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Bourbon County approves three 2026 health‑insurance options with fixed employer contributions after lengthy debate
Summary
After lengthy debate, commissioners voted to offer two 80/20 employer/employee plans and an alternate high‑deductible option for 2026, and set fixed employer contribution amounts for each coverage tier; clerk and HR will finalize enrollment materials and communication to employees.
Bourbon County commissioners voted on Nov. 10 to offer employees a set of 2026 health‑insurance options that the board described as a compromise between preserving current employer contributions and limiting the county's budget exposure.
County clerk and benefits staff outlined premium and enrollment projections and presented six plan alternatives. Commissioners debated two competing approaches: one proposal aimed to keep employer contributions close to 2025 levels with a hard dollar contribution per tier, while another recommended an employer/employee percentage split (80/20) across core plans with a separate catastrophic HSA option. Clerk Susan summarized the budget consequences and recommended staying within last year's total contribution. "I recommend that we do not exceed last year's contribution levels," she told the board.
After multiple amendments and clarifying spreadsheets, the board adopted a motion to offer (1) an 80/20 plan A, (2) an 80/20 plan B, and (3) an alternate catastrophic HSA option (Alt B3). The motion fixed employer contribution amounts for each coverage tier for 2026 rather than leaving them as a percentage to prevent runaway budget exposure. For example, the motion set the county contribution for plan A at roughly $844 toward single coverage and $2,678 toward family coverage; plan B and the alternate catastrophic option carry their own fixed employer contributions per tier as described in the approved motion.
Commissioners said the goal was to keep the county's 2026 health‑insurance line within the adopted budget while offering employees lower deductible plan choices. Commissioners also scheduled a follow‑up work session to finalize employee communications and enrollment materials — several commissioners stressed the importance of giving employees enough time to complete open enrollment options.
The vote was recorded in the meeting minutes; staff will distribute final enrollment packets and confirm payroll deductions in time for the next payroll cycle.
