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Broker tells Willard board switching carriers could lower city and employee premiums
Summary
A broker recommended that Willard switch the city’s group health plan from UnitedHealthcare to an Anthem composite plan that he said would lower the city's premium by about 8.5% and reduce employee premium costs by about 18%, but warned an ongoing Anthem–Mercy network dispute could affect access for some employees.
The city’s insurance broker presented renewal options and recommended moving the municipal employee health plan to an Anthem composite network to reduce costs and employee out‑of‑pocket exposure.
Cameron Black, the broker introduced at the meeting, told the board he and his firm tested the market and found the recommended Anthem offering would be about an 8.5% savings for the city compared with the renewal and roughly an 18% savings for employees versus staying with the current renewal. "We went out to about six different carriers...the one that we are recommending tonight is to change from UnitedHealthcare to Anthem Healthcare," the presenter said, adding that overall premium trends this year are roughly 10–12% for carriers generally and the city's renewal came in at about 10.4%.
Board members asked whether Mercy (a local hospital network) and Cox would be included in the Anthem network; the broker warned about an ongoing Anthem–Mercy contract dispute that, while active in the press, was being negotiated and — in the broker’s experience — was likely to be resolved. The broker said worst‑case network shifts are rare and that benefits navigation assistance would be offered if networks change.
Council discussion focused on employee impacts and whether the board should ask employees about preferred networks; staff said the city has limited reporting on which employees use which networks, and that switching to a composite rate would simplify administration. The board moved to authorize the mayor to enter a health‑insurance contract, with discussion about the resolution language naming a specific carrier to be confirmed before the contract is finalized.
What’s next: The resolution language will be clarified to reflect the board’s chosen carrier; staff and the broker said they will help employees navigate any network changes if necessary.
