Town hears Anthem plan update, insurance consultants warn of stop‑loss pressure

The Board of Selectmen heard a midyear review of the town’s self‑insured health plan on Jan. 28, when Larry Kershner of Epic Online summarized six months of claims and urged conservative budgeting ahead of July’s stop‑loss renewal. Kershner said the plan’s year‑to‑date total cost is tracking slightly below the current fiscal year budget but the first six months ran hotter than prior years because several claimants hit large thresholds early in the plan year.

Kershner told the board the town currently covers about 197 active employees, plus roughly 469 covered lives total. He said the plan’s per‑capita cost has been around $2,400 per month over recent years and was about $2,700 month‑to‑date over the first six months of the plan year — a figure he described as “a hotter start” that often smooths in the second half of the year because the aggregate stop‑loss deductible resets in July.

Why it…