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Board approves Delta Dental renewal and a higher-deductible Quartz health plan after market review
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Summary
After hearing market analysis from m3 Insurance and staff, the Beaver Dam Unified School District board approved a Delta Dental renewal (4.5% increase) and a move to a higher-deductible Quartz health plan with a 3.6% overall premium increase plus one-year increased HSA contributions ($750 individual, $1,500 family).
The Beaver Dam Unified School District board voted to renew its dental plan with Delta Dental at a 4.5% premium increase and to remain with Quartz for medical coverage while shifting employees to a higher-deductible plan that lowers district cost growth. The medical motion, approved separately, also includes a one-year employer HSA contribution increase of $750 for individuals and $1,500 for families.
Administration and benefits consultant Brianna Hellebrand of m3 Insurance presented the district with multiple quotes and market context. Hellebrand described a difficult renewal season for many districts, citing double-digit increases across the state and medical trend estimates of 8–9%. Officials said the district’s medical loss ratio has risen (reported around 102.5), which reduces carriers’ incentive to offer low renewals without plan design changes.
Staff showed that a status-quo Quartz renewal would produce higher increases across some plan designs (the baseline Quartz renewal shown in materials was about 12.8% in one scenario), while Dean and other bidders produced mixed proposals: Dean’s standard bid was roughly a 5% increase with possible provider disruption under some network options, while national carriers either declined to quote competitive caps or came in at substantially higher rates. Administration said a narrow-network “Dean Focus” option would reduce cost but cause significant provider access disruptions for staff who rely on UW Health system providers.
Given staff survey feedback and an analysis of network access, administration recommended two separate motions: accept Delta Dental option 1 (4.5% increase) and, for medical coverage, remain with Quartz but adopt the higher-deductible plan design that yields an estimated 3.6% overall premium increase district-wide. In presenting the recommendation, staff emphasized balancing fiscal responsibility with minimizing disruption for employees who already have established provider relationships.
Board members pressed staff and Hellebrand on rate caps for 2027–28, the effect of moving to higher deductibles on claims experience, and whether a different carrier (Anthem, UHC) could improve provider access despite higher initial premiums. Hellebrand warned that some carriers were not providing multi‑year caps and that network ownership changes (including hospital ownership) could alter in‑network access and will be monitored.
The medical motion was moved from the floor and approved by roll-call vote. The dental renewal motion was approved in a separate roll-call vote.
Next steps: administration will implement the renewals for the 2026–27 plan year with the approved plan designs and the one-year HSA contribution increase, continue to monitor network changes and market developments, and revisit options in future procurement cycles if warranted.
