Putnam County approves 8% health‑insurance increase; county to cover employee share

The Putnam County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve an 8% increase in health‑insurance premiums and to continue absorbing employees’ share of that rise, the mayor said.

Mayor Randy Porter, reporting for the insurance committee, said county employee claims rose by about $1.5 million last year (roughly 30–35%), and that initial premium quotes from Blue Cross started at about 23% before negotiations reduced the increase to 8%. ‘‘Because we've been with them for 24 years, they felt like that meant something with the relationship, so we got it down to 8%,’’ Porter said.

The recommendation from the insurance committee was to approve the 8% increase and have the county pick up employees’ portion of that increase, as the commission has done in prior years. Insurance broker Shawn Bennett described network complexity—Blue Cross uses multiple networks (referred to in the discussion as P, S and a limited K network)—and said he had worked to lower the proposed rates.

Commissioner Mr. Fasbender asked for a rough dollar translation of the 8% increase. Staff provided an estimate of about $480,000 annually to county general funds if the county covers the full increase; employee-level impacts were described as ranging roughly from $48 to about $400 per year depending on plan type (single, two‑party, family).

A motion to approve the committee's recommendation passed on a roll call in which the clerk recorded all 24 members voting yes, with zero no votes, and zero absent.

The commission did not modify plan networks or change provider selections at this meeting; questions about specific hospital participation (Vanderbilt, Saint Thomas) were raised and staff responded that network participation can vary by subnetwork and changes over time. The county will proceed into open enrollment with the 8% premium increase and the county covering employees’ share, per the approved motion.