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Washtenaw County approves 2026 health plans, keeps employer HSA contributions steady
Summary
County officials approved renewing 2026 medical plans with deductible adjustments, maintained the employer HSA contribution rate and approved switching dental/vision (and some ancillary lines) to Kansas City Life; staff said negotiated premium increases were reduced to about 5.69% from an expected near 15%.
The Washtenaw County board approved a package of employee benefit changes for 2026 that keeps the county's Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contribution at its current rate, adjusts deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, and moves dental and vision coverage (and certain ancillary lines) to Kansas City Life.
Speaker 3 introduced the motion to renew the 2026 medical plans with modified deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums and to maintain the current employer HSA contribution. Speaker 6, who spoke at length during the discussion, said county staff met with brokers and colleagues and negotiated results that substantially reduced projected premium increases. "We were able to... got this year's increase down from where we were thinking at close to 15% to 5.69%," Speaker 6 said in the meeting record. Speaker 4 added that the deductible increase for HSA-eligible plans was driven by federal IRS limits rather than a local decision.
The board approved the motion by roll call; the transcript records affirmative votes from members called during the roll call and records the motion as passed unanimously. The record notes that switching carriers for dental and vision to Kansas City Life was projected to save money while preserving benefit levels for employees and that OneAmerica covers some of the existing ancillary lines being replaced.
What happens next: Human Resources will implement the plan renewals and carrier changes for the 2026 plan year and apply the negotiated rates and deductible structures to employee enrollments. The record does not list specific effective dates beyond the 2026 plan-year references or itemized premium schedules in the transcript.
