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WellGuard Assurance offers Kansas City employers a two-year health rate lock
The 24-month contract is pitched for predictability as KFF data cited by Insurance Business show insurers are proposing a median 14.0% increase for 2027 small group renewals.
WellGuard Assurance, a Tennessee-based health captive for employers with three to 300 employees, has launched a 24-month contract for Kansas City-area employers that locks in a two-year health rate, with the emphasis on providing rate predictability as small group renewals keep rising, according to Insurance Business.
The arrangement adds Centrus Health Direct’s high-performance provider network and offers employers platform access to a curated network that uses direct provider and regional health system contracts and negotiated rates rather than standard commercial pricing, the outlet said.
Insurance Business reported that WellGuard sits under the VerraCare umbrella and administers its plans through third-party administrator Detego Health. The announcement also said Ron Rowe became chief executive on May 1, 2026, after retiring from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.
While the outlet noted that KFF found insurers proposing a median 14.0% small group increase for 2027, it also said no claims data had been published, and that WellGuard’s announcement did not specify whether the locked rate applies only to employers using the Centrus network, what the locked rate includes, or what renewal conditions would apply.