The Wichita County Commissioners Court voted 5‑0 Oct. 3 to move forward with a new employee health insurance plan and broker recommended by the county’s employee benefits committee, authorizing a 2026 rollout and directing staff to implement the transition.

The County Judge and members of the employee benefits committee presented the proposal, saying the committee began meeting in April and devoted more than 30 hours to evaluating options. The proposed plan, described by the judge and committee representatives, uses a two‑tier provider network: a local "neighborhood" tier with $0 out‑of‑pocket primary and specialty care for in‑network providers and a second Cigna tier with a $2,000 deductible and out‑of‑network protections. The plan would eliminate the county’s Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA); flexible spending accounts (FSA) would remain in place. The judge summarized: "If you go to a neighborhood provider under the proposed plan, that means $0 out of pocket...the most an employee would be on the hook for in a year would be $2,000."

Committee members and the proposed broker, Employee Benefits Consulting (EBC), emphasized an advocacy team that will assist employees in finding lower‑cost, high‑quality care and navigating specialty or high‑cost prescription needs. The judge and committee members said EBC will provide an enrollment team and on‑site assistance during open enrollment, and that EBC had already begun outreach in individual cases. Officials said generic prescriptions filled at participating local pharmacies (named examples included Harvest, Trots and Franklin’s) would cost $0 under the new plan.

Commissioners and staff discussed implementation risks and timeline. County Auditor staff raised concerns about the administrative workload required to reconcile payroll and vendor deduction changes during open enrollment; committee members and the judge said EBC will supply software tools, digital enrollment options and on‑site navigators to reduce the auditor’s workload and support a passive enrollment approach where current coverages transfer unless employees actively choose different options. The court agreed to proceed but directed close coordination among EBC, HR and the auditor’s office to minimize implementation errors.

TAC (the Texas Association of Counties) and its Health and Employee Benefits Pool will remain the county’s plan through Dec. 31, 2025; TAC representatives said they will support the county through the transition and remain available as a resource. The court’s action on Oct. 3 authorizes implementing the new plan and instructs staff to manage the transition so changes take effect in the 2026 plan year.

The motion to approve the new broker and plan was made and seconded on the record; the court recorded a 5‑0 vote in favor.