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Board approves benefits renewal; adds biometric screening requirement to policy
Summary
Henry County approved its FY2025–26 employee benefits renewal and directed HR to add a biometric screening requirement to the benefits resolution; staff will implement changes after open enrollment and will auto-transition Kaiser participants to UnitedHealthcare unless they opt out.
Henry County commissioners approved the county’s employee benefits renewal at the April 1 meeting and directed staff to include a biometric screening requirement as part of the benefits policy to help control future health costs.
Human Resources presented a benefits renewal package describing the county’s self-insured UnitedHealthcare medical plan, a proposed 1% increase in the medical budget projection, and other insurance renewals. The consultant said the county’s dental renewal would rise 13.8% (about $182,000 annually) and recommended continuing with the incumbent carrier, Delta Dental; the staff recommendation was that employees absorb the dental increase. The consultant also summarized life, disability and ancillary benefits and said most programs would not change carriers.
Human Resources and the county’s broker told the board that roughly 300 employees on Kaiser would be automatically moved to a UnitedHealthcare plan at renewal unless they elected an alternative during open enrollment; HR said it will staff open-enrollment events with eight people over four days and provide an online portal. The board discussed retiree enrollment and staff said retirees under 65 will have an open-enrollment window following employee enrollment and Medicare-age retirees had already been transitioned to Medicare plans.
Commissioner Johnny Wilson and other board members asked whether the longstanding biometric screening surcharge (used previously to manage plan costs) should be included in the resolution. After discussion the board voted to add biometric screening to the benefits resolution; staff said implementation will follow open enrollment and that HR would schedule the screening window and communicate details to employees. Board members confirmed the intent was to continue an incentive/surcharge approach used in prior years; staff said they would apply any surcharge retroactively in the same manner as last year if the schedule required it.
Ending: HR will run open enrollment with in-person and online options, auto-transition Kaiser members to the UnitedHealthcare 75% plan unless they select otherwise, and schedule biometric screenings after open enrollment for application of the surcharge policy.
