DeKalb holds retiree premiums flat after pharmacy change; Kaiser plan to rise 6%

DeKalb County’s IRPS committee approved renewal rates for Medicare retiree coverage for plan year beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Benefits staff reported negotiated renewals that hold Aetna gross rates flat at $223.64 per month for roughly 2,800 Medicare retirees by switching the Aetna pharmacy benefit to CVS Caremark. That change avoided an estimated $800,000 increase that would have applied under Aetna’s pharmacy administration.

For the smaller group of retirees enrolled in Kaiser, staff said Kaiser proposed a 6% increase that would move the gross rate to $222.59 per month; there were no plan design changes proposed for Kaiser enrollees. Benefits staff emphasized that the gross rates are the amounts the county pays; the retiree premium share was reported as approximately $93.84 per month for Aetna enrollees and $93.60 for Kaiser enrollees.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about plan-year timing and whether retirees would face higher premiums; staff said the negotiated renewal yields no increase in member premiums and no change to benefits for Aetna participants. The committee approved the gross rates by voice vote; the transcript records one commissioner abstaining.