Committee approves hearing-aid benefit for active employees, effective Jan. 1, 2026

Rutherford County’s Benefits and Insurance Committee voted May 29 to add a hearing-aid benefit for active employees, with administration by Cigna and an expected effective date of Jan. 1, 2026.

County benefits staff presented the proposal as closing a coverage gap: dependents have hearing-aid coverage until age 18, post‑65 retirees have coverage under the county’s Medicare Advantage plan, but active employees did not previously have a hearing-aid benefit. Molly (county staff) and Ed Elam presented the cost estimate to the committee; Gallagher’s analysis and Cigna’s estimate placed the annual cost at roughly $25,000, which staff described as about 0.1% of plan spend.

Under the recommended design, the benefit would provide a maximum allowance of $2,000 for hearing aids per covered person; the allowance would be subject to existing plan deductibles and medical coinsurance. Staff said the $2,000 maximum and the 12‑month replacement/allowance period were chosen to align the active-employee benefit with the county’s post‑65 Medicare Advantage (Humana) benefit scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2026. Staff clarified that existing manufacturer warranties would supersede plan payments when applicable and that employees should use in‑network providers; providers order hearing aids through Amplifon under the Cigna-administered arrangement.

Committee members asked follow-up questions about the cost assumptions. One member noted that a $2,000 maximum could cover about a dozen full reimbursements if each took the full allowance, given approximately 1,700 members in the plan; staff said the $25,000 estimate came from Cigna’s book-of-business experience and offered to provide additional detail after the meeting. The committee moved and approved the benefit by roll-call vote.

Staff will return with implementation details and communications for employees; the committee recorded no amendments on the floor.