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Pulaski County votes to switch employee health plan to UnitedHealthcare, adds higher-deductible family option
Summary
The Fiscal Court voted to move the county's employee health coverage to UnitedHealthcare for 2026 after a committee review; the change limits the premium increase to about 2% and the court approved an optional higher-deductible family plan to reduce dependent costs.
Pulaski County Fiscal Court voted to switch its employee health insurance to UnitedHealthcare for the 2026 plan year after a county benefits committee recommended the carrier to limit premium growth and preserve the county’s existing plan structure.
Kelly Wilson of Nykirk Insurance, the county’s broker, told the court that Anthem’s initial renewal was 25% (later renegotiated to 9.5%) while UnitedHealthcare offered a renewal close to 2% over current rates. "United came on down a little further to 2% over current," Wilson said, and the committee concluded that switching carriers would keep costs manageable while maintaining a $500 deductible plan with 100% coverage after the deductible for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.
Wilson described a second plan option intended for employees who add dependents: a $5,000 deductible plan with 80/20 coinsurance and a $7,350 out-of-pocket maximum; office visits would cost $30 for primary care and $60 for specialists on that option. The committee proposed applying the county’s employer credit (the amount the county pays toward the $500 plan) to reduce employee payroll deductions for family coverage; Wilson gave an example where an employee who chooses the second plan and adds a child would face a payroll deduction of $195.96 per pay period, a reduction from the current hypothetical cost.
Court members and department heads praised the committee’s negotiations and noted the apparent budgetary relief from the lower renewal. One member said negotiating to 2% likely saved the county about $700,000. After discussion, a member moved to adopt UnitedHealthcare as the county’s carrier; the motion was seconded and the court voted to approve the switch.
The court also voted to name Bill Nykirk of Nykirk Insurance as the county’s insurance agent to handle administration and open-enrollment assistance. Open enrollment was scheduled to begin the following week with on‑site assistance available for employees considering individual marketplace options.
The change to UnitedHealthcare will return as part of plan administration and vendor documentation; the county will continue its Colonial Group medical-bridge program that offsets deductibles and will pay the employee-only portion of that bridge coverage.
