After public comment and trustee questions about pharmacy access, the board approved health plan options for plan year 2027, while staff said the district’s H-E-B pharmacy contract is retail-only for the current three‑year term and mail‑order would require renegotiation and additional cost analysis.

Deloitte told the committee the Metro code’s fixed $1,000 individual PPO out‑of‑pocket maximum limits the benefit board’s flexibility and recommended removing the provision, pursuing plan design changes and modeling a distinct lower‑cost third plan that could be effective earliest in early 2029.