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Goodhue County adopts 2025 health and dental renewals capped at 8% amid plan design changes
Summary
The county accepted insurance renewals for 2025 that hold health-premium increases to an 8% cap and incorporate deductible and out-of-pocket adjustments to align with new IRS minimums; dental renewals rise about 8.3%. The insurance committee recommended the changes and the board approved them.
Goodhue County commissioners on Sept. 17 approved the county’s 2025 health and dental insurance renewals, accepting a negotiated rate guarantee that limits the health-plan increase to 8% and adopting committee-recommended changes to deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
Human resources staff told the board the county negotiated a renewal that “is coming in at that 8%,” and stressed that without the guarantee the county’s renewal could have exceeded 50% based on medical trend and plan experience. The insurance committee recommended adjusting plan deductibles and out-of-pocket maxima to conform with updated IRS thresholds for high-deductible and minimum-value plans.
Under the recommended changes, Plan 1 (the HSA-eligible option) would see single deductibles rise by about $100 and family deductibles by about $200; Plan 2’s single out-of-pocket maximum is proposed to change from $8,050 in 2024 to $8,300 in 2025, and the family amount from $16,100 to $32,600. The county would also modestly increase its HSA employer contributions (for example, a single-plan contribution rising by about $50). Dental renewals were presented as increasing about 8.3%.
A commissioner who served on the insurance committee recommended approval “as presented,” noting the county will need to begin earlier planning in 2025 to mitigate larger premium pressure projected for 2026. The board moved and voted to accept the renewals as recommended.
The board did not adopt further plan design changes beyond those the committee proposed; commissioners indicated the insurance committee will reconvene early next year to explore bidding and other plan-design options to limit the larger increases expected in 2026.
