Guadalupe County keeps stop-loss deductible at $125,000 after Gallagher review

County benefits staff and Gallagher consultants presented an analysis of the county's self-funded health plan and stop-loss options; the court decided to maintain the individual stop-loss deductible at $125,000.

Ashley, the Gallagher executive client executive, summarized the modeling and told commissioners the data show a projected 16% rise in claims before any deductible change and that raising the individual stop-loss would cut fixed stop-loss premiums but increase county claims expenditures. "Our recommendation is to stay put, with where you're at with the $125,000 stop loss level," the Gallagher representative said. HR staff and commissioners discussed the number of employees who had met the stop-loss threshold in recent years (three in 2025, nine in 2026 so far) and concluded that increasing the deductible would not be cost-saving given the county's claims experience.

Commissioners expressed appreciation for the analysis and asked staff to continue pursuing additional cost-saving measures (MD Live telemedicine promotion and other utilization-management steps) while leaving the stop-loss contract terms unchanged for now.