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Employee-benefits specialist: Hardin County faces 18% health-insurance renewal; commissioners authorize RFP
Summary
Haley Gajewski of the Texas Association of Counties told Hardin County commissioners July 14 the county faces an 18% health-insurance increase at renewal, driven by a high loss ratio and several very large claims; the court authorized an RFP for benefits and asked the benefits committee to review proposals.
Hardin County commissioners were told July 14 that employee health-insurance costs are projected to rise sharply at the next renewal and that the court has authorized a request for proposals to seek alternatives and consulting help.
Haley Gajewski, an employee-benefit specialist with the Texas Association of Counties employee benefits pool, told the court the pool set a projected medical increase at about 18% for the county and about 9–10% for dental. Gajewski said the county’s recent claims experience drove the increase: "Hardin County over the last 12 months has been at just under a 150% loss ratio," she said, well above the pool’s target near 94%.
Gajewski reviewed the pool figures the county received: roughly $4,355,000 in contributions from the county over the reporting period and nearly $6.5 million paid in claims for the same population. She said the plan has about 13 high‑cost claimants (the county’s five largest claimants include four active cancer cases), and the largest individual claim exceeded $750,000. Gajewski also flagged emergency-department utilization as a driver of costs, saying Hardin County had 87 ER visits in the reporting period, 34 of them non‑emergent.
Commissioners debated next steps. Several members urged the court to solicit proposals but cautioned that switching carriers or brokers can produce an initial savings followed by higher rates in later years. The court voted to "authorize the purchasing agent to issue a request for proposals for all health-related insurance benefits, and to have the benefits committee review any proposals received." The judge said, "An 18% increase is just, very hard to stomach," reflecting concern about the budgetary impact.
Gajewski offered county staff and member resources to help blunt costs: targeted member education about appropriate ER use, promotional materials about telehealth and the pool’s nurse/MD Live resources (which she said have a $0 copay), and an offer to provide a county presentation on alternatives to ER use. County staff indicated they would follow up with Gajewski and provide commissioners with more-detailed reports about the timing and any discrepancies in the pool data.
What’s next: staff will issue the RFP as authorized, the benefits committee will review proposals, and TAC staff said they would return answers on data questions and can provide outreach materials for members. No change to benefits takes effect until the court reviews and approves any contract or amendment.
