Alliant Insurance broker of record for medical as district seeks alternatives to current self‑insured arrangement

The Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to make Alliant Insurance Services Inc. the district’s broker of record for medical benefits, effective Oct. 1, 2025. The appointment, approved by a majority vote at the July 9 meeting, expands Alliant’s role; the firm already serves as the district’s broker for dental, vision and voluntary benefits.

District staff said the appointment will let Alliant “go out to the market on the district’s behalf” to seek carrier options, cost estimates and implementation plans. “We are out in the market currently trying to survey and turn over every rock we possibly can,” Katie Huddleston, Alliant vice president, told trustees during the presentation. She said Alliant will return with detailed bids and, when a carrier declines to quote, a written explanation of why it refused so the district and board can consider next steps.

Why it matters: The district has for several years operated with a self-insured medical program and a stop‑loss arrangement through a captive (Pareto). Trustees and staff said that option has left the district exposed to rising claims and limited purchasing alternatives: some pools that previously provided quotations (CVT and SISC) declined to quote for the coming year. Trustees expressed concern about the number of employees who waive district coverage — a factor insurers consider when pricing groups — and about how any change would affect employees who have already met calendar-year deductibles.

What the presenters said: Huddleston described Alliant as a national public‑entity broker with experience in school districts and public pools. She said underwriters assess employer groups on metrics such as the share of retirees, the district’s Kaiser enrollment, the percentage of eligible employees enrolled in district medical plans and the size of waiver populations. She urged that the district and unions consider steps that could reduce the waiver rate, which Alliant said currently exceeds desirable thresholds for some pooled purchasing options.

District staff and trustees repeatedly raised short‑term and long‑term risks. Robert Norton, a cabinet presenter for the agenda item, told trustees the district has been “very fortunate to have [its] plan,” but preliminary CalPERS rate guidance released by CalPERS showed increases of about 11 percent for the gold PPO and about 13 percent for the richer platinum PPO for the next year; Huddleston said CalPERS historically has not materially changed preliminary rates at final release, which typically occurs in July. Trustees and public commenters urged district leaders to consider impacts to employees who face multiple deductible resets if the district changes carriers mid‑year.

Public comment: Multiple speakers raised concerns about employees’ out‑of‑pocket exposure. Public commenter Ronnie Gold asked trustees to account for employees who had already met a deductible for the calendar year and how a change of plan would affect them.

Board action: A motion to appoint Alliant as broker of record for medical was moved and seconded and passed by the board. Recorded votes were read into the record and the motion carried.