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Monongalia County approves Highmark plan as commission agrees to absorb employees' increased costs
Summary
The Monongalia County Commission accepted a Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield renewal that raises county health insurance costs and voted to keep employee premiums stable by covering the county'side increase and funding increased deductibles through the county HRA.
Monongalia County commissioners on June 11 approved a Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield renewal for the county's employee group health plan and voted to keep employee contributions at current levels by covering the county'side premium increases and funding higher deductibles through the county'held HRA.
The vote followed several months of negotiations after Highmark's initial underwriting proposals showed large increases driven by the county's claims experience. Commissioners were presented with multiple offers, and the commission approved a package described in the meeting as carrying an overall county-level premium increase of about 28.48 percent, together with changes to deductibles and coinsurance.
Commissioners and staff said the county's plan has a small share of participants generating a large share of claims, which has driven the carrier's pricing. The approved plan raises the deductibles (discussed in the meeting as a family deductible rising to a level described as $21,000) and reduces coinsurance from 90% to 80%; the commission voted to cover the employees'portion of the consequent cost increases so employees will not see higher premiums and to make HRA funds available so employees will not incur the increased deductible amounts out of pocket. Staff described the outcome as a stopgap while the county continues to pursue longer-term options to control medical cost trends.
The commission recorded three related motions and approvals at the meeting: approval of the Highmark proposal, approval to keep employee premiums at current contribution levels with the commission paying the county'side increase, and approval for the commission to cover the increased deductibles through the county HRA. Commissioners indicated the county will continue pursuing alternative insurance designs and other cost-control measures, including further bidding and plan design changes.
Meeting materials and the discussion showed alternative offers ranged widely in actuarial estimates; staff said an independent underwriting view would have supported a materially higher increase (discussed in the meeting at about 46%), and that broker work and plan design negotiation brought the final negotiated county offer down from that number. Staff and commissioners emphasized the county remains under pressure from national and statewide health-cost trends and will continue examining options such as stop-loss changes, alternate carriers, or other plan designs.
The commission's action was presented as necessary to finalize benefit materials and start open enrollment ahead of the plan's August 1 effective date. The meeting record does not specify a single dollar figure for the county's additional budget obligation (the transcript contains several approximations and a garbled numeric reference); staff indicated the commission would absorb the county-side increase and fund the HRA to prevent employee out-of-pocket exposure.
Commissioners thanked the county's broker (identified in the meeting as USI) and named broker representatives for their work in soliciting bids and negotiating terms. Staff said the county will return with further options and that the action taken was not intended as the county's final, long-term solution.
The votes were recorded in the meeting as approved by voice vote; no roll-call vote with individual member names was entered in the transcript.
