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Brown & Brown reports roughly 18% Blue Cross Blue Shield renewal increase; trustees request reconciliation
Summary
Village benefits broker reported Blue Cross Blue Shield asked for a 22% premium increase that was negotiated down to about 18%, pushing medical plan spending from ~$1.9M to ~$2.3M and overall plan costs to roughly $2.4M. Trustees asked for a detailed reconciliation of enrollments and invoices before a final decision.
Bridget Stewart of Brown & Brown Insurance presented the village's employee benefits renewal and told trustees that medical premiums would rise significantly under the Blue Cross Blue Shield renewal.
Stewart said the village's current medical spend is about $1.9 million. Blue Cross and Blue Shield initially proposed $2.4 million (a 22% increase) for the 2025 policy year; after negotiations Stewart said the final renewal represented an 18% increase to about $2.3 million, an increase of about $356,000 compared with current spend. "You will see the final revised renewal: the medical spend for the village is approximately $2.3 million," she said.
When including dental, vision and group life, Stewart said total premiums across all plans would rise from roughly $2.0 million to $2.4 million, an overall increase of about 17.5% effective Nov. 1. She said plan designs would remain the same and the renewal reflected current enrollment and utilization; trustees pressed for specifics about enrollment counts, recent hires and whether retirees or employees of Medicare age were still on the plan.
Several trustees noted discrepancies between numbers in prior quotes and the figures being presented. Stewart said renewals are calculated from current enrollment uploaded to the insurer and that she would work with village staff to reconcile differences — including the number of employees recently added to the policy and whether some employees expected to be removed were still listed. "I'll double‑check the counts and bring detailed reconciliation back to you at the next meeting," she said.
Trustees also asked whether the village can encourage eligible retirees to move to Medicare plus a supplement and whether doing so would reduce costs; Stewart said she could not advise on forcing enrollment changes but would explore options to encourage cost savings.
Next steps: staff and the broker will reconcile enrollment and invoice data and return with an itemized reconciliation and recommendations before final contract/premium commitments are made.
