Simsbury board flags $2.6M health-fund shortfall, votes to re-notice 2027 budget

At a continued public hearing on the town’s proposed 2027 budget, the Simsbury Board of Finance was told an unexpected surge in health‑insurance claims could drive year‑end claims to about $19.8 million and create roughly a $2.6 million shortfall in the town’s health insurance fund if stop‑loss reimbursements do not fully materialize. The board voted to re‑notice the proposed budget with a conservative $1,000,000 addition while staff obtains detailed claim reports from its benefits consultant.

Finance staffer Amy summarized the quarterly report, saying the town’s budgeted health‑insurance claims for the year were about $16.3 million and that, to date, actual claims stand “just shy of 14 and a half million.” If current activity persists, “our claims could be about 19,800,000,” she said, a projection that creates an estimated deficit of about $2.6 million in the health fund.

Amy told the board the town had received roughly $800,000 in stop‑loss reimbursements to date but has not yet received all documentation from the stop‑loss vendor to verify additional expected…