Union County Commissioners reviewed health insurance options for county employees at their Sept. 2 meeting ahead of the October renewal.

VanVleet Insurance vice-president of health and life sales Kyle Zajdel presented the agency's latest rates after discussing options at commissioners' Aug. 19 meeting. Zajdel explained VanVleet was not able to get the latest renewal rates from incumbent agency EPIC Insurance, but was able to provide competitive quotes from United Healthcare. Zajdel recommended the county seek a fully-insured policy due to the health of the group, which narrows down the options of carriers to United or Anthem.

Commissioner Tim Williams asked for details on the plans offered by United. Zajdel replied the different plans each have pros and cons, with different deductibles and co-insurance rates. He highlighted a United plan that has a lower maximum-out-of-pocket figure than the current plan, although it does have a higher deductible, with a 0.5 percent increase from the county's current rate. Zajdel explained a big advantage of United Healthcare is its extensive national network, which includes Reid Health, all hospital groups in Cincinnati, Dayton and every hospital in Indiana. Williams inquired if there would be any problems with county employees being able to continue seeing the providers they are currently seeing. Zajdel replied United Healthcare's Choice network is  far larger than the current provider network and includes all local providers. VanVleet employee benefits specialist Kyle Dafler noted the only issues they ever see with their networks are chiropractors and occasionally very specific specialists, although in those cases equivalent specialists are typically available. 

Union County auditor Cheryl Begley inquired how employee deductibles would be affected if the county switches to a different insurance carrier. Zajdel replied it depends on whether claims are accrued on a calender-year or policy-year basis. If it is on a calender-year, carriers generally are willing to give employees credit for the deductible they have already paid in 2022; if it is a policy-year basis, the deductible will roll over when the new policy takes place. 

Zajdel suggested the county consider looking at a captive market plan at some point in the future, but would not be possible to put in place before the October renewal. Under a captive market plan, the county would pool together with other small employers, similar to the insurance provided by Union County College Corner Joint School District. A captive market would potentially provide a benefit to the county, but does come with potential downsides as well; and once in a captive market, they are difficult to get out of.

Dafler touched on the pharmacy benefits provided through United, which excludes services through CVS. He explained a partnership between CVS and Aetna is in the midst of a legal battle with United, pushing CVS out of network. All other pharmacies are in network. 

Williams asked commissioner Barry Edwards if he would like to move ahead with a decision or wait until commissioner Howard Curry returned to decide, noting a decision to lock in insurance rates would help Union County Council when they meet to further discuss the 2023 budget later in the month. Edwards made a motion to switch the county's health insurance to VanVleet; Williams joined Edwards in approving the proposal.