Oconomowoc Area School District selects Solidaritas as recommended on-site clinic provider; approval contingent on move to self-funded insurance

The Oconomowoc Area School District Board voted to approve Solidaritas as the district's recommended on-site clinic provider, to be implemented only if the district elects to move to a self-funded health insurance plan for the 2025'26 year. The motion, as amended to cap the clinic agreement at up to two years, carried on a recorded roll-call vote, 6 to 1.

Administrators said the on-site clinic is part of a broader strategy to stabilize the district's health-care spending and improve access for employees. "Our goal is to ensure that our healthcare remains both affordable and accessible, supporting the well-being of staff while maintaining fiscal sustainability and responsibility," said Beth, an administration presenter, who led the clinic recommendation and explained the vendor-selection process.

The district issued an RFP in September; staff reported 10 providers were solicited, eight submitted proposals, and a 10-person evaluation team narrowed responses to three finalists: NeoPath, Solidaritas and Innovia. Solidaritas ranked highest on the district's rubric, which evaluated provider experience with school districts, scope of services (including worker's compensation support and biometric screenings), implementation plans, quality assurance/references, and reporting/data analytics. Administrators said Solidaritas also proposed the most competitive costs in the district's comparison.

Board members debated contract length, safeguards for underutilization and the relationship between a clinic and a self-funded insurance model. One board member warned of risk if utilization is low; another described the clinic as an important lever to achieve return on investment after a shift to self-funding. Administrators said the district will survey staff in January and use outreach and early incentives to encourage adoption of the clinic, noting that a full return-on-investment analysis typically requires two to three years of utilization data.

Administrators provided context about district health spending and insurer trends: staff said the district's current total health-care spend is roughly $6,000,000 per year and that the current renewal cap with the existing insurer is about 9.9 percent; without such caps, staff indicated renewal pressure might approach the high-teens percentage range. The board's amendment requires administration to negotiate contract terms that include an off-ramp or term review and limits the initial contract to a maximum of two years.

The final, amended motion read: approve Solidaritas as the on-site clinic provider as recommended by administration, to be implemented if the district adopts self-funded health insurance for 2025'26, with contract negotiations to include a term not to exceed two years and negotiated off-ramps. Megan conducted the roll-call vote; recorded votes were: Mr. Baumann Aye; Mr. Kariko Aye; Mrs. Karnowski Aye; Mr. Ninman Aye; Mr. Thill Nay; Mr. Wood Aye; Mrs. Merckx Aye. "Ayes have it," the chair said, and the motion carried.

Next steps identified by staff include contract negotiations with Solidaritas (including negotiated term limits and termination provisions), a January staff survey on clinic utilization and preferences, and a final April decision about whether to transition the district to self-funded insurance for 2025'26. If the district does not move to a self-funded model, staff indicated the district would not open the on-site clinic.

Notes on vendor name and transcript variants: the transcript includes multiple spellings of the recommended provider (for example, Solidaridis, Solidaras, Solidaris); the administration recommended the vendor spelled here as Solidaritas for consistency with the vendor name presented during the recommendation.