District changes health insurance plans

CLINTONVILLE – The Clintonville Board of Education approved changing its health insurance plans offered to district employees, as the district was facing a 30% increase in premium costs if it stayed with its current health insurance plans.
The approval came at the board’s April 27 meeting.
Clintonville Superintendent Troy Kuhn led off the discussion by telling the board that if the district stayed with its current health insurance plans, the district would incur an increase of roughly $700,000 in health insurance expense compared to the 2025-26 school year. This was due to the 182% medical loss ratio the district has.
A 182% loss ratio means a health insurance company is paying out $1.82 for every dollar it collects in premiums.
Keeping the current health insurance plans would amount to an increase of $767,262, of which the district would be responsible for $675,191. The district pays 87% of the premiums for health insurance for its employees, with the employees paying the other 13%.

For the 2025-26 school year, the district offered two health insurance plans to employees – Broad Robin and Focused Robin. Understanding that the board’s goal was to keep the cost increase for health insurance under 10%, Kuhn said that would require the district to move to a Focused Robin plan with a higher deductible and a Select Robin plan.
In addition, there would be a 20% co-insurance from when the deductible is reached to the second threshold. There are also some restrictions regarding providers in the network.
The two new plans proposed by the district would represent a 6.7% increase in health insurance premiums.
Board President Ben Huber reiterated that if the district were to keep its current health insurance, it would be a 30% increase in costs.
“Everyone realizes that that’s a budget-breaker,” Huber said, adding that it took several negotiations to get it to a 30% increase.
Board member Jason Moder said another option would be for employees to pay a higher percentage of the health insurance costs, but acknowledged that employees would not like that.
Kuhn said the recommendation was to have the district to continue to pay 87% of health insurance premium costs, with employees paying 13%.
“We’re offering insurance,” Kuhn said. “There are districts that are in a lot worse shape than us.”
Huber said the district solicited bids from health insurance providers, but the district received no bids from companies to provide health insurance to the district.
“This is our option,” Huber said.