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Franklin County approves 2025 renewal; court adds employee‑only HSA option
Summary
Fiscal court renewed county medical coverage with UnitedHealthcare at a 9.9% increase for 2025 and approved adding an employee‑only High Deductible Health Plan with a Health Savings Account option; vendor and HR urged outreach and monitoring of medical loss ratios over coming months.
The Franklin County Fiscal Court voted on Oct. 16 to renew employee health insurance with UnitedHealthcare for 2025 and to add an employee‑only High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA) as an optional plan. Jamie Bennett of BIM Group and Ashley from human resources presented renewal analytics that showed a negotiated 9.9% rate increase — down from an initial renewal proposal above 13% — and outlined the HDHP/HSA option design and education needs.
Jamie Bennett said the county was able to move the renewal to single digits after presenting recent medical loss ratios to the carrier: “We got them to go from 13.9% to 9.9%,” he told the court. The new HDHP would carry a higher deductible (example shown: $3,000 individual) but significantly lower monthly premiums; the county proposed contributing $1,200 annually to an employee’s HSA as an incentive to encourage enrollment among lower‑utilization employees.
Magistrates asked for assurances that the HDHP would not be forced on employees; HR described the change as optional and emphasized the need for robust education. Bennett recommended a communications strategy and ongoing monitoring of monthly loss‑ratio reports that the vendor will supply; both HR and the vendor offered to meet with committees quarterly to provide analytics.
The court voted to renew the 2025 UnitedHealthcare policy, to continue the employee medical waiver HRA option, and to add an employee‑only HSA option to be available starting Jan. 1, 2025. Officials said paycheck deductions will rise slightly for the PPO design due to the renewal, but the plan network and plan design remain unchanged for those who do not switch.
The fiscal court directed HR to continue benefits education and to use vendor‑provided reporting to track loss ratios and budget implications over the next 4–6 months so the court can make data‑informed decisions ahead of the next budget cycle.
