Personnel Committee votes to switch Zeeland's 2026 dental plan to ADN pool, citing broader provider access and savings

City Manager Klunder told the Personnel Committee on Nov. 25 that staff recommend switching the city's 2026 dental coverage from Delta Dental to the ADN Pool Dental Network, citing repeated employee reports that some local dentists and providers no longer accept Delta because of low reimbursement rates. Klunder said the recommended ADN plan would provide the same coverage levels as the current Delta plan while offering a larger local provider network.

Klunder attributed the recommendation to work done by HR Specialist Melanie Hellenthal, saying staff began exploring alternatives last year after receiving provider-access complaints. According to staff, ADN's premiums would be about 7% lower for the city and for the Zeeland Board of Public Works while maintaining comparable benefit levels.

BPW Chair Boerman moved to adopt the ADN pool dental plan for 2026; the motion was seconded by Council Member/Mayor-Elect VanDorp and carried with the committee recorded as "all in favor." The minutes entry records that the city received a quote from Delta Dental showing no premium increase for 2026, but staff and employees highlighted network access problems as the primary reason for recommending the switch.

The switch will change the administrative network used by employees to find participating dental providers; staff said the ADN pool operates similarly to the city's health insurance pool. The committee did not record individual roll-call votes in the minutes; the motion was recorded as passed unanimously.