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Board approves switching employee health plan to Asbait for 2026'027
Summary
The J O Combs Unified School District board voted 5-0 to approve Asbait as the district's employee medical insurance provider for 2026'027, a change staff said would lower next-year costs districtwide and cap medical increases at no more than 5% for two years.
The J O Combs Unified School District Board voted unanimously to approve Asbait as the district's employee medical insurance provider for the 2026'027 plan year.
A staff member told trustees the board needed to decide before April 1 so the district would not miss renewal deadlines with its other vendor. The staff member said Kyros's renewal quote included a 17.2% increase and that Asbait's proposal would produce a savings of "roughly $200,000" compared with renewing, while capping medical increases at "no more than a 5% increase for the next two years." The staff member said the two carriers' core medical plans are largely comparable and that the district would provide employees with details during open enrollment.
Trustees asked how the change would affect individual employees. The staff member said most employees and family plans would see decreased costs under the Asbait option, but about 100 employees who currently "buy up" to higher-tier plans could see a small increase in their out-of-pocket premium; the staff member illustrated that a 17% rate change could translate to "about $3 a pay period" for that subgroup.
The staff member also warned that a network change (the transcript references moving from "United Health" to a carrier transcribed as "Etna/Etnerbanner") could affect some employees whose providers are out of the new network. The district said it would publish a staff update once final numbers for medical, life, dental and vision are confirmed and would run an open-enrollment period for employees to make choices.
A board member moved to approve the Asbait employee medical insurance plan provider and benefits package "for 2026 2027 as presented." The motion was seconded and passed by a five-to-zero vote.
The board did not provide a calendar date for when final contracts would be signed or when the district would publish the complete benefits packet; staff said those details would be communicated to employees before open enrollment.
