Hood County commissioners approve Aetna 'nonstop' medical plan, keep vision coverage
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Summary
Hood County Commissioners voted unanimously to switch the county's employee medical coverage to an Aetna "nonstop" plan for fiscal year 2025-26, citing lower employer cost and a larger provider network; the court also voted to retain the current optional vision plan.
At a Hood County Commissioners Court meeting in Granbury, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve switching the county's employee medical coverage to an Aetna "nonstop" plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Daniel Anderson of Anco Insurance presented market quotes and said, "based on all the carriers that came in, Aetna came in with the most competitive pricing." Anderson and his colleagues told the court that Aetna's option paired with a "nonstop" funded HRA card would allow the county to retain a 0-deductible, 0 out-of-pocket option while reducing the county's employer responsibility on the presented spread by about $15,774.
Why it matters: county staff and the broker framed the Aetna nonstop option as both cheaper for the county and broader in-network for employees than the incumbent carrier, which had submitted a substantially higher renewal. Commissioners asked detailed questions about deductibles, pharmacy networks, prior authorizations and how the nonstop HRA crediting works. Anderson said the nonstop product funds members' out-of-pocket maximums up front on a card and that unused reserve amounts can be credited back to the county or applied to the next renewal.
Court action: Commissioner Andrews moved to approve the Aetna nonstop employee medical plan; the motion was seconded by Samuelson and carried 5-0. The court then considered vision coverage and approved keeping the county's existing optional vision plan for 2025-2026 (motion by Commissioner Wilson, second by Samuelson; carried 5-0). The presenters said vision rates were in a rate lock and were not changing with the medical-carrier switch.
What presenters said: Anderson described several plan designs and said the county could choose to retain a true 0-deductible/0 out-of-pocket option or move to a lower-cost plan that included an employer-funded HRA to offset higher deductibles. He emphasized that Aetna's large open-access network would reduce prior issues employees had experienced with provider access under the prior arrangement.
Next steps: Anderson said finalized rates would be returned to the county after the underwriter confirmed adjustments and that the broker would provide the full proposal and final cost-shift calculations to staff this week.
The court moved through the agenda without additional formal changes to employee benefits at the meeting's close.
