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Board approves negotiated MedBen renewal after insurer negotiations reduce rate increase
Summary
DeSoto County accepted a negotiated MedBen renewal with the Crum & Forster ASD option after Higginbotham Insurance reported the PHCS/HST increase was reduced to $2.50 and that stop‑loss market conditions limited carrier availability.
The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 5 to accept a negotiated renewal with MedBen and the Crum & Forster ASD stop‑loss option for the county's employee health plan, the board's insurance adviser said.
Craig Wright, managing director at Higginbotham Insurance, told the board that negotiations reduced the PHCS/HST component from an expected $6.00 increase to a $2.50 increase — moving from $17.50 to $20.00 rather than to $23.50 under the initial proposal. Wright said DeSoto County is in its third year with MedBen and that an existing $110,000 liability on the plan was negotiated down. He also said the stop‑loss market is challenging: his firm solicited quotes from 10 carriers and six declined because of perceived risk.
Supervisor Robert Foster moved to accept the negotiated MedBen renewal with the current Crum & Forster ASD option and to authorize the Board President to sign; Supervisor Lee Caldwell seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Wright said the market pressure is partly attributable to lingering COVID‑era impacts and increasing chronic‑illness claims, including cancer. The board's minutes note the insurance committee's recommendation and reference Exhibit H.1 for additional plan details.
