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PEB board approves 2026 Medicare retiree plans and premiums from multiple carriers
Summary
The Public Employees Benefits Board voted to adopt 2026 Medicare retiree premiums and plan offerings for several carriers, establishing a suite of Medicare portfolio plans for retirees after unanimous and majority roll‑call approvals. Staff said the subsidy and support materials will be shown each year.
The Public Employees Benefits Board on a series of roll‑call votes this morning adopted carrier‑specific resolutions authorizing 2026 Medicare retiree plan premiums and benefit designs for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, UnitedHealthcare, Premera and the Uniform Medical Plan classic with Part D.
Molly Christie, a fiscal analyst with HCA's finance team, told the board these were the 2026 Medicare retiree premiums previously reviewed and that the adopted premium packages include minor benefit changes discussed at the June 26 meeting. "These premiums also include the minor benefit changes that Laura discussed on June 26," Christie said. Staff emphasized that until the board acts, no 2026 Medicare plans exist for PEB retirees, and that the votes create a suite of plans for next year.
Board members considered each carrier resolution individually and recorded roll‑call votes. For example, the Kaiser Northwest resolution was adopted with a mix of yes and no votes but a majority in favor; other carrier resolutions passed with similar roll‑call tallies. After the votes, Dave (HCA staff) summarized the process, saying the formal vote moves the work from plan development into implementation: "Ten minutes ago, we had no plans. Now we have a suite of plans." He credited the finance and procurement teams and said operational details will follow in board materials.
The board also approved language allowing HCA to lower a UMP premium if federal programs (such as CMS demonstrations) reduce costs, noting open‑enrollment timelines may affect final operational rates. Staff said they will include clear subsidy and rate math in future materials so members can find the statutory cap and understand how the explicit subsidy is applied.
The board adjourned the Medicare portion of its agenda and moved to non‑Medicare presentations, scheduling votes on the non‑Medicare premium resolutions for the next board meeting.
