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St. Joseph County approves first dental premium increase since 2016 — 3% hike
Summary
Human Resources presented a 3% dental rate increase — the county's first since 2016 — citing negotiations that reduced an initial 9% vendor proposal; the board approved the change, which the HR presenter estimated will raise the average employee cost by about $1 per month.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a 3% increase to county dental premiums Tuesday after a presentation by Courtney Mullins of the Department of Human Resources.
Mullins told commissioners this is the first dental rate increase since 2016 and that the county had negotiated down an initial 9% proposal from the vendor (Paramount) to 3%. She said the typical annual increase for dental premiums is about 1.4% and contrasted that with health insurance premium increases of roughly 22%–24% over the same period. "This is the first time that we are going to increase rates since 2016. It's a 3%," Mullins said.
Mullins estimated the change will raise the average employee's cost by about $1 per month and provided utilization figures, saying current utilization is about 98% with a projected utilization rate of 103% in 2025. Commissioners thanked HR staff and moved to approve the rate change; the motion carried with Commissioners Dieter, Hazen and Baxmayer recorded as voting "Aye."
Human Resources also noted the county is still awaiting vision-rate information and expects a similar increase.
What happens next: Human Resources will apply the new rate for payroll and notify employees, per the board's standard administrative process.
