Winnebago County moves employee health coverage to ISAC plan

The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors voted to switch the county's employee health insurance to an ISAC plan and to retain the county's partial self-funding arrangement.

Brian Hunicker, an insurance broker with Assured Partners, told the board the ISAC quote for the county is lower than current rates with Wellmark and includes an employee assistance program and a critical-illness/accident benefit. "We've got a very, very good quote from ISAC," Hunicker said. He said the ISAC plan would have similar deductibles and out-of-pocket structure to the county's current two-plan design but lower large-plan deductibles and lower perceived risk for partial funding.

Hunicker said the ISAC program is self-funded with a large reserve and that the county's practice of building a side fund should help offset future increases. He also described wellness incentives ISAC offers: if 80% of employees complete preventative exams as a group the county could receive a 4% reduction on its renewal; additional discounts may apply for online health assessments. "If we hit those wellness goals, in the next 3 to 5 years, we may not have to increase our budget at all or very, very minimally," Hunicker said.

Board discussion noted the county's July 1 plan year and that ISAC issues firm renewal numbers around Thanksgiving, which should make budgeting for the next fiscal year easier. Supervisors and staff said they expect an employee education effort if the change is implemented, including enrollment meetings in April or May and targeted sessions about the plan's value-adds such as the accident and critical-illness benefits administered through Voya.

Supervisor Terrell Derby moved the motion to "transfer over to the ISAC plan with the same partial self funding program." The motion was seconded by Gensvold and the board voted in favor; no dissent was recorded on the transcript.

Board members and staff said they favor maintaining the county's partial self-funding contribution and continuing to grow the county reserve. Hunicker noted that, because ISAC tracks claims, employees would not have to submit proof for some wellness incentives: "They'll know that Carla had her mammogram ... based on the claims," he said.

The board did not vote on enrollment procedures or on any changes to employer/employee contribution amounts at the meeting; staff said they would return with implementation details and hold employee meetings before the July 1 effective date.

The motion to switch health coverage to ISAC was approved; staff will follow up with plan implementation steps and employee education sessions.