[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6241568,"mediaKeyId","3255387-d641394e73caab052d1b7b16fc479d48","parentId",3255387,"title","Rutherford County committee endorses modest 2026 increases to active employee medical plan and changes to Medicare Advantage","audioSeconds",394,"startMs",879000,"endMs",1273000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3255387-d641394e73caab052d1b7b16fc479d48&start=879&end=1273","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3255387-d641394e73caab052d1b7b16fc479d48/thumbnail_879000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6241568/Rutherford-County/Tennessee/Rutherford-County-committee-endorses-modest-2026-increases-to-active-employee-medical-plan-and-changes-to-Medicare-Advantage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241568-d1eed3a2dfd83c28c3e9855d4b6437c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112659&Signature=FVkCcyyHz4xeGjH3tFY20Hs5ABy2yArCRDKGLyrCruXcmNvyodcQ65gqABRt-mP5ZZKc9sRMo9vpY6uA45gANZB1qdRIOjB41E7Jbg~nRKHLqVyfynP1gzJaJD6SvaotP4AuQWKaXBWcL4rxOJVSWJq2m9V5Qze4DxT08dfeOw3VfYkCKnIel3zJA-bXM6XSIF0nnqyMtSUrwLCDcOFAQ3OZyiX7tghwiOc9DOJcwBXes1HKphIt2sSJFhramdjRHPLoGrpsxDDAG7RJ0hecUlt8ZXYm7l25z~gGHRf106kfS~l1Bq6Pna6bHF4JWTJKKalpR26D1zqV5dyedHnXpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Rutherford County, TN","date","2025-05-09T02:53:19Z","article","Rutherford County’s insurance and purchasing committees presented recommendations May 8 to the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee that would raise active and pre-Medicare medical premiums by about 6% for 2026 while keeping dental and vision premiums unchanged.

Ed Elam, the county’s insurance and risk management director, told the committee the recommendation came from the insurance committee and purchasing after actuarial analysis and competitive review. “The recommendation coming from the insurance committee and, forwarded to the budget committee was a 6% increase for active and and pre Medicare medical plan rates,” Elam said.

Nut graf — why it matters: The county is self-insured for medical coverage with a stop-loss policy. Changes to premiums, deductibles and benefit design affect county budget planning and employees’ out-of-pocket costs. The committee also considered the retiree Medicare Advantage plan and ancillary benefits packages that shift some costs or options to employees.

Key details:
- Stop-loss and plan funding: Staff said the county is fully self-insured with a stop-loss attachment at $500,000 per covered employee. Premiums are paid into the county’s self-insurance fund and set using an annual actuarial analysis intended to smooth rate volatility.
- High-deductible plan: In keeping with IRS guidelines, the 2026 embedded high-deductible health plan employee-only deductible will increase by $100.
- Dental and vision: No increase in premium rates for 2026 was recommended.
- Medicare Advantage (retiree) RFP: Purchasing opened the RFP for a retiree Medicare Advantage option; the committee recommended Humana Option 3 at $220.28 per member per month, down from the 2025 premium of $261 per member per month — an approximate 15% premium savings to the county’s retiree plan participants.

Votes and next steps: Committee members moved and voted to accept the insurance committee’s recommendation on the 2026 active employee health, dental and vision plan rates and separately approved the Humana Medicare Advantage option after standard roll-call procedures. Staff said some items had to be voted on separately for audit reasons.

What staff said about competitiveness and rate setting: Commissioners asked whether premiums are competitive with state plans. Elam and other staff explained rates are set using internal actuarial analysis and that the county monitors the state plan rates; the state’s official rates for 2026 had not yet been released. The county attempts to meet or exceed the state plan on several tiers but budgets conservatively to protect the self-insurance fund.

No changes were made at the meeting to Medicare Advantage benefits beyond selecting the lower-cost Humana Option 3; details about retiree cost-sharing and effective dates will follow contracting and purchasing processes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget & Finance Committee - May 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","County insurance staff recommended a 6% increase to active and pre-Medicare medical plan rates for 2026, a $100 increase in the embedded high-deductible plan deductible, no change to dental and vision premium rates, and selection of a lower-cost Medicare Advantage option for retirees.","taxTitle","Rutherford County, Tennessee","taxId",4625,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6241573,"Rutherford County bus contractors warn of insurance gap after contract change",1901,83000,1984000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3255387-d641394e73caab052d1b7b16fc479d48&start=83&end=1984","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3255387-d641394e73caab052d1b7b16fc479d48/thumbnail_83000.jpg","/articles/6241573/Rutherford-County/Tennessee/Rutherford-County-bus-contractors-warn-of-insurance-gap-after-contract-change","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6241573-944beeecfcc4ee929852c165eeecca35/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112659&Signature=ZXBZ~JTifgOerrLI9~RVQ~vF7I5WfZe4L1cQAPHQjgCNbQruhBr~GX~2Ek~g1qTnmYQ0dfau3FDB85QZy4TUhCX7LEOl600hKvTf4I-Xd8UgQbAUhxLiFWy9uvHNNDbEU~c1jjrSwIwSyuqJE7arSmGszVqMnh2TP2q-yLmPlN0Fyy9uMVGwcphOWDq2DMa0BqE9EHsIoXWQv7IjfhhXOEZ8mWuDBZGsPX25ZcbWnuZsZLx8p4OZaXNHsxDbLJammuh8E37nCgHS07eR8u-6yU1R-B7McvdSh2ubm~ODAPN-qUZoKb7AQTivVApq2lLdyRbkiVZu8R99QihaXF21AQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A contractor told the Rutherford County Budget, Finance and Investment Committee on May 8 that the county’s school bus contracts no longer include the group liability insurance that historically covered contractors, and that change could shift substantial financial risk onto each vendor.

The comment came during the committee’s public-comment period when Kim Erp of Las Casas addressed the committee about transportation contractors. Erp said the county had previously included liability insurance in the four-year contract and now that coverage is being excluded for the current contract cycle. “The liability insurance is on the children of Rutherford County Schools, which is over 30,000 children that ride the bus every day,” she said.

Why it matters: Contractors said individual firms — about 75 in the county, according to the comment — would be required to obtain their own liability insurance. Erp said the county previously established an RFP so the county would secure group coverage, and that a $4,000 per-contractor stipend (approximately $100 per bus per year) was included in the contract to help offset costs. She told the committee a group rate would almost certainly be lower than 75 separate policies and warned some contractors might decline to continue work if forced to assume the full liability themselves.

Erp said contractors feared risking personal or business assets: “You know, we’re risking our livelihood, our LLC assets, our homes, all of that to sign.” The committee did not take action during the meeting; the comment was received as public input.

What was said about next steps or constraints: During later discussion of insurance matters, staff said some insurance services must be procured through competitive bid and that a short-term extension of the existing policy would be complicated by procurement rules. The county’s insurance director said they had asked the current vendor whether the county’s bus coverage could be added into the countywide package and that the vendor declined. Staff added that an unplanned 90-day extension would likely conflict with bid-threshold procurement rules because the county must acquire insurance through an open competitive process.

The committee did not vote on any specific change to the school transportation contract or funding during the session. The comments were recorded for the committee’s consideration as staff and commissioners continue work on insurance and procurement for upcoming contracts.","A contractor raised concerns at the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee meeting that the county’s four-year school bus contract no longer includes a group liability insurance policy for contractors, potentially shifting significant risk and cost onto individual vendors and risking service disruptions.","actionData","errors"]

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Rutherford County committee endorses modest 2026 increases to active employee medical plan and changes to Medicare Advantage

Rutherford County bus contractors warn of insurance gap after contract change