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Warrenton board approves switch to Cigna for employee health benefits, citing lower increase
Summary
The Board of Aldermen voted 5–0 to move the city's employee health insurance from UnitedHealthcare to Cigna after bids showed Cigna could provide bundled health, dental and vision with a 5% premium increase versus larger hikes from other carriers.
Warrenton City administrators and aldermen voted Tuesday to change the city's employee health plan to Cigna, approving the recommendation of city administrator Brandy Walters.
Walters told the board that UnitedHealthcare, the city's current carrier, proposed a 25% increase due to unusually high claims; the city's broker, Gallagher, solicited bids and Cigna offered a bundled health, dental and vision option with a negotiated 5% increase. Walters said Cigna's network and plan features were similar to the current coverage and estimated the highest family premium increase would be about $17.40 per pay period.
"The only way that UnitedHealthcare would go any lower is if we changed plans with them," Walters said, and she recommended the switch because Cigna "came in the closest with the network and with the plan overall itself and with a 5% increase." She added the city would remain covered through May 31 and the new plan would take effect June 1.
Aldermen asked about the claims driving UnitedHealthcare's increase and whether employees would face gaps during the transition. Walters said claims were unusually high this year, that the city had used Cigna in the past and that the administration had checked higher-use providers to ensure continuity. "We checked a lot of our higher users," Walters said, and she did not expect a significant change in provider access.
Motion to approve Cigna for health, dental and vision was made by Alderman Crump and seconded by Alderman Lane; the roll-call vote passed 5–0 with one member absent.
The board also scheduled open enrollment from May 1'May 15 and a benefits summit on May 6 for employees to meet carriers and review plan details. Walters and staff said they would provide notices to employees about plan changes and the transition timeline.
