Commissioners at a Dec. 5 Scott County special meeting voted to accept Anthem as the county's employee health carrier for 2026 to avoid potential coverage disruptions and to save roughly $43,868 versus the revised Cigna renewal. The motion to accept Anthem was made by S5 and seconded by another commissioner; commissioners approved implementation and instructed staff to proceed with rapid enrollment and employee outreach.

The county's benefits consultant told the board that Cigna initially proposed about a 21% renewal before making revisions and that, after the broker reduced its commission, the renewal effectively dropped to about a 1.9% increase. "So there is a $43,000 savings moving to Anthem," the presenter said, adding that Anthem's proposal was flat compared with the county's current premiums. The presenter also said major plan features would remain "apples to apples," and highlighted ancillary enhancements such as an increase in guaranteed basic life coverage from $100,000 to $150,000.

Broker and benefits staff emphasized two operational points that figured in the decision: that any carrier transition would not create a coverage gap between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, and that staff would prioritize enrollments and ID cards so employees had proof of coverage at the start of the year. "If you were to make a transition, there would be no gap in coverage," the presenter said; commissioners directed staff and the broker to confirm in-network status for local providers (including reported networks such as Baptist Health and Norton) and to finalize outreach and education for employees.

Several commissioners cited prior end-of-year provider disruptions under the county's recent carrier contracts as a major concern and said continuity of access was a top priority in a tight renewal window. Commissioners also asked staff to research on-site clinic or local partnership options that some counties use to reduce claims over time, and broker staff said they would bring additional funding-structure options for consideration in 2026.

Next steps noted in the meeting: finalize enrollments, confirm provider-network details with Anthem, issue ID cards, and begin employee education so coverage is active on Jan. 1. The county recorded the motion and directed staff to place the item on the agenda for follow-up implementation.