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County staff briefed on IGHCP renewal; initial medical increase about 2.9% and plan alternatives offered
Summary
Holmes Murphy presented Crawford County's IGHCP/Wellmark renewal: a roughly 2.9% fixed-cost increase if plan designs stay the same, a 4% increase for Delta Dental and flat vision costs; the county asked for alternate plan designs and claims-funding options to reduce budget impact.
The board received a benefits renewal briefing from Holmes Murphy on Feb. 3 reviewing the county's medical, dental and vision coverage under the IGHCP trust.
Keith (Holmes Murphy) said the group's aggregated loss ratio with Wellmark was above 100 percent for the recent period (the slides cited 101.4 percent), and that, as a trust member, Crawford County's fixed-cost renewal is currently projected at roughly a 2.9 percent increase if plan designs remain unchanged. "If we were to keep plan designs exactly the same, correct, it's roughly a 2.9% increase," the presenter said.
Key details presented to the board:
- Wellmark loss ratio: about 101.4% (presented in the meeting slides for the plan year examined).
- Initial fixed-cost increase: roughly 2.9% (Holmes Murphy), with alternatives available by adjusting plan design or claims funding.
- Dental and vision: Delta Dental quoted a ~4% increase; Delta Vision quoted a 0% increase.
- Plan composition: The county's current mix includes a lower-deductible plan and a high-deductible HSA option. Holmes Murphy recommended presenting alternatives that could steer enrollment toward high-deductible options or adjust county contributions to lower overall county cost exposure.
The board asked staff to return with alternative plan designs, contribution strategies and claims-funding scenarios for the formal IGHCP renewal meeting (ahead of the July 1 plan year renewal). The county will weigh employer contribution levels, HSA incentives and plan richness to keep the budget manageable while balancing employee access to care.
What was not decided: The board made no irrevocable plan design changes or employer contribution decisions at the Feb. 3 meeting. Holmes Murphy will present options and modeled budgets at the next renewal meeting.
