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City trust board decides to retain Blue Cross of Idaho for 2027, council briefed on stop-loss options
Summary
A city trust board voted unanimously July 21 to retain Blue Cross of Idaho as the 2027 medical carrier and administrator; council was briefed on stop-loss pricing and told staff will continue to seek carve-out or alternative stop-loss bids to reduce projected increases.
The board overseeing the city's employee-benefit trust voted July 21 to retain Blue Cross of Idaho as the medical carrier and administrator for 2027; the council received an informational update on July 28 describing the market check and the board's rationale.
Trust representatives said the decision was influenced by network access, projected claims costs and stop-loss pricing. Christina Barney summarized the market review and explained that Blue Cross initially proposed a stop-loss option that was roughly 56% above the current plan; that has since declined to about 30% in preliminary offers. Benefits consultant Scott explained stop loss in plain terms: "stop loss is the insurance that the trust buys to protect itself from... getting too much exposure from any single large claimant," noting current purchasing thresholds protect the trust against individual-year claims above a large-dollar threshold. Staff said they will continue actively soliciting stop-loss bids and consider carving out stop-loss coverage to compress the potential increase toward a target in the mid-teens percentage range above current levels, and that actuarial review and final pricing will be completed as claims data through August become available.
The trust's decision to retain Blue Cross was unanimous; council action on funding levels was described as a separate step for the council's later consideration.
