County hears ISAC health-plan renewal; board considers wellness incentive to protect discount
January 30, 2026 | Osceola County, Iowa
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County supervisors received a detailed renewal presentation from ISAC/Midwest Group Benefits (Speaker 9) covering health, dental, vision and voluntary products and recommending modest changes to plan design.
Speaker 9 said the county's group performed well and is being assigned a favorable rate due to a two-year average loss ratio near the pool's better-performing groups. He described plan design changes that generally benefit most members, including combining pharmacy and medical out-of-pocket maximums so employees paying for both will reach a single, lower out-of-pocket cap.
On funding, Speaker 9 noted the county has a substantial reserve in its partial self-fund and recommended not raising base premiums this year; he recommended increasing the partial self-fund budget by about 16% to cover program-design changes. "You have a very generous balance of over 1,200,000 in your account," Speaker 9 said, and advised the county could maintain current premiums.
Board members then discussed a wellness incentive to secure the 5% discount available through ISAC. Speaker 9 outlined an option used by other counties: a modest payroll contribution (example $50 per month for single coverage) that is refunded or removed if an employee participates in the wellness program. He emphasized the need to frame the change as an incentive, not a penalty, and recommended creating a short, vetted policy and clear employee communications.
No formal action was taken; the board directed staff to work with ISAC to develop employee communications and to return with an implementation timeline that addresses union bargaining and effective-date options (Jan. 1 or July 1).
Speaker 9 said the county's group performed well and is being assigned a favorable rate due to a two-year average loss ratio near the pool's better-performing groups. He described plan design changes that generally benefit most members, including combining pharmacy and medical out-of-pocket maximums so employees paying for both will reach a single, lower out-of-pocket cap.
On funding, Speaker 9 noted the county has a substantial reserve in its partial self-fund and recommended not raising base premiums this year; he recommended increasing the partial self-fund budget by about 16% to cover program-design changes. "You have a very generous balance of over 1,200,000 in your account," Speaker 9 said, and advised the county could maintain current premiums.
Board members then discussed a wellness incentive to secure the 5% discount available through ISAC. Speaker 9 outlined an option used by other counties: a modest payroll contribution (example $50 per month for single coverage) that is refunded or removed if an employee participates in the wellness program. He emphasized the need to frame the change as an incentive, not a penalty, and recommended creating a short, vetted policy and clear employee communications.
No formal action was taken; the board directed staff to work with ISAC to develop employee communications and to return with an implementation timeline that addresses union bargaining and effective-date options (Jan. 1 or July 1).
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