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Southwest ISD board approves switching employee health coverage to EveryHealth
Summary
Trustees voted to adopt EveryHealth as the district's recommended 2026'27 employee medical benefits provider after staff presented cost comparisons with Blue Cross Blue Shield and highlighted EveryHealth features such as $0 deductibles for some plans and a $400 district contribution to premiums.
Board members on the Southwest ISD Board of Trustees voted to recommend EveryHealth as the district's employee medical benefits provider for the 2026'27 plan year and to proceed with contract negotiations and enrollment planning.
Brandon, the district benefits presenter, told the board that recent claims experience had left the district 'upside down' with Blue Cross Blue Shield and that renewal proposals from Blue Cross would have produced very large premium increases. He said the district's broker solicited bids and EveryHealth offered plan options the staff judged more affordable for employees while reducing out‑of‑pocket costs for care.
Staff described three EveryHealth plan tiers: a high deductible option, an EPO (Texas network) option and a PPO (prime) option. Key features highlighted by staff included $0 deductibles for EPO and PPO options, $0 generic prescription costs, $0 telehealth and a network of urgent‑care clinics (Next Level Prime) that would be available to district employees. Staff also described additional member services ' including digital wellness tools, care coordinators and rewards programs ' intended to lower out‑of‑pocket spending and improve preventive care use.
The presenter said the district contributes $400 monthly toward each employee's premium, reducing the effective premium employees pay. Example employee‑only monthly premiums cited for EveryHealth plans were $132 (HD plan), $261 (EPO) and $488 (PPO) before the district contribution.
After questions and brief discussion, a motion to approve the recommendation and move forward with EveryHealth was made and the board voted to approve the action. Staff said an enrollment kickoff with EveryHealth was planned for the next day and that the district will run additional summer education sessions and early enrollment in August to prepare employees for a September 1 effective date.
The board's vote on the recommendation was recorded as 'motion passes' in the meeting minutes; no roll‑call tally was announced on the record.
