Council accepts Pan‑American option for 2026 health insurance; employees face modest weekly increases

Seaford — The City Council voted unanimously to accept the Pan‑American proposal (option 1D) for the 2026 employee health insurance renewal, following a staff recommendation from June Merritt, the city's director of human resources and finance.

"Based on the information provided by Integra, we are recommending that we go with Pan‑American option 1D," Merritt told the council, then summarized projected premium changes: single coverage would increase by about $15 per week, employee‑child coverage by about $5.68 per week and employee‑spouse or family coverage by about $8.88 per week.

The recommendation was put to a motion by Councilman Alan Quillin and seconded by Councilman Mike Bradley. The council approved the plan on a voice vote with no recorded dissents.

Why it matters: The plan change affects the weekly take‑home pay of city employees and the city's benefit budget. Merritt said staff ran the proposal through their spreadsheet and "we're not recommending any changes in percentages at this point, but just based off of the increase."

What’s next: The council did not direct any additional changes; the motion approved the staff recommendation as presented. Any implementation details, employee notices or open‑enrollment timing were not specified during the discussion.

Speakers referenced in this article: June Merritt, director of human resources and finance; Councilman Alan Quillin; Councilman Mike Bradley.