LaSalle County committee told major health-plan renewal increases driven by high-cost claims, stop‑loss and pharmacy trends

LaSalle County Insurance Committee members heard at length on Wednesday that next year’s health‑plan renewal will be unusually difficult because claims are running hotter than underwriter assumptions and stop‑loss and pharmacy costs are rising.

Mike, a Horton Group consultant, told the committee the plan is running about 106.7% of expected costs through July, with an actual per‑capita cost of about $25,040 versus an underwriter expectation of $23,004.63. “It is definitely been a difficult year, and we're going into a difficult renewal cycle,” Mike said, citing large claimants and broad market pressure.

The consultants’ report showed 12 large claimants above $75,000 so far in the plan year; the county’s specific deductible is $150,000. Horton Group said those cases, plus claimants above $50,000, are the primary drivers of the year‑to‑date cost increase. Horton estimated the…