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Vigo County OKs employee benefits renewal including stop‑loss carrier change
Summary
The Vigo County Board of Commissioners approved an employee benefits renewal package that retains current vendors for vision, life and dental plans, keeps UnitedHealthcare/UMR as the third‑party administrator, and switches stop‑loss insurance to Voya.
The Vigo County Board of Commissioners approved an employee benefits renewal package on a voice vote that keeps most current vendors in place and changes the county's stop‑loss insurer.
The action, taken after a presentation from benefits consultant Jason Lester, retains Sun Life for vision and employer‑paid basic life insurance and VSP for vision; recommends retaining the dental plan with HRI (formerly Paramount Dental); keeps UnitedHealthcare/UMR as the county's third‑party administrator; and moves the stop‑loss contract from UnitedHealthcare to Voya.
Lester, identified in the meeting as the presenter on the renewal, said the county's transplant policy will be retained and that it has helped the county avoid $1,600,000 in claims since February 2018. He said annual transplant policy costs rose about 12.5 percent, an increase of $7,657, but there were no alternative offers for that coverage.
On dental, Lester said the renewal includes a 9 percent increase and that employees would likely see a roughly $1 increase per paycheck for individual coverage and up to $3 per paycheck for family coverage. He recommended retaining HRI after soliciting quotes from multiple carriers.
Lester told commissioners the county is self‑insured up to $125,000 per claim and that the recommended change in stop‑loss carrier yields roughly a 9 percent premium decrease for that coverage, from about $1,700,000 to $1,500,000, a savings he estimated at about $173,000.
He also reported utilization details the board discussed: 52 additional lives on the plan compared with a year earlier, nine claimants with claims over $25,000 in the previous year and one claimant with more than $1 million in total claims; several of the highest claimants subsequently left the plan.
Commissioner Morse asked about the flexible spending account and annual enrollment; Lester said annual enrollment occurs in December and reiterated the county's plan to promote education so more employees consider voluntary options such as short‑term disability and flexible spending. After questions, the board voted to approve the plan as presented.
The vote was taken by voice with all commissioners present saying "aye." The board did not amend plan design or ask staff to return with alternative proposals at that meeting.
