Effingham County Board selects Hope Trust for employee health coverage after local broker presentation

The Effingham County Board approved Hope Trust as the county’s employee group health carrier for 2024–25 after a brief presentation by the county’s incumbent broker.

Kate Posalacqua of Weiss Insurance asked the board to consider alternatives if it intended to contribute additional funds toward employees’ costs, saying the county could direct funds into employees’ health savings accounts rather than increasing carrier premiums: "There are some other ways to utilize those funds ... you can help fund the employees' HSA accounts," Posalacqua said.

Board member Norbert Saltwheedle said the tax and finance committee had generally recommended moving to Hope Trust and reported favorable experiences in nearby counties. Saltwheedle said he surveyed peers and cited a reported 4–4.4% increase for one nearby county compared with broader market increases. "The consensus of that group has always been ... to go with Hope," he said.

Tim Ellis said the decision rested in part on input from county employees: "We did our due diligence with the people that are actually taking the insurance ... it's what the county employees have told us that they want." The chair noted the county will determine any subsidy amounts during the budget process and set a schedule: a special tax and finance budget meeting was scheduled for Oct. 15 and the full board will review a tentative budget on Oct. 21.

After discussion, a motion to approve Hope Trust was made, seconded and carried by the board on a roll-call vote. County staff were directed to finalize enrollment timing and employer-contribution details ahead of the budget presentation.