Upson County renews employee health plan with Anthem after negotiated 9% increase; alternative plan discussed

Upson County commissioners on May 26 voted to renew the county’s employee medical insurance with Anthem after staff and the county’s broker outlined options and projected budget impacts.

Staff said Anthem initially proposed a 26.4% renewal increase but the broker negotiated it down to roughly 9%. The county will face an estimated $178,000 increase in overall costs tied to the renewal and will address the fiscal effect through a budget amendment from contingency. “We started with Anthem at a 26.4% renewal increase on our insurance. That's very typical, and they fought hard with them and got it down to about 9%,” a staff presenter said.

Commissioners examined an alternative plan option, “Curative,” described in the presentation as a newer, partly self‑insured approach that relies on direct contracting with providers. Staff cautioned that Curative’s local provider network was not yet as robust as major national carriers and recommended more local provider enrollment and further vetting before switching.

Commissioners and staff also discussed the share of costs driven by pharmacy claims. A participant summarized pharmacy as roughly 30% of the plan’s cost. Staff said pharmacy claims in the example were roughly $352,000 while medical claims were larger; they cautioned that carving out pharmacy is generally viable only for much larger groups.

After discussion, a motion to renew with Anthem was made and passed by roll call. Staff said open enrollment will begin in June and coverage will start in July; the board noted it will likely need to process a budget amendment to cover the mid‑year increase.