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Pierce County commissioners pick plan with 18.47% premium increase and agree county will absorb the cost for 2024–25
Summary
The Pierce County Board of Commissioners on May 30 selected a health-insurance option that raises premiums 18.47% and voted to have the county absorb the full increase for July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025; officials said the move will affect the county's fiscal planning for the year.
Pierce County commissioners voted May 30 to adopt a health-insurance plan that raises premiums by 18.47% and to have the county absorb the full increase for the 2024–25 plan year.
Karen Willis of Partners Benefit Group presented two BlueCross BlueShield Anthem options to the board. Option 1 carried a 22.75% premium increase; option 2 carried an 18.47% increase. Willis told commissioners the lower-cost option adds a prescription deductible on all name-brand medications; under that option the county agreed to reimburse employees up to $300 annually for that deductible. Willis also said employees would be able to purchase supplemental coverage at low cost.
Commissioner David Lowman moved to approve option 2; Commissioner Graham Raley seconded and the motion carried. The board then considered three ways to absorb the premium increase: the county could absorb the full amount for July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025; the county and employees could share increases at current plan percentages; or employees could absorb the entire increase. The board record notes the employee-absorb scenario exceeds federal affordability criteria and would raise employee cost by more than the allowable $75 per pay period.
Following that discussion, Lowman moved — and Raley seconded — that the county absorb the entire increase for the July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 plan year. The motion carried. The board and staff acknowledged the decision will have budgetary consequences for the fiscal year and may require adjustments to funds already planned.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Neal Bennett at 6:02 p.m.; it adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Note on the record: the transcript contains minor typographical errors in some names and product spellings that have been normalized in this article (for accuracy, the health plan vendor is BlueCross BlueShield Anthem; attendance registers list Harold Rozier and Ralphel Maddox as shown in the official minutes).
