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Coweta County reviews health-plan renewal, considers higher employee cost-share and alternate HSA options
Summary
County staff and broker Todd Bridal of Alliant Insurance Services reviewed health-plan renewal options, discussed the on-site clinic and pharmacy strategies, and proposed increasing employee cost-share and adding alternate HSA plan designs to contain budget pressure for FY2027.
Coweta County officials and their broker met with the Board of Commissioners on April 14 to review the county’s employee health-insurance renewal and possible plan changes for FY2027.
Todd Bridal of Alliant Insurance Services told commissioners the county has moved heavily toward HSA-style plan designs and that the county’s on-site clinic is expected to help control costs by improving primary-care access. "We evaluated 4 or 5 different clinic vendors and eventually resolved down to the one that we have today," Bridal said, adding the clinic appears off to a good start and may help reduce overall utilization of more expensive care.
Context: County staff said plan-year and fiscal-year timing differences (calendar-year plan vs. county fiscal year) mean the numbers will not match exactly in annualized spreadsheets. Staff proposed increasing the employee cost-share and adding an alternate plan option so employees who prefer lower premiums can choose a different design while preserving options for those who need richer coverage.
Cost drivers discussed: panel members identified rising medical claims, pharmacy spend and stop-loss premiums as primary cost pressures. Bridal and staff discussed options including pharmacy carve-outs, reference-based pricing pilots and other plan-design changes; Bridal noted that while some tactics can lower direct pharmacy costs, newer high-cost drugs and expanded use of certain medications complicate savings.
Employee support and education: Staff said the county has added a clinic-based RN/wellness coordinator (Erica Roberts) who can help employees understand bills, appeals and benefit choices if plan design changes increase employees’ out-of-pocket costs.
Next steps: Staff and broker will continue modeling renewal scenarios and return to the commissioners with more detailed options before the July budget work sessions and the August public hearings. No final plan selections were made at the work session.
