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Commissioners delay broker change and authorize PBM comparisons; broker switch tabled for more review
Summary
County staff proposed switching the employee-benefits back-office administrator to AccraSure to save roughly $50,000 annually; commissioners tabled the broker decision pending additional review and authorized no-cost PBM (pharmacy benefits manager) comparisons from both MJ and AccraSure.
The county's health insurance broker and benefits administrator presented proposed contract changes July 22 that would shift back‑office administration from MJ to AccraSure. Paul, the benefits representative, told commissioners AccraSure can provide the same back‑office support at a lower per‑employee price — potentially reducing the county's fixed administrative costs by about $50,000 annually and lowering a per‑employee charge from about $35 to roughly $14.
Commissioners expressed interest but also concern about whether savings were truly net reductions or could be recovered elsewhere in pharmacy pricing or by PBMs. Paul said he does not personally gain from the switch and that AccraSure is willing to provide the services at a lower per‑employee fee because of economies of scale. He asked for additional time to verify whether any fees might be shifted to other places (for example, to pharmacy benefit managers).
Because of timing and staff availability, the board tabled action to change the broker arrangement until the next meeting to allow further verification and to allow the county's renewal schedule to be considered. Separately, commissioners authorized both MJ and AccraSure (at no cost to the county) to prepare PBM comparisons so the county can evaluate pharmacy benefit options; that work was approved 2-0.
Why it matters: Broker and PBM arrangements can materially affect county health-care costs for employees. Commissioners said they want a transparent comparison from multiple vendors before approving a structural vendor change.
Next steps: Staff will collect comparative PBM analyses from both vendors at no cost and return with verified cost comparisons and recommendations at the next meeting. The broker transition decision will be revisited after that analysis and before the renewal deadline.
