Kane County human services committee approves Connor and Gallagher as health insurance broker amid rising premiums

Kane County — The Kane County Human Services Committee voted March 11 to authorize a contract with Connor and Gallagher, One Source, Inc., to serve as the county’s health insurance broker and consultant as officials seek ways to manage rising employee benefit costs.

The vote followed an extended discussion about premium increases, the county’s use of reserves to smooth rates, and requests from members for clearer analytics on prescription drug claims and formulary drivers. Committee members approved the contract by roll call; the transcript records affirmative votes from Gripe, Lewis, Tarver, Linder, Roth and Surgis. The motion was seconded by Miss Allen; the transcript does not identify the member who moved the motion by name.

Jamie, the human resources department head, told the committee that recent renegotiations with providers and the addition of statutory first-dollar mental health coverage were expected contributors to higher costs. Staff noted a current line-item increase referenced as “2.2” and said similar plan increases could put county health spending on the order of roughly $2 million at present levels. Staff warned the committee that, if no changes are made, the county could face what was described in the meeting as a “double increase” — absorbing an earlier roughly 8% rise plus a potential additional 8–10%.

Brian Walsh, senior producer at Connor and Gallagher, said the firm has public-entity experience and aims to bring "a fresh perspective" to the county’s benefits program. Mike Dever, director of analytics for the firm, said his work would focus on reporting and finding solutions to manage costs while recognizing the political and employee sensitivity around carrier changes.

Committee members repeatedly asked staff and the new broker to provide more granular reporting, including point-to-point bar charts and a breakout showing how much of recent cost increases are driven by prescription claims. Staff said updated reports — and different formats under the new broker — will be provided to the committee for review.

Members also discussed narrower policy options, including whether to remove weight-loss drugs from the standard prescription formulary (a move that would eliminate coverage for all such drugs under the formulary) and whether to offer separate county-run weight-loss programming that could include limited medication coverage. The committee did not adopt any formulary change at the meeting; members asked for additional data before considering policy changes.

The motion authorized a contract with Connor and Gallagher for health insurance brokerage and consultative services; details of the contract term and amount were not specified in the transcript. The committee placed routine reports on file by unanimous consent and adjourned the meeting.

What’s next: Staff and the new broker will return to the committee with updated analytics on RX claims and other cost drivers and with proposals for the committee to consider ahead of plan renewal timelines later in the year.