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Board of Supervisors selects Risk Management Partners for ancillary employee benefits package
Summary
With one member recused, the Rankin County Board accepted staff’s unanimous recommendation to contract with Risk Management Partners for life, dental, vision and related ancillary benefits, including a three-year rate guarantee and optional cafeteria-plan services.
The Rankin County Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 2 to adopt staff’s recommendation and select Risk Management Partners to provide ancillary employee benefits (life, accidental death, dental, vision and related voluntary coverages), a decision the board said will be implemented ahead of the county’s upcoming open-enrollment period.
County staff — including Keith Hicks, Wanda Martin, Rebecca Whittington and Kim Griffith — reviewed three proposals and evaluated carriers, service models and local provider acceptance. The staff presentation noted the proposals were broadly similar on benefits; differences centered on carrier relationships, service platforms and administrative features. Risk Management Partners (a firm with a local office in Flowood, Rankin County) stood out because it offered an employee cafeteria plan administration option and a three-year rate guarantee.
Presenters told the board they had contacted local dentists and vision providers to assess carrier acceptance. Staff reported anecdotal concerns about the current dental carrier but said each of the three proposers would replace that carrier; local providers indicated they would work with any of the proposed carriers and that onboarding could be accomplished during a transition period. Staff recommended Risk Management Partners based on their proposal, local presence, existing brokerage relationship for other county policies and the added cafeteria-plan technology to allow pretax payroll elections for eligible employees.
Board member Greg Scarborough recused himself and left the room before the discussion; he did not participate in the decision. With three remaining board members present, Jay moved to approve staff’s recommendation and Doctor McLeod seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.
Staff noted the transition will mean new dental and vision cards for employees and that some individual providers might require a short onboarding period; staff said such transitions are common and that most local providers indicated they could enroll on new plans. The county also noted the proposals included only immaterial pricing differences overall and Risk Management Partners offered a three-year rate guarantee.
Staff will proceed with vendor onboarding and preparations for open enrollment in November; the county noted the internal deadline to finalize administrative changes is Oct. 10 so that employee enrollment and payroll processes can be updated in time.
