Freestone County reviews Curative plan offering $0 deductibles and pharmacy limits for employee health coverage

Freestone County’s Employee Benefits Committee met to open and discuss four employee health insurance proposals and heard a detailed presentation about a Curative (also rendered in the transcript as “Curative/Cure”) plan that would offer $0 deductibles and an on-the-spot cash card for some out-of-network charges.

The committee convened with proof of posting under Texas Government Code Chapter 551 (the Open Meetings Act), then opened proposals from UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Baylor Scott & White and Curative. An insurance broker who presented the proposals described Curative as a model the county had used previously and highlighted a required baseline health visit, pharmacy restrictions, and transition credits tied to moving off the county’s current “nonstop” arrangement.

The presentation focused on how Curative’s model works and why it might reduce premium expense for employees and the county. The broker said Curative requires enrollees to complete a baseline visit within the first 120 days; employees who do not complete that visit are moved to a higher cost share (described in the presentation as a $5,000 deductible and $7,500 out-of-pocket maximum for the…