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Bourbon County Commission votes to leave state health plan, adopt local Blue Cross option
Summary
After a staff presentation on costs and tradeoffs, the Bourbon County Commission voted to exit the State of Kansas group health plan and enroll with a local Blue Cross Blue Shield option, citing projected net savings and administrative tradeoffs including a three‑year re‑entry restriction to the state pool.
The Bourbon County Board of County Commissioners voted to leave the State of Kansas group health plan and enroll instead in a local Blue Cross Blue Shield offering following a staff presentation on projected costs and program tradeoffs.
County finance staff led the discussion, saying the state plan’s latest rate changes would increase county health costs by about $94,000 annually. The local Blue Cross Blue Shield proposals were presented as two plan options; commissioners and staff estimated roughly $80,000 in gross reductions across health and dental, with an $11‑per‑employee‑per‑month administration fee (about $12,000 a year) that would reduce net savings to about $68,000. Staff warned that moving off the state pool would bar the county from re‑entering the state plan for three years and that some wellness incentives available under the state plan (identified in the meeting as Health Quest rewards) would not transfer immediately.
Chair (name not provided) moved to leave the state pool and adopt the local Blue Cross Blue Shield arrangement; a commissioner seconded the motion and the board voted to approve the change. Don Doherty, representing the local insurer, thanked the board after the vote and said his office would assist with the transition and employee outreach. County finance staff said a decision to change must be finalized by Sept. 1 to meet enrollment deadlines and that the clerk’s office would assume additional administrative work during the first year if the county opts out of the state plan.
Commission discussion noted administrative burdens from switching (onboarding, manual enrollment in year one), the loss of some wellness‑linked HSA contributions (an itemized estimate of about $48,000 was noted), and the need to staff one‑on‑one employee meetings during the transition. The commission also amended the agenda to remove the state plan renewal item after the vote.
The board did not produce additional written findings at the meeting; next steps named by staff were to finalize the vendor paperwork and begin transition work with HR and the clerk’s office.
The motion and vote were recorded during the presentation and immediate follow‑up discussion; the commission did not specify additional conditions or an appeal period at the meeting.
