Hardee County board hears detailed briefing on self-insurance fund after rising claims, schedules insurance committee meeting

Hardee County School Board members were briefed Tuesday on increases in high-cost medical claims and a drop in plan enrollment that together have strained the district's self-insurance fund (FSHIP), prompting the board to schedule an insurance-committee meeting for Jan. 27 to review remedies.

The presentation, led by an Alliant representative and discussed with FSHIP staff, described two main drivers: reduced subscriber counts since May 2024, which lowered revenue into the fund, and a rise in high-cost claims that have increased the district's payouts. Greg Harrelson, Alliant, said the program remains "paying its claims" and that the fund is "doing what it's designed to do," adding that the district is facing a "perfect storm" of lower revenue and higher-cost claims. He said the district's reporting lags by roughly three months, which delayed detection of the population change.

Board members and staff…