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Doraville council approves Kaiser renewal, adds morbid‑obesity drug coverage
Summary
The Doraville City Council voted to renew its Kaiser health plan for 2026 and approved an optional morbid‑obesity (GLP‑1) rider; staff said the rider raises the city’s renewal by about $12,000 on a roughly $1.6 million plan and increases many employees’ payroll contributions only modestly.
Doraville’s City Council voted to renew the city’s employee health coverage with Kaiser Permanente and to add a morbid‑obesity drug rider that would cover GLP‑1 medications.
One Digital broker Jquelyn Melton told the council Kaiser’s negotiated renewal was about 6 percent; adding the morbid‑obesity rider would raise the renewal to roughly 6.8 percent. Kaiser representative John Slack said the drugs are costly but the plan design calls for a specialty copay of about 20 percent for those medications. “These drugs are expensive. Um the co‑pays would be about 20% of the reasonable in‑customer charge for those drugs,” Slack said during the presentation.
Staff presented modeled costs showing the rider would add an estimated $12,000 to the city’s overall benefits budget — about $12,000 on roughly $1.6 million of annual benefits costs — and increase many employees’ premiums by only small amounts (example shown by staff: about $10 per pay period, roughly $20 per month for a family tier, depending on the plan chosen). Staff and the Kaiser representative said the benefit would be available to employees who meet medical criteria and follow a physician‑led treatment and coaching protocol.
Council members asked how many employees might be eligible and about program structure; Kaiser and One Digital said participation estimates vary but prior municipal programs reported participation rates near 20–25 percent of the eligible population in year one when coaching and enrollment steps are required. Council discussion emphasized that access to treatment would be paired with coaching and physician oversight rather than providing drugs without additional supports.
A council member moved to approve the Kaiser renewal with the morbid‑obesity rider. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll‑call vote; the roll call recorded Ray, Evans, Simmons, Coun, Armistad and Henshaw voting yes. The council directed staff and the broker to proceed with open enrollment and to provide employee communications about eligibility and program requirements.
What’s next: Staff will open enrollment under the approved renewal and provide outreach sessions to employees explaining eligibility, the coaching requirements, and how out‑of‑area prescription fills work for plan members traveling outside Kaiser’s core service area.
