OLATHE, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Olathe city retirees say their health insurance costs are climbing again for 2027, one year after they first faced significant premium increases.
Last fall, retirees learned their city health insurance premium costs were going up by 500% to 900% for 2026.
"This is absolutely ridiculous. This is not sustainable," Todd Hart, retired deputy chief of the Olathe Fire Department, said at the time.
Retired Olathe Police Sgt. Brian Wessling first reached out to KSHB 41 about the issue in fall 2025. He reached back out to KSHB 41 Johnson County reporter Elyse Schoenig after learning his costs were increasing again.
"We just feel like we've been betrayed completely," Wessling said. "The city's done this again to us, and we thought it was going to stop."
Last year, the city gave retirees a $250 subsidy to offset their increased costs. Wessling's employee-only insurance plan ended up being around $250 per month for 2026. For 2027, with no subsidy, he will have to pay $529 a month — for himself alone.
"We were always told that we were not going to be the highest-paid police department in Johnson County because we had the best benefits, and we knew that, and that was supposed to carry us over until we hit 65," Wessling said.
In an email Tuesday, an Olathe spokesperson said the city is not immune to the rising costs of healthcare everywhere. He said the city is not required to contribute anything toward retirees' health insurance premiums, and Olathe still plans to pay half of the individual plan for retirees.
"Our bodies ... they break down after all these years of doing this job. But we took an oath to do it to protect our citizens, and that's what we did," Wessling said.
Wessling and many fellow city retirees and employees are taking their concerns to city leaders at Tuesday night's city council meeting. He said this change will affect generations of city servants.
"When you treat your retirees like this and don't keep your promises and obligations to them, you can't expect them to be ambassadors and encourage people to join the city's workforce," Wessling said.
Full statement from Olathe spokesperson
"The City of Olathe is not immune to the rising costs of healthcare nationwide. We are committed to solutions that offer practical and competitive benefits while honoring our commitment to fiscal responsibility, a sustainable tax rate, and exceptional services for residents. The City has been deliberate and transparent about the potential carrier change and potential rate changes in 2027 with employees and retirees and provided touch points and communication throughout this year.
"Since the benefit election period in 2025, we directly and clearly communicated a multi-year strategy with retirees which included a one-year $250 monthly stipend and information regarding phasing out VEBA contributions by 2027 while advocating for retirees and families to explore their options as it is optional for retirees to accept the City of Olathe's insurance offering.
"Historically, City of Olathe retirees have received healthcare benefits that far exceed typical public-sector offerings. Per Kansas Statute, the City of Olathe is required to extend health care coverage to retirees, and may charge up to 125% of full premium, per year. There is no requirement that the City contribute any funds to the cost of the health insurance premium for retirees. Currently, the City of Olathe contributes 50% toward the individual retiree's total plan premium. Many of our surrounding cities and counties require retirees to pay 100 to 125% of the total plan premium. Even with the necessary adjustments in 2026 and 2027, our benefits remain exceptionally strong against municipal peers and the open market.
"We value our retirees and understand the impacts of household budgets and retirement expectations. We carefully weighed those impacts against the City's responsibility to preserve meaningful employee and retiree benefits and maintain long-term financial stability. Adjusting the City's contribution toward retiree health insurance premiums is one of several difficult but necessary measures to address a projected structural imbalance and growing operating deficits. Double-digit premium increases have placed significant pressure on both active employees and City operating funds.
"We recognize that change can be difficult, especially when it involves something as personal as healthcare. City staff continues to actively support employees and retirees through transitions providing clear, timely information with dedicated resources to help navigate options. As communicated with retirees in correspondence and many open enrollment meetings, OlatheKS.gov/BenefitEnrollment is available to help understand terms, view the benefit guide, and review all the plan offerings."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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