Board approves Aspirus health-plan renewal; employees on broad network to pay higher share

District staff recommended and the board approved renewal with Aspirus Health for the 2026 plan year and a change in employee premium contributions for the broad network plan. Finance staff said Aspirus returned renewal rates of roughly 8% for the Signature (narrow network) plan and 15% for the Freedom (broad network) plan. Staff reported the Signature plan’s claims loss ratio was about 59% while the Freedom plan’s was about 140%, and recommended raising the employee monthly contribution on Freedom from 5% to 10% to reflect higher claims costs and encourage selection of the lower-cost option. Staff reported roughly two-thirds of covered employees are on the Signature plan and one-third on Freedom. Staff presented estimated employee impacts: increasing the Freedom contribution to 10% would add about $120 per month for a family plan (approximately $55 per payroll) and about $49 per month for single coverage (approximately $22 per payroll), based on 26 payrolls. Staff said the district still contributes more toward Freedom plans after the change. No self‑funding option was adopted because bids came back significantly higher. A board motion to approve the Aspirus renewal and the contribution increase carried on a voice vote.