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Town hears Garrett Group recommendation to keep Florida Blue, shift to composite rate; vote moved to Dec. 2
Summary
Melissa Morley of the Garrett Group told the Loxahatchee Groves council the town’s staff-recommended renewal with Florida Blue should switch from age-banded to a composite rate for 01/01/2026, saving roughly $7,000; council deferred a formal vote to the Dec. 2 meeting for further review.
Melissa Morley, an insurance broker with the Garrett Group of Strategies, told the Town of Loxahatchee Groves council that the town’s employee health plan renewal for 01/01/2026 should remain with Florida Blue but switch from age-banded pricing to a composite rate.
Morley said shifting to a composite rate would make each enrolled employee in an “employee only” tier pay one uniform rate, and that the move would save the town about $7,000. She said the composite renewal reflects a 7.2% increase under the composite approach versus an 11% increase under the current age-banded setup. Morley also reviewed other employee coverages: the town-funded basic life, short-term and long-term disability plans remain under rate guarantees for another year; voluntary dental and vision are employee-paid and showed only minor rate changes.
“Currently your medical is with Florida Blue … moving to the composite rate is saving you about $7,000,” Morley said during the presentation.
Council members asked about alternative carriers and municipal pools. Morley said Florida Blue and UnitedHealthcare are the only carriers that serve the town’s small-group market; she explained FMIT uses UnitedHealthcare and did not provide a competitive bid this year. Council members asked staff to gather additional comparisons and asked for time to review the written renewal evaluation before any final action.
Rather than vote that night, the council agreed to place a final renewal decision on the Dec. 2 agenda to allow members time to review the renewal evaluation and backup materials.
What’s next: The council directed staff to include the Garrett Group’s renewal materials in the Dec. 2 packet and to prepare any additional carrier or municipal-pool comparisons requested by members.
(Reporting based on the council presentation by Melissa Morley; the council did not take a final vote on the renewal at this meeting.)
