Oklahoma County budget oversight members received a report showing medical claims ended the prior fiscal year lower than expected, while prescription spending rose after the county’s pharmacy began filling additional prescriptions.

County staff summarized last fiscal year’s benefits experience and told the board medical spending finished about $34,000 below the prior comparable year on an apples-to-apples basis, but prescription claims were higher primarily because the plan paid an extra month of prescription claims in the last fiscal year, driving an approximately 11% increase in prescription costs.

The staff member presenting the report said stop‑loss reimbursements were near projections, refunds exceeded expectations by about $119,000, and prescription rebates were a significant offset. After accounting for those items and lower COVID‑related claims in medical, the net variance was about $288,000 over budgeted assumptions.

Board members raised an operational concern when an employee reported one local pharmacy could not process a prescription early in July because the county pharmacy account transfer timing had not completed; staff explained there is a lag in internal transfers and that the county began the fiscal year with funds encumbered to avoid similar delays going forward.

Staff described outreach and procurement steps intended to increase county pharmacy utilization. Quarterly targeted mailings from the county’s pharmacy vendor will be sent to employees who have not used the county pharmacy, and the county will email and distribute materials to departments to promote the benefit. The presenter estimated utilization at about 40% and said the county pharmacy carries many GLP‑1 medications (for example, semaglutide products) that are driving costs; staff plans to negotiate a government contract with McKesson after about six months of proven purchasing volume to secure lower prices for specialty drugs.

Tom Hayden moved to receive the report; the motion carried by voice vote.

Board discussion included suggestions to incorporate pharmacy materials into open‑enrollment communications and to continue tracking rebates and monthly reimbursements that typically arrive quarterly. No formal policy changes were made during the meeting; the board received the report for the record and directed staff to continue outreach and to pursue improved purchasing contracts for high‑cost medications.