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Meade County switches to Wellmark for 2025 health plan, approves related benefits and $1-an-hour COLA
Summary
County HR recommended switching from Avera to Wellmark for 2025 to secure network flexibility and an estimated $26,032 total premium savings; the commission approved the Wellmark proposal, MetLife dental and vision renewals, added MASA ambulance transport coverage pending contract posting, and approved a $1/hour COLA to be applied to county staff.
The Meade County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 24 to adopt a new health-insurance proposal for 2025 that moves county coverage from Avera to Wellmark and to adopt several ancillary benefit changes the human-resources director described as both employee-focused and cost-conscious.
Deborah Bransford, the county HR director, told commissioners that Wellmark’s proposal would raise the office co-pay from $20 to $25 but provide broader network access (including Mayo and East River providers) and produce an estimated $26,032 reduction in the full premium compared with the Avera renewal offer. Bransford also recommended keeping dental and vision with MetLife (small dental increase noted) and adding an employer-paid MASA Access Plus ambulance-transport plan for employees at about $8 per employee per month (employees could add family coverage during open enrollment for an additional fee).
The board voted to include the Wellmark plan in the 2025 budget and approved the MetLife dental and vision renewals and the MetLife basic term-life policy. Commissioners directed HR to post the MASA Access contract for action at the next meeting and approved adding the county-paid employee portion for the transport coverage to the 2025 budget. Bransford also presented a MetLife short-term disability option (11-week benefit with a 14-day waiting period); commissioners asked for more information and continued that discussion to a future meeting.
At the same session the board approved a $1-per-hour across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment for county employees (full- and part-time). HR estimated the immediate cost for the COLA at about $273,520 (for 118 full-time employees) and total employer cost including taxes and retirement contributions at roughly $305,000; commissioners approved including the COLA in the budget and directed staff to proceed with a planned classification-and-compensation study (Condrey & Associates, ~ $27,000) to be implemented in the coming year.
What this means: employees will see the $1-an-hour COLA reflected in their pay; the health-plan change is expected to broaden provider access while holding premiums approximately flat versus last year’s effective cost after negotiation. The ambulance transport option, if finalized, would reduce the out-of-pocket risk employees face for emergency ground and air transport.
