MC Commissioners OK 2026 health insurance rates

For Miami Valley Today

TROY — During their Thursday, Oct. 2, meeting, the Miami County Commissioners approved the health and dental as well as supplemental benefits insurance rates for 2026 for Miami County employees.

The commissioners approved the health insurance monthly rates through a partnership with County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO) that was broken down by the employee share and employer share for 2026. The rates will be effective on Jan. 1, 2026, with two plans for four enrollment tiers each. Payroll deductions for the 2026 plan year will begin with the first payroll processed in December 2025. COBRA rates will be the total monthly premium plus a two percent administrative fee.

The monthly health insurance rates for the HDHP Plan for the employee is $111.08; employee and child, $199.60; employee and spouse, $244.70 and family, $333.22. For the PPO plan, for the employee, the rate is $209.00; for the employee and child, $375.58; for the employee and spouse, $460.42 and family, $627.00.

The commissioners also adopted the 2026 dental premiums contract renewal with Principal of Des Moines, Iowa. The monthly rate for the employee share under Plan A (Low) is employee, $32.58; employee and child, $67.50; employee and spouse, $60.40 and family, $111.40. Plan B (High) is employee, $50.62; employee and child, $105.84; employee and spouse, $95.76, and family, $175.40. That contract will take effect on January 1, 2026.

The commissioners also authorized and signed the Master Application with Assurity Life Insurance Company, Lincoln, Nebraska to offer the following supplemental benefits, including critical care, accident, short-term, disability income, hospital indemnity and term life. Assurity will replace Aflac as the sole provider of supplemental benefits effective January 1, 2026. All supplemental benefits listed will be employee-paid.

The commissioners also authorized and signed the 2026 Rate Renewal Acceptance with the County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio, Inc. (CEBCO), which confirms the 10.9 percent renewal rates as recommended by the Miami County Human Services Director Angela Lewis. On October 1, 2024, by Resolution No. 24-10-1125, the commissioners authorized and signed a CEBCO Participation Agreement in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code (O.R.C.) Section 9.833 to cover the risks in the agreement.

Lewis told the commissioners that the dental premiums are "considerably higher than we would like to have seen." Miami County Commissioner Wade Westfall noted that the dental plan is a "good plan."

Miami County Commissioner Ted Mercer spoke about the health insurance, noting that the costs "are no fun on either side," but he said it is "important to note the county taxpayer share." Mercer said the county taxpayers are "paying a good share" of county employee insurance.

Lewis said they "considered multiple options" for supplemental benefits.