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Fremont County approves 2026–27 employee health‑plan renewals; costs projected to rise about 12%
Summary
The Fremont County Commissioners accepted Executive Health Committee recommendations to renew vendors for the 2026–27 employee health plan, projecting total fixed plan costs to rise roughly 12% to about $1.1 million and authorizing signatures on contracts effective July 1, 2026.
The Fremont County Commissioners on April 21 voted unanimously to accept the Executive Health Committee’s recommendations for the county’s employee health‑plan renewals for fiscal year 2026–27.
Treasurer Jim Anderson, representing the Executive Health Committee, presented the vendor renewals and rate changes for a budgeted enrollment of 235 members. Anderson said the county should renew Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming as the third‑party administrator with a 6% increase, retain MDLive for telemedicine with no increase, accept a 14% increase from VOYA for stop‑loss coverage, a 9% increase from Optum, and a roughly 5% decrease from Work Partners/KnovaSolutions. “Total fixed plan costs are projected to rise about 12%, from approximately $990,000 to $1.1 million,” Anderson told commissioners.
The commission authorized signatures on contracts with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming, VOYA/Reliastar, Optum, Work Partners/KnovaSolutions and MDLive effective July 1, 2026. Commissioners approved the action on a motion by Clarence Thomas, seconded by Jennifer Wilson; the motion carried unanimously.
The minutes note mandated plan changes that will be implemented under the renewals, including coverage for cochlear implants and bone‑anchored hearing aids and adjustments to dental benefits to meet or exceed industry norms. The county has not yet finalized employee contribution changes; Anderson said reserves were expected to help minimize increases but specific employee premium changes were "not specified" in the minutes.
Next steps include executing the vendor contracts and finalizing actuarial calculations and any employee contribution adjustments before the July 1 effective date.
