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Meriwether County hears health plan renewal; consultant recommends sticking with Anthem
Summary
An NFP consultant presented the county's 2025 health benefits renewal, recommending renewal with Anthem after negotiating a 10.5% rate increase and securing $30,000 in wellness funds; commissioners agreed to postpone final decisions until the May 5 meeting.
Melody Lewis, a benefits consultant with NFP, told the Meriwether County Board of Commissioners on April 22 that the county's 2025 group medical renewal would be higher but recommended renewing with Anthem after negotiations reduced an initial 15% increase to 10.5%.
Lewis said the county's five-year trend for medical and prescription costs is about 8% annually and that if current trends continue the county's plan would incur roughly $1,750,000 in claims for the year, about 12% above 2023. She said Anthem offered $30,000 in wellness funds for the county's employee wellness program, up from $15,000 previously, and that Anthem's overall proposal was roughly $10,000 more in total premiums than a competing Aetna quote but preserved current benefits and reduced member disruption.
The recommendation to remain with Anthem covered medical, dental and vision so employees would retain one ID card and one member portal, Lewis said. She also introduced a voluntary supplemental product from Symetra called Symetra Health (administered by Ansell) that integrates with medical claims and offers three tiers (base, classic, premier), and reported a suggested county employer contribution of $19.98 per eligible employee per month for the base tier.
Lewis reviewed the county's recently reinstated wellness program, launched in October 2024, saying 101 employees completed biometric screenings. She said roughly 44% of those screened were classified as low risk, about 6% moderate, and 51% high risk; 19% of participants were classified as prediabetic and 9% had diagnosed diabetes. Lewis said about 70 employees had engaged with wellness coaching in the first quarter of 2025.
Commissioners asked several questions about timing, per‑employee costs, participation rates and how the supplemental product would be administered; Lewis answered questions, clarified that the $19.98 figure is a monthly premium, and said she was still negotiating minor pricing. County staff said they need final decisions by May to lock in renewals.
Because the board wanted more time to review the numbers and employee-cost options, the commission voted to table final approval to the May 5 meeting. No roll-call vote tally was given in the transcript.
Lewis: "If we remain with Anthem...we basically are looking at it's a hundred and $98,000 increase for the year compared to Aetna...but Anthem is giving us $30,000 in wellness."
