Lubbock Independent School District staff presented final recommendations for the district’s 2026 employee health plan and previewed proposed premium changes and vendor selections to trustees during the workshop.

The district recommended continuing University Medical Center Physicians (UMCP) for the district’s zero-copay clinic network, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas for both medical and dental coverage, and CVS for prescription benefits, after evaluating multiple proposals. Lisa Thompson, who led the presentation, said the district solicited proposals and used a best-and-final process to evaluate vendors.

Why it matters: the district is a self-funded plan that sets premiums, contributions and wellness credits locally. Thompson said district contributions remain higher than neighboring districts’ contributions, and the district uses wellness incentives and no-copay clinic access as part of its benefit design.

Key points reported to the board

- Vendor recommendations: UMCP for zero-copay clinics; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas for medical and dental; CVS for prescription services.
- District contribution: Thompson said the district remains the highest local-district contributor in comparison materials provided to trustees.
- Wellness credits and programs: the district’s wellness program provides premium credits—Thompson said approximately $1.2 million of the $1.5 million total in premium credits supports employee participation in wellness programs, gym reimbursements, diabetes programs and zero-copay prescriptions.
- Recent infusion to the self-funded plan: Thompson said the district used designated funds to infuse the plan “about a million” dollars on the prior day to cover rising costs and recent high-cost claims.

Implementation and timeline: trustees were told the district’s benefits calendar runs January–December. Thompson said staff expects to present final adoption recommendations at the August 28 board meeting and that these recommendations will affect the 2026 plan year.

Discussion vs. action: the presentation was informational; trustees did not vote on plan adoption at the workshop. Thompson invited questions about comparative premiums and acknowledged a recent premium change by neighboring Lubbock-Cooper ISD that was factored into the materials presented. She noted that some comparisons are not apples-to-apples because districts run different plan types (self-funded vs. fully insured).

Next steps: staff will finalize vendor contracts, present the formal 2026 plan recommendation and any premium changes for board consideration in late August, and continue communications to employees about impacts. Thompson said the district has communicated proposed changes to employees multiple times and will continue outreach.