Unidentified Speaker 7, the countybenefits presenter, reviewed the county's health‑plan utilization and renewal options and recommended caution on raising the stop‑loss attachment point.

The presenter told commissioners the plan had one claim exceed the stop‑loss this year, down from higher counts in prior years, and that Blue Cross had paid about $109,920.11 this year compared with more than $2 million in 2024. She noted pharmacy and specialty medications (including Stelara and Ozempic) remain major cost drivers and that prescription rebates have returned substantial funds to the county's claims pool over time.

Those rebates matter to the bottom line: the presenter said the county received roughly $182,000 in rebates for the current reporting year and more than $329,000 since the plan began sharing rebates in 2018, a factor that partly offsets projected premium increases.

Commissioners discussed the trade‑off between immediate savings and the risk of paying more out of the county's claims fund if multiple large claims occur. The presenter explained the modeled choice: moving the stop‑loss attachment from $40,000 to $50,000 would lower the carrier payment and produce an estimated $107,891 in carrier‑side savings, but it would also shift more expected claims funding to the county and increase the countyexposure on individual claims between $40,000 and $50,000.

Unidentified Speaker 3 moved that the county "continue with the 40 stop loss and pay the adjusted premium," and Unidentified Speaker 4 seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote.

The board also directed staff to monitor claims trends over the next year and revisit the attachment point if the county records fewer stop‑loss events. The presenter and commissioners agreed to continue outreach to employees about prescription‑savings tools and to invite a Blue Cross representative to explain refill and specialty‑drug processes at a future meeting.

Next steps: the county will proceed with the 40‑thousand‑dollar stop‑loss renewal and pay the adjusted premium for the upcoming plan year; staff will report quarterly on claims trends and rebate receipts.