Board approves Cochise Combined Trust premium rates; county employer cost rises about $462,931

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24 approved the Cochise Combined Trust premium rate structure for medical, dental and vision benefits covering fiscal year 2026-27.

HR director Carrie Graham (identified in the meeting as Miss Graham) and County Administrator Sharon Gilman presented plan enrollment and benefit changes. The trust covers Cochise County, Cochise College and Central Arizona College; the county's estimated active-employee participant count is 725, the presenters said.

Staff said plan participation is expected to be about 45% in the EPO (80/20 cost sharing), 43% in the high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with associated health-savings-account eligibility, and 12% in an EPO buy-up option. The trust will move the medical network to Blue Cross Blue Shield's national network and change dental administration to Humana to lower per-member costs. Telemedicine vendor changes and new wellness vendors were also announced.

Graham told the board the trust experienced a challenging claim year with several high-cost claims, and an actuary recommended rate adjustments to keep the trust healthy. County Administrator Sharon Gilman said the estimated increase in employer premiums to the county budget is approximately $462,931 and that, absent employee rate changes, the plan-level increase could have been substantially larger. Supervisors discussed the tradeoffs between employee costs and recruiting/retention.

After questions, the board approved the recommended premium-rate structure; recorded vote was 2-0 with one not voting.