Court signs off on UnitedHealthcare renewal after broker secures lower rate; slight plan tweaks proposed
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Summary
After negotiating with broker Assured Partners, Woodford County approved continuing UnitedHealthcare coverage for 2025–26 with plan adjustments that reduce the county’s expected increase to about 9% (from an initial renewal near 29%); the county budget includes a 15% buffer for health insurance.
Woodford County Fiscal Court approved a health-insurance renewal with UnitedHealthcare after a presentation from benefits broker Assured Partners. The broker said an initial proposed renewal near 29% was negotiated down through plan tweaks and alternative options to an expected premium increase of about 9% for fiscal-year 2025–26.
Darren Smith of Assured Partners explained the renewal process and the drivers behind rising premiums. He cited the county’s recent claims experience (noting a high loss ratio in 2023 and 2024), national medical-cost trends and insurer reinsurance calculations. Assured Partners reported a sequence of offers and modeling that reduced the underwriter’s initial formulation from roughly 29% to a final suggested design that would increase total premium by roughly 9% if the court adopts modest changes to the three-option plan.
The recommended changes were narrowly targeted: increase deductibles by about $500 and raise out-of-pocket maximums $1,000 across the three medical plan options (the county offers a high-deductible HSA plan and two PPO options). Assured Partners estimated those changes would yield $83,000 in lower premium costs for the county compared with renewing exactly as-is. The broker recommended maintaining current employee payroll-deduction levels where possible and absorbing most of the employer cost to avoid passing higher deductions to employees.
County staff noted the budget already contains a conservative buffer for health insurance. The judge explained the 2025–26 budget assumes a 15% health-insurance line in planning to allow flexibility; Assured Partners’ modeled 9% increase will be reflected in final budget calculations. Smith also emphasized the county’s relatively generous dependent contribution and employer HSA contributions as benefits that compare favorably with many other employers.
The court voted to approve the benefits presentation with UnitedHealthcare as proposed. Human-resources staff will communicate details and hold open-enrollment meetings for employees.
Ending The court approved keeping UnitedHealthcare as the county’s carrier with the broker’s plan adjustments and directed staff to proceed with employee outreach and final enrollment steps. The budget retains a buffer to absorb variance between modeled and final premium rates.
