Cedar County hires Assured Partners as broker and Midwest Benefits Group as TPA for July 1 insurance renewal

The Cedar County Board of Supervisors voted May 19 to hire Assured Partners, a Gallagher company, as the county’s health insurance broker and Midwest Benefits Group as a third-party administrator effective July 1, 2026.

Judi Hamaker of Heartland Insurance Risk Pool presented renewal information for the July 1, 2026 renewal. An Assured Partners representative told the Board that the deadline to enroll in the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) health plan for the July 1 renewal had passed, but proposed serving as the county’s agent of record for the July 1 Wellmark renewal and reviewing the county’s eligibility for ISAC in the fall with the intent to transition effective Jan. 1, 2027 if eligible.

Supervisor Kaufmann moved to approve hiring Assured Partners for brokerage services and Midwest Benefits Group for third-party administrator services effective July 1, 2026; Supervisor Barnhart seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

The decision establishes immediate vendor support for the upcoming July 1 renewal and sets a timeline for staff and the broker to evaluate longer-term plan options, including potential transition to the ISAC plan in January 2027. The Board recorded no additional funding action or contract amount at the meeting; details of any fees or contract terms were not specified.