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Portage Council approves one-year Blue Cross renewal, continues PA 152 exemption amid rising premiums
Summary
The Portage City Council approved a one-year renewal with Blue Cross Blue Shield, a four-year EyeMed vision renewal and continued an exemption from Public Act 152 for the 2026 plan year after members questioned steep, recent premium increases and limited market responses to the city's bid process.
The Portage City Council voted Nov. 5 to renew employee health coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for one year, approve a multi-year vision contract with EyeMed for some employee groups, and continue the city's exemption from Public Act 152 for the 2026 medical benefits plan year.
Council members pressed staff for more detail about sharp premium increases. “Included in the detail here is last year, these costs went up 25%, and this year up 15%,” Council member Burns said during the discussion, noting that compounded increases approach roughly 50% over two years. City Manager Pat McGinnis told the council “the…
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